Need a Lift?

People who choose to “age in place” at home are more likely to need patient lifts. “More people want to live on their own at home rather than seek out a care facility,” says Jerry Keiderling, president, Accessible Home Improvement of America, the newest division of VGM Group. He notes that “boomers have the financial capability to do what needs to be done,” which suggests a lucrative opportunity for expanded sales of lift products among HME providers.

“Caregivers for disabled persons are also becoming more aware of products to help them,” Keiderling adds. “They’re learning on the Internet about what’s available.”

Keiderling suggests the best strategy to sell more lifts and other accessibility products is to take the broadest possible view when assessing customers’ needs. “Take the blinders off when you are with a client evaluating their situation,” he suggests. “What else could they need or use? People are surprised at what can transpire when you have conversations like that.”

Make Sure Customers Know What’s Available

Technology developments related to patient lifts center on electronic components and aesthetics, says Keiderling. “Today’s stairlifts, porchlifts and elevators have a much more pleasing look. They don’t look like the service hoist at the local garage. Longevity is also a key component. Some of these systems are used quite often, and they need to last.”

A relative newcomer to the U.S. market, Ergolet offers patient lifts reflecting a Scandinavian design that combines functionality with a clean, sleek, less institutional appearance. After introducing its products domestically over the last several years, the Danish manufacturer was recently acquired by Liberty Diversified International.

Ergolet’s signature product is the E-Track, which mounts on the wall instead of from the ceiling. The company also provides a line of mobile lifts and hygienic products for the home and institutional care markets. “We pride ourselves on the safety of our products,” says Sam Rosen, the company’s director of sales and marketing in the Americas. “We have a patent on the hook that locks with an audible click.”

Despite the Internet, many potential buyers simply don’t know what equipment is out there, so it is critical to get the message out both on the clinical side and through home care providers, says Rosen. Justifying the cost of lift products is easy if you compare the expense of institutional care or even having a health care worker come into the home, he says.

“What is the expense if a family member injures their back [trying to lift a patient]?” he asks. He encourages providers to point out to customers that “the cost of injury far outweighs the cost of a lift.” He also notes that many providers do their own lift installations, which yields additional revenue.

“Customers need to know how easy it is to address accessibility issues in the home … We’re in a business that can change people’s lives,” Rosen says.

He suggests marketing to home remodelers as another way to generate business. “It’s more cost-effective to [incorporate a lift] during a home remodel,” Rosen says.

“My personal opinion is that dealers should reach out more to the customer,” agrees Mario Skrzypczak, marketing manager for RAM Manufacturing, which offers elevators and vertical platform lifts. “Many dealers don’t put much effort into selling vertical platform lifts because they have other products that keep them alive,” he says, adding that HME providers often assume that consumers know more about lift products than they actually do.

RAM provides vertical platform lifts up to 12 feet and elevators that travel up to 50 feet for both the residential and commercial markets. While retail prices can be high — from $4,000 to $18,000 for a lift and $20,000 up to $60,000 for an elevator with all the bells and whistles — the costs seem reasonable when compared to moving out of a lifelong home into a new one- level house, says Skrzypczak.

The company’s platform lifts are shipped as three separate modules that can pass through doorways and openings as narrow as 12 inches and are easy to assemble on a job site. Skrzypczak cautions that some lift products are shipped as a single pre-assembled unit and can be too large to get through doorways, which can cost more on the installation side. So the upfront costs on a less expensive unit can be a tradeoff.

RAM, he says, provides detailed engineering drawings to enable a contractor or builder to get a custom fit with the right tolerance.

Skrzypczak sees lift design moving toward use of lighter metals. The products already benefit from advances in quality, endurance and reliability of electrical motors. Beyond power, he says, there is very little involved in lift products — “a simple mechanical process.”

But selling lift products requires extra care, Skrzypczak continues. HME providers may need to explain to customers the benefits of safety features, such as an interlock device that prevents a gate from opening when a platform is not properly positioned, thus preventing falls and likely injuries.

“You have to put thought into the presentation, and take the extra time to let consumers know why they need a lift and how it would work for them,” he says.

Some providers may resist the idea of being involved in the installation of patient lift systems, which AHIA’s Keiderling believes is a mistake. For the most part, he says, a provider who is supplying a product needs to be the one to install it because of warranty and liability considerations.

“Subcontracting the installation involves more hands, and yet the time spent is the same because you have to oversee the installation. You don’t want another hand involved in a case if there is a liability issue later on. Dealer installation is the truest form of quality,” Keiderling says.

Vehicle Lifts on the Go

Concerns about installation can also be an issue for HME companies considering vehicle lift sales.

“A lot of providers are afraid of the installation until you get them to do the first one, and they see how easy it is,” says Conor Sullivan, director of marketing for vehicle lift supplier Harmar Mobility. The company offers free training on installation at its Sarasota, Fla., location and recently kicked off a series of Harmar Tech seminars to teach providers how to install and troubleshoot the lifts — and how to sell more of them. The series started on the West Coast and is expanding to the Northeast this spring.

Sullivan notes the company’s lifts can be installed out-of-the-box on most car models, although some vehicle models require additional parts and adapters; Harmar has 25 models for various cars, trucks and SUVs. “There is pretty much a lift for any car, truck, van or SUV,” he says.

Once providers are educated about the products, they, in turn, must educate their customers. “The biggest thing is that you have to have a physical demo on your floor,” Sullivan adds. “Words can only explain this so far; a vehicle lift operating on the floor allows customers to see it operate, feel it and understand what it is.”

HME salespeople should simply ask potential buyers questions about their needs, Sullivan recommends. If customers are making a power wheelchair or scooter purchase, he points out, “showing them the physical product eases their mind about making the additional expenditure” for a lift.

