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I've been conducting a very personal poll over the past few
years. As I've gone to see my own set of doctors (my primary care
physician and various other specialists), I've asked what they know
about home medical equipment. The unanimous answer, to my dismay,
has been not a lot.
While my doctors have certainly been focused on me, they see a
patient standing before them within the walls of their offices.
Little has been asked about the person who must deal with the
business of living beyond those walls. Don't get me wrong. I'm
grateful for the outstanding care we get from physicians in this
country. But that care is concentrated within the practice, the
clinic, the hospital.
In a rehab group several years ago after a shoulder injury, I
discovered that even my physical therapist was largely unaware of
the home aids that could help his patients stay safe and
comfortable outside of his sessions. After cycling through various
physicians in a number of disciplines, I'm afraid the same might be
true for many in the medical world.
Speaking last month at a panel sponsored by Invacare, Dr. Steven
Landers, a geriatrician and home care specialist at the Cleveland
Clinic, confirmed that most of his colleagues have “limited
knowledge” of what the home care industry is all about. To
change the situation, Landers advocates more physician education
about home care in med schools and through clinic and hospital
systems. That's a long-term approach, and I hope it will happen. In
the meantime, millions of baby boomers will roll into the Medicare
system over the next decade, and they don't want to spend their
later years anywhere else but in their own homes. In fact, Landers
said, most of these folks fear nursing homes more than death.
Wow.
So what's with the continuing institutional bias in the nation's
health care system? How come Congress and regulators don't get that
they should be shoring up our home care infrastructure instead of
decimating it? What's so hard to understand about the fact that
their homes are where people would rather receive continuing
care?
For decades, the HME industry has operated behind closed doors,
so to speak, inside the homes of the chronically ill and elderly.
Providers have gone quietly about the business of tending to their
patients' equipment needs while most outside this industry simply
haven't noticed. That includes the mainstream media, which until
recently paid little attention to HME. Now that the media has begun
to look, the only people on whom they have chosen to shine the
spotlight are the crooks that the government is finally —
after years of pleas from industry advocates — trying to weed
out.
I guess it's human nature to point up bad behavior, but I'm
hoping that as far as HME is concerned, that will change, too, as
both the media and government start to acknowledge this industry's
strengths and the solutions it offers. Some of the most astute
among the country's businessmen — its retailers — have
already taken stock of what today's active seniors want, and we're
witnessing a huge cash business in HME that is beginning to
flourish as a result. Surely government can't be too far
behind?
While I've been in too many Washington offices and heard too
many lawmakers disparage HME to believe such a government
about-face will happen overnight, I remain optimistic. In the face
of reimbursement cuts and changing rules that make it harder to
operate, I hope you won't give up, either. Your business fills an
important gap for those who need HME and the services that go with
it.
Make sure your local newspaper is aware of the role you play
day-in and day-out when it comes to keeping your patients
comfortable in their homes. Make sure your customers, their
caregivers and their friends know about the products you offer that
can better people's quality of life.
These days, building a brand and maintaining an image are simply
part of running a successful business. Make sure your brand and
your image are well known and reflect the good work that you do in
your community.
