Battling Lethargy

Apathetic,” “sluggish,” “dull,” “listless,” “unenergetic” — these all are terms that describe lethargy. When I look at many dealers from my ivory tower in Florida, I see another definition for lethargy.

What I see are dealers sitting back on their derrieres, complaining about how their businesses may be affected by pending legislation and waiting for someone else to tie the bell on the cat.

There is no one else! If you are not willing to work and fight to protect your company, then either close it or sell it.

What triggered this diatribe were several calls I received recently from DME dealers, two of whom I did not know. The calls were about the prescription plans being proposed and the changes anticipated in Medicare reimbursements. In the course of our discussions, I asked each the same question: “To which industry associations do you belong?”

They did not belong to even one. When I asked why, the dealers said they did not have money to spend for membership in any associations. Well, I learned a long time ago that you must spend money to make money.

That may sound wrong, but think about the role of the associations. They are very involved in working to protect all DME dealers, not just their members. If they do not receive sufficient support, not only that of active participation, but also the necessary dollars to do battle, they will not succeed.

I look upon membership in all of these associations as part of the normal operating expense necessary to run one’s company. (The interesting thing is that accountants know where to place these dollars in tax returns for the company’s benefit.)

Here’s another way to look at this issue. The United States is fighting many actions in various parts of the world. Funds are necessary to maintain all of these efforts. As a consequence, every effort is being put into place to see where and how dollars can be found to continue these activities.

We find our profession being looked at very closely. Why? Perhaps because we may be seen as the lowest rung on the health care ladder, and so the weakest to fight back to protect what we have.

Make a positive move at Medtrade. Visit the AAHomecare booth and sign on as a member. Visit the displays of the exhibiting buying groups. I am associated with one (VGM), and I can tell you they are working very hard to protect you. So are all the others. Study their programs, and consider joining one.

Don’t be lethargic. Become an activist!

Basic Training

When you join the Army, you spend the first few months of your enlistment in basic training. When you take a job with an HME company, almost immediately you begin servicing customers. This is how many dealers go astray, by throwing someone into the line of duty without complete and proper knowledge or training.

Please set aside time to train all new employees so they will understand their responsibilities completely. You must find the time to instill properly in new employees all of the knowledge they need to be effective.

One of the best sources of information available to you is your vendors. They will participate in your staff meetings and show your employees how to market their items, and will provide your employees with sales material, samples, training manuals and other tools.

Follow Up

It is very important to keep all of your employees fully updated with information about new items you may be carrying, changes put into place by your vendors and other information that will help them stay sharp.

Some of the DME dealers I talk to tell me of the success they have with holding monthly sales meetings not just for their salespeople, but for their whole staff. I think this is an excellent idea. The benefit is that when every staff member shares the same information, they can all assist one another.

Customer Relationships

I subscribe to a very interesting magazine titled CRM. The acronym stands for “customer relationship management.” I find the information in the magazine to be very interesting, and I enjoy relating what I read to HME and HHA providers.

The relationship you have with each individual customer is one of the major foundations for your success. This is applicable in any business venture, but even more so when your business involves dealing with people who have or are caring for someone with health problems.

I called several HME dealers I know to see if they are familiar with the term “CRM” and how they address this topic. One dealer, Pat Egan of American Homecare Supply, has his staff involved in direct communication and in developing relationships with each client.

Joan Cross of C & C Homecare did not recognize the acronym, but feels very strongly about customer relations. “We need some type of training program to better educate ourselves and staff on customer relationship management,” she said.

I agree that, with all that we do in this industry, we do need a program applicable specifically to the home care industry on the subject. Until we have such a program, I suggest that every HME dealer and HHA program spend some time studying customer relationship management and how best to structure it for their companies.

Here is a perfect starting point for you: Hold scheduled staff meetings where you can discuss problems you may be having with specific accounts, the difficulties that have occurred and how you have responded to them. When your employees get involved in the discussion, what really happened and how it was really addressed (information that in all probability you never knew) will surface.

You have tools at your disposal for use in developing CRM. Your employees are the front line, and you are their support.

Your computer system is another tool for tracking customers, what items they use, what treatments they require and which staff member is their contact. Use this information to set up an individualized service approach to each customer.

Another basic concept of good customer relationship management is communication. Communication is not just a one-on-one interaction in your office or store, however.

Try other forms of communication, such as a newsletter that features monthly specials, health and nutrition tips and even a coupon, or a catalog that showcases the products and services you offer.

Take a look at CRM magazine online at www.crmmagazine.com.au.

Telemedicine, A Preview

There is a dramatic change coming in the provision of health care in the United States, a change that could open a new door of opportunity to HME providers. It is called telemedicine, and it will eventually affect every segment of the industry.

What is telemedicine? There are many definitions, but basically the term comes from the prefix tele, meaning “reaching over a distance.” Television and telecommunication are two readily recognized uses of terms with the prefix tele.

Simply stated, telemedicine refers to the ability to treat a patient from a distance. A physician or home health agency may be located in a city 75 miles from the countryside in which a patient lives, but through the use of telemedicine, the patient can be cared for promptly and properly.

I have seen telemedicine in action. The patient involved has only a few simple things to do: A unit is set up so that the patient steps onto a platform, then he or she puts on a sphygmomanometer and perhaps a plethysmograph on his or her finger (both simple to do with the aid of a caregiver) and has his or her vital signs, weight and other functions recorded and transmited via a telephone or Internet connection to a remote clinician.

The patient may also be prompted to answer a series of questions that appear electronically on a computer or equipment screen. All of these questions can be answered by “yes” or “no”. The practitioner who receives the information can then ask additional questions to help make a diagnosis and to determine whether a face-to-face visit is necessary.

What role does an HME provider play in this new scenario? The provider can be the source to rent telemonitoring equipment to practitioners, and maybe more as the technology continues to develop.

Look into this as a new venture your company should consider.

Next month, I’ll share what I learned at the recent Remote Telemonitoring and Home Telehealth Forum, sponsored by the American Telemedicine Association in September.

Sheldon “Shelly” Prial is a partner with HPS Healthcare Management. In 1987, he founded the Homecare Providers Co-op, now part of The VGM Group. Prial can be reached by phone at 888/367-7208 or by e-mail at [email protected].