Joe the HME Provider Heads to Medtrade–with a New Agenda

ATLANTA — Thousands of home medical equipment providers
who survived a year of industry chaos and sea changes are expected
to descend on the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta this
week for Medtrade 2008, but it won’t be business as usual for
them.

This year, providers say, they’re looking for more answers and
more information—and Medtrade organizers promise they’ll find
it.

The annual expo and conference, scheduled Tuesday through
Thursday with a pre-show conference today, will feature more than
600 exhibitors in 200,000 square feet of space and 170 educational
sessions covering everything from accreditation and competitive
bidding to oxygen and complex rehab issues. Many of the conference
sessions, organizers say, are designed to present the latest
information on the slew of changes affecting the industry.

Kevin Gaffney, who recently came aboard as Medtrade director,
said this year’s show will be a strong one that seeks to address
the myriad issues surrounding HME. An example, he said, is a
state-of-the-industry address, new to Medtrade this year.

“It will kick off the overall event Tuesday morning at 8:45. It
will be a high-level panel. We are hoping that exhibitors and folks
visiting the exposition … will make plans to attend this
keynote,” Gaffney told HomeCare. He added that the event is open to
all attendees, not just those registered for the conference.

“We felt it was pretty critical at this point in the industry to
do something like this because of [everything that has gone on this
year]. It’s almost like the perfect storm,” Gaffney said. “I think
it will be good for attendees to have the opportunity to hear these
[experts]. I think it will make them feel pretty good about what
they have been doing in the industry.”

Earlier this year, providers mustered their collective muscle to
fight the government’s DMEPOS competitive bidding project. While
the project was implemented in July, it was subsequently halted for
an 18-month period by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and
Providers Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
however, has not given up on the bidding program and is making
plans for the rebid of Round One, dubbed by some Round 1.2.

Providers are also facing a 9.5 percent cut affecting the 10
product categories included in round one and a 36-month cap on
oxygen rental, both of which are effective Jan. 1, 2009. As well,
new quality standards have just been enacted and accreditation is
mandatory for all HME providers as of Sept. 30, 2009.

All of those issues have colored providers’
expectations—and hopes—for Medtrade this year, they
say.

“I don’t go for the same reason I used to go,” said Gerald
Sloan, owner of Progressive Medical in Lenexa, Kan. “It used to be
we went for new products; it was fun to get out and shop and see
where the industry was going. Now we are just trying to keep our
heads above water. Now, it’s about education. Knowledge is more
valuable than product is.”

Sloan, who is taking one other employee with him to Medtrade,
said he values the industry’s largest show.

“It’s always an opportunity to get new information when you go
to Medtrade, maybe pick up something new,” he said. “It’s just a
single place to get a lot of information in a short amount of
time.”

Terry Luft, owner and president of Central Medical Equipment in
Harrisburg, Pa., said his focus, too, would be education. A member
of The Med Group in Lubbock, Texas, Luft said he is arriving at
Medtrade a day earlier than usual because of MED’s Monday
information session.

“I felt the education was really worth it,” he said, adding that
even though his business is up 14 percent over last year’s, he
recognizes the need to carve out as much savings as he can in order
to survive the cuts coming in 2009—and he’s looking for ideas
on how to do that.

Wayne Knewasser, vice president of public relations and
government affairs for Premier Home Care in Louisville, Ky.,
believes the show will afford him some critical networking
opportunities.

Knewasser, a board member of the American Association for
Homecare, said he will be attending committee meetings during the
show, and he is hopeful he will be able to learn more details about
the impending oxygen cap. As well, he looks forward to exchanging
ideas with other stakeholders on how to do business more
effectively.

“My interest is going to be to talk to some of the other
suppliers and see how they are anticipating Jan. 1,” he said. “We
kind of have this double hit coming, and it’s going to make it
difficult for providers in terms of cash coming in and growing
their business. With some of the uncertainties out there right now,
I think a prudent businessperson wants to talk with other business
individuals.”

Knewasser said he is interested in hearing other stakeholders’
ideas of how costs can be reduced from an operational standpoint
while maintaining quality of patient care.

The Medtrade schedule includes numerous opportunities for
networking and gaining one’s knowledge about the industry. Here are
some of the event’s highlights:

• Accreditation Central, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday
  and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, sponsored by HomeCare. With
  mandatory accreditation looming, Accreditation Central will provide
  a forum for providers to ask questions of six accrediting
  organizations about the accreditation process.
• AAHomecare’s annual Washington Update, 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
  Wednesday. Tyler J. Wilson, AAHomecare president and CEO, and Walt
  Gorski, vice president of government affairs, will give an inside
  look at possible legislative and regulatory activities by Congress
  and CMS in 2009, as well as the association’s priorities and how
  providers can help define the industry’s future.
• Center Stage, throughout the exhibition. Within a theater
  setting on the show floor, companies will showcase their new
  products and services and offer demonstrations. Check the show
  directory for a schedule.
• Medicare Updates presentation from the DME MACs, 7:30 to 8:30
  a.m. Wednesday. Staff from each of the four MACs, the NSC (National
  Supplier Clearinghouse) and the CBIC (Competitive Bidding
  Implementation Contractor) will also be available to provide
  information and address questions during the show at Booth
  2238.
• Medtrade Keynote Address, “Opportunities and Challenges
  Ahead—The State of the HME Industry,” 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.
  Tuesday. AAHomecare’s Wilson will moderate a discussion among
  leaders of the HME industry, including Cara Bachenheimer, senior
  vice president of government relations for Elyria, Ohio-based
  Invacare; Georgetta Blackburn, vice president of government
  relations for Blackburn’s Pharmacy, Tarantum, Pa.; Lawrence Higby,
  CEO, Apria Healthcare Group in Lake Forest, Calif.; Alan Landauer,
  CEO, Landauer Metropolitan, Mount Vernon, N.Y.; Scott Meuser,
  chairman and CEO, Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa.; and John
  Miclot, president and CEO of Respironics, Murrysville, Pa.
• Medtrade Oktoberfest, 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday on
  the show floor. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with
  consultants, exhibitors and their peers. The event is free. In
  conjunction, Nielsen Business Media, which produces Medtrade, will
  make a donation to The Shepherd Center, a nationally known rehab
  facility in Atlanta.
• New Product Pavilion, open during exhibition hours on the show
  floor. Providers will have the opportunity to view scores of new
  products from every segment.
• Stand Up for Homecare cocktail reception fundraiser, 5:30 to 7
  p.m. Tuesday at the Omni Hotel @CNN Center. Sponsored by the
  American Association for Homecare, the event will raise funds to
  launch a public awareness campaign promoting the mission of the
  home care industry.

For more information, see the Medtrade directory or Medtrade’s Web
site.