The Road Ahead

“I love getting up in the morning! I clap my hands and say, ‘This is going to be a great day!’”
— Dicky Fox in Cameron Crowe’s “Jerry Maguire,” 1996

It’s January 23 as I write this column, on what is, at least according to a British psychologist I read about in the morning news, supposed to be the gloomiest day of the year. For the 30,000 Ford workers who were told today they would be losing their jobs, I suspect it pretty much fits that description.

After losing market share and fighting foreign competition for years, Ford maintains it is cutting the jobs and revamping operations to find “The Way Forward,” the slogan on which hopeful management has centered its turnaround plan. Company officials explain there were simply no other options left. It’s “change or die,” said one exec.

The massive layoff is a painful consequence of Ford’s drastically dwindling fortunes. After shipping its first car in 1903, the pioneering automaker held its position as one of that industry’s great success stories for decades but, lately, has seemed more like its Titanic. With so many cars around to choose from, there is little customer loyalty. Ford’s competitors have apparently gauged buyers’ needs and wants better, priced their products better and marketed better.

The lessons of Ford’s circumstances surely aren’t lost on this industry’s providers. (I’ll bet you knew that was coming.) HME is being turned on its ear by a perfect storm of factors analogous to those with which Ford has finally come to grips. But it is not consumers who are in the home care driver’s seat — at least not quite yet; it’s the government that is setting tough new standards and changing rules. If you can’t adapt your business to meet both, then you could end up in the boat with Ford if you depend on Medicare for a big share of sales.

Providers describe the future for HME in different ways. Some think the outlook is indeed gloomy. Unfortunately, they point out, it’s not going to get much better as the calendar turns to January 24 or any other date — especially not Jan. 1, 2007, when DME competitive bidding is slated to begin. Others look at the situation with a different perspective. They are readying business models to develop additional income and increase company growth by taking advantage of opportunities the coming changes will create.

How do you view the prospects? I’m hopeful you prefer lion-hearted salesman Dicky Fox’s attitude. Of course you must be prepared for whatever lies ahead, but as he sagely advises, “Roll with the punches. Tomorrow’s another day.”

And that’s a sure thing whether it’s January 23, June 23 — which the psychologist predicts will be the happiest day of the year — and even if you own a Ford.