Price isn’t usually a big obstacle to a sale, says Sullivan. “What these products deliver to a person makes the price justifiable in the customer’s mind. Making it as easy to use as possible is more important than lowering price.”

He also notes that point-of-sale displays, such as a continuous-loop DVD showing lifestyle videos involving vehicle lifts, can help boost sales. Harmar also provides banners, posters and literature for consumers.

As for design, Sullivan says, “the technology for these lifts will have to change because vehicles are getting smaller while the chairs are getting bigger. How do you put a larger chair on a smaller vehicle? You need a lift that is simpler, lighter, more streamlined. Every day we are looking at how we can overcome this obstacle and make the lift as simple and light as possible.”

Adapting to changing vehicle models is certainly an ongoing challenge, agrees Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager of Bruno Independent Living Aids.

“The changes have to do with the various styles of vehicles that come out each year. We have 200 different sub-bases to accommodate variations. We have to be on top of the new vehicles when they come out — even subtle changes every year can affect how our lifts work.”

Bruno introduced vehicle lifts in 1984 and now offers 20 types. The company’s three most popular are the Curb-Sider, which can move 180 degrees to rotate a scooter or power wheelchair into a minivan; the Out-Sider Meridian, a platform lift mounted on the back of a vehicle; and the Joey, a platform lift that lifts a wheelchair straight up and moves it on rails into the vehicle. All three models have a 350-lb. weight capacity.

But other types of products are also gaining interest, Krawczyk says, such as Bruno’s Stow-Away, a powered transfer seat mounted on the outside of trucks and SUVs.

According to Krawczyk, it’s especially important that providers “work with the client to determine the client’s ability. What can they lift? Can they push an arm in? Can they help with rotating the chair manually?” Other variables to be considered are the type of mobility device and the type of vehicle. Bruno requires providers who offer its products to come to its Wisconsin headquarters at least once every three years for updates and training.

While there is mounting interest from a burgeoning group of consumers with mobility needs, “probably the biggest area of sales growth is in referral sources,” says Krawczyk. He encourages providers to develop stronger relationships with physical and occupational therapists and clinics in their trade areas. “They need to get to know the VA hospital in their area,” he says.

Even though there are millions of potential consumers coming into the market, Krawczyk points out, “you can’t just wait for business walk through the door. You have to have a strategy and a plan.”

Growing Demand for Bariatric Lifts

The national obesity epidemic is driving growth in the bariatric segment of the lifts market.

“It’s sad, but when you look at the demographics, the latest reports say the average person’s size has gotten bigger, which points to a need for heavier-duty equipment,” says Roberta James, national sales manager for Gendron. The company offers mobile lifts with a 700- or 1,000-lb. weight capacity for both the home care and skilled nursing facility markets.

The obesity problem now extends to every geographic area in the United States, James says. “We get new calls daily” from providers who want to know about getting into the bariatric lift market, she says. “The common thread is: ‘I have been in the business for 20 years and just now am getting requests for bariatric equipment.’”

There is a lot to learn, James says. For example, the size of a room and/or the footprint of a lift can be obstacles to using a bariatric lift in a patient’s home. “We can outfit a complete patient room, whether in a home or in a facility,” she says. “However, a bariatric lift may not be appropriate for every person’s home because of size.”

The biggest change in the market is that 10 years ago such equipment was difficult to find, but today is easily available. “[A bariatric lift] is designed like a standard lift, but constructed with materials to withstand the larger patient,” James says.

“There is a lot of education involved, whether it be in a facility or a home,” she continues. Gendron offers an education resource on its Web site called “Ask Dr. Huffman,” which employs the resources of Dr. Kevin Huffman, a board-certified bariatric physician with 20 years of clinical experience in obesity management.

“We need to all keep reading, keep learning and listening to our customers,” James says. “We need to keep our eyes and ears open as manufacturers to make sure we provide quality products for the patient and maintain safety for the patient and the caregiver.”

Making Homes Accessible for Boomers

Accessible Home Improvement of America is looking to equip HME providers to diversify their business by helping aging baby boomers stay in their homes as long as possible. The opportunity is an alternative route to profitability in a time of declining reimbursements, says Jerry Keiderling, president of AHIA, a division of member services organization VGM Group. “It’s the same clientele, it’s not a new market.”

AHIA is a nationwide network of independent, certified providers and contractors dedicated to providing accessible home modifications, living solutions and related products and services. Providers can join whether or not they are a VGM member.

To help cultivate the accessible home improvement market, AHIA has created a credentialing system that awards a Certified Environmental Access Consultants (CEAC) credential to those who meet specific education and validation requirements. “We want to make this as professional a market as we can, and the credential does that,” says Keiderling. The company also offers lead generation through the Internet.

“The DME/rehab dealer can earn the credential and take it as far as they want to go,” says Keiderling, whether they want to be involved only in consultation, assessment or evaluation of a home’s needs or whether they want to get into construction projects such as widening doors.

AHIA launched last September and already has about 140 providers signed up. Now that the framework of services is in place, Keiderling expects rapid growth as new HME companies come on board. Equipment vendors who want to participate in the program must offer a quality product and provide sales and service representation; no Web-only suppliers are allowed, Keiderling says.

Experts Interviewed

• Jerry Keiderling, president, Accessible Home Improvement of America (division of VGM Group), Waterloo, Iowa
• Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Oconomowoc, Wis.
• Sam Rosen, director of sales and marketing, Ergolet, Minneapolis
• Roberta James, national sales manager, Gendron, Bryan, Ohio
• Conor Sullivan, director of marketing, Harmar Mobility, Sarasota, Fla.
• Mario Skrzypczak, marketing manager, RAM Manufacturing, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada