Tag: Diversification
Is CRT gaining traction, as providers rethink growth?
July 31, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa – As reimbursement pressures mount on traditional home medical equipment (HME) categories, providers are increasingly looking to complex rehab technology (CRT) and related specialties as a path to diversification – and growth, say leaders at U.S. Rehab.
Ted Metcalf, director of U.S. Rehab, a division of VGM & Associates, says more providers are being pulled into CRT not by strategy alone, but by demand from referral sources.
“We have members coming to us –...
Diversification: Build a balanced portfolio
September 8, 2025Gabe Buckner
Q. How can DME providers diversify revenue streams to reduce dependence on Medicare and mitigate risks associated with competitive bidding?
A. The key is shifting from a reactive reimbursement model to a proactive business development strategy. Competitive bidding and Medicare fee schedules have long constrained margins, making it risky to rely solely on traditional payer sources. To build resilience, providers should explore business-to-business revenue streams that offer more predictable...
Stretch into long-term care, speakers advise providers
October 16, 2018Theresa Flaherty
ATLANTA - HME providers are experts in caring for patients in their homes, so offering their services to residential care facilities should be a no-brainer of a business opportunity, a panel of speakers told Medtrade attendees on Monday.“Providers tell me they lack confidence to match the product to the resident,” said Karen Lerner, regulatory vice president of pressure prevention for Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare during “Get into the Stretch Zone: Why aren't you renting and selling...
Do you have a strategy for diversification?
April 25, 2014Guest Commentary
If not, you need one to assure your company's future viability. The DME world has dramatically changed over the years and I don't think anyone would argue against that fact. Reimbursement rates have been cut to the bone for CPAP and oxygen, just to name a couple, while the cost of running your business has not. In fact, I am sure your costs have increased dramatically more than the years. Do you find yourself looking back at the days when you billed out and received over $400 per month for oxygen,...
Grow past the competition
December 18, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa - For member groups like The VGM Group, the name of the game right now is helping their provider members grow like gangbusters.That's why VGM Forbin now creates online portals to help providers attract and streamline their hospice businesses. The portal allows hospice partners to do things like create an account, assign access levels to key staff, place an order and schedule pick-ups. Here's what Matt Waller, vice president of client services at VGM Forbin, had to say why tools like...
The chronicles of southern California, part 2
February 7, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Diversification was the underlying theme of our visits today with MK Battery and Cramer Decker Medical. Take a hint from these two companies, HME providers: Now's not the time to sit still.
MK Battery recently opened distribution facilities in Holland and Germany as part of its continued expansion into Europe. David Brunelle, who works in the company's sales department, says the manufacturer wants its power wheelchair manufacturer partners, like Invacare, to know that it can support its chairs overseas.
But...
Think managed care is the solution?
March 25, 2011Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Industry consultant Alison Cherney says “everyone wants to get into managed care” these days.
“They're saying, 'I'm in a competitive bidding area and I lost Medicare, what do I do now?'” said Cherney, president of Cherney & Associates in Brentwood, Tenn. “They think managed care looks attractive, but they can't, after all these years of hating it, just turn around and get a contract. It's not easy and it takes awhile.”
Cherney says...
The Scooter Store pursues life outside power mobility
September 2, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
The Scooter Store announced today that it has created a home medical equipment division to complement its power mobility business.
Chris Bailey, a licensed vocational nurse who has been at The Scooter Store since 1999 and who has held management positions since 2006, will lead the new division as vice president.
“Our long-term vision and goal is 'To give every senior or disabled American the ability to live their entire life safely and confidently at home,'” stated Doug Harrison, founder,...
Suburban limits exposure
March 3, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Suburban Home Medical doesn't have its eggs in one basket; it has them in four baskets.
The provider, which opened a new location in Colchester, Conn., in January, earns a living through retail sales; hospice contracts; wholesale contracts, mostly with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and insurance payments from Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield and others.
"We're a well-balanced company," said Gregory Czapiga, one of Suburban's three owners. "Eight years...
Robert J. Samuelson, "Lord of the Rings" and the end of the world as we know it
February 25, 2010Mike Moran
I'm "working" from home today. I don't usually do that, but last week my wife and I took the kids on vacation to Arizona, and I caught the worst cold (or maybe it is the plague) of my life. That seems like some kind of perverse joke, doesn't it? Go on vacation to a warm climate to escape Maine's frigid winter and get very sick.
Anyways, as I was lying on the couch this morning doped up on Tylenol, Sudafed and Robitussin (cough suppressant and expectorant), reading through back issues of Newsweek,...