Survivability: The New Watchword

During 15 years in the business, the president and founder of Alpine Home Medical has simultaneously worked to prepare for and kill competitive bidding. With Round 2 of the hated government program scheduled to affect two of his five Utah locations in Ogden and Salt Lake City, Jay Broadbent is confident he can survive.

Meticulous attention to product diversity, while not making the company immune, has significantly increased the odds of survivability. In these uncertain times, good thinking requires a willingness to expand and add new equipment choices. With that in mind, Broadbent started offering lifts for homes and vehicles years ago.

Prior to taking on the lines, Broadbent had referred his power wheelchair and scooter customers in need of lifts to others. Instead of giving away all that business, he called up manufacturers Bruno and VMI and started a successful addition to sales, which already included mainstays such as oxygen, CPAP and wheelchairs.

Unlike these three product categories, lifts were cash items not involved in Medicare or competitive bidding. In addition to the original two lift brands, Broadbent has added more manufacturers to capture other parts of the market. “We've got some new competitors in town and they are competing solely on price,” says Broadbent. “It's hard to only offer top-quality product and try to compete on price. We are adding other lines for the simple fact that we must be able to compete if the decision to buy a lift is based solely on price.”

Doing well in vehicle lifts, stair lifts and porch lifts means going back to basics. For Broadbent, that means hiring good staff — from salespeople to installers and every position in between. “Make sure you are properly insured,” adds Broadbent. “Especially if you have vehicle lifts, you have possession of someone's vehicle and must be insured for damages to the vehicle. Fortunately, it is not horribly expensive.”

According to Broadbent, the savvy people you hire should be hard at work visiting rehab centers and hospitals, because officials at these institutions will all too often forget what you offer. In these cases, a friendly and tactful reminder can make all the difference. Three or four times a year is a good guideline. “It's amazing how quickly they forget what you do,” says Broadbent of these referral sources. “You may have been there two or three months earlier, and you may have told them you do lifts, but they act surprised and think you are just the wheelchair or oxygen guys.”