Tools for Greater Mobility

Wheelchairs and scooters do wonders for a disabled person’s mobility, but they are only part of the equation. To achieve more complete mobility, whether in the home or venturing out into everyday life, people needs other tools, such as various types of patient and vehicle lifts.

The fact that more people buy wheelchairs and scooters than lift and transfer devices suggests a missed opportunity, both on the part of the patient, who lacks the products that can help meet his or her mobility challenges, and on the part of the home medical equipment provider, who misses out on additional sales.

For example, the sales levels of scooters or power chairs and automotive lifts are rarely equal, says Todd Bick, national sales manager of Freedom Sciences, which supplies automotive lifts, mobility seats and mobility vehicle systems that aid in scooter or power chair transportation. “HME providers must find creative ways to sell one-for-one,” Bick says.

“Using a power chair or a scooter is only part of maintaining mobility,” agrees Brian Mills, lifts product manager, Pride Mobility Products Corp., whose Silver Star line includes exterior lifts, boom lifts and interior platform lifts for various automotive vehicle types. “The part that is usually overlooked is how to transport the power chair or scooter to and from work, to the mall or to a friend’s house.”

There is also an increasing need for in-home lift products. “We’re noticing the trend is for patients to stay in their houses a lot longer [before going into nursing homes], and patient lifts are becoming an embedded part of that environment,” says Fran Spidare, group product manager, patient transport, Invacare Corp., which offers mechanical and battery-powered full body and stand-assist patient lifts for the home environment.

HME providers are uniquely positioned to take a broad view of the various products a patient will need related to mobility and to “bundle” the solutions to suit that patient’s needs. “HME providers are really good at being able to look at the complete home care plan to determine if a person would quality for a wheelchair, for a lift,” Spidare says. “Providers should look at the full package of what a patient will need at home. That’s how the HME provider becomes an integral part of what the community needs.”

Developments in Patient Lifts

Patient lift designs are evolving to meet market demands, for example, to include higher weight capacities to meet the needs of a heavier population, says Thomas Herceg, president, SureHands Lift & Care Systems, which makes a variety of systems for attendant care and self-transfer.

Most reimbursement funds are tied to mechanical lifts, so thin profit margins have slowed development of those products. But Invacare sees an opportunity in battery-powered lifts, which offer a better margin from cash sales, or from customers willing to pay the difference above the lower level (mechanical) reimbursement, Spidare says.

Aesthetics are important, too, especially in the case of products that become part of the home, notes Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager for Bruno Independent Living Aids, a supplier of stair lifts and vertical platform lifts (porch lifts).

“The stair lift should fit into their home and not look like a piece of medical equipment,” Krawczyk says. “Design is very important. They want to make sure it is not an eyesore. In many cases, there is a choice of leather or various fabrics that the client may want for the visual appeal.”

Newer stair lift designs include flip-up foot rests, arms and seats that take up less room, as do the rails, and parts that fold up to make everything compact, thus enabling other people to walk on the staircase.

The troubled real estate market is an opportunity for providers, since more elderly couples are choosing to install stair lifts instead of moving into ranch homes with no stairs, Krawczyk says. “Our stair lift sales over the last six months have been steady and growing; more people are opting to stay in their home,” he says.

Bruno’s porch lifts can be powered either by battery or the home current. The company’s vertical platform lifts have a 750-lb. lifting capacity, which can handle the load even if a power wheelchair weighs 350 pounds and the patient weighs 300 pounds. A canopy option is offered in case of rain.

Developments in Vehicle Lifts

With vehicles getting smaller and more streamlined, manufacturers have to adapt with compact designs and creative ways to transport power chairs and scooters and to aid people getting into and exiting vehicles, says Bick of Freedom Sciences.

The company’s Freedom Lift line is evolving with low-profile designs to accommodate the curvatures and shallow trunk compartments of most new vehicles. Its Automated Transport and Retrieval System employs a laser-guided “smart chair” navigation system to control and guide a power chair from a platform lift at the rear of a vehicle to the driver or passenger door and back again.

“The technology is becoming simpler,” notes Conor Sullivan, director of marketing for Harmar Mobility, whose lifts allow a patient to lift or store their wheelchair, power chair or scooter in or behind a vehicle.

“As reimbursements continue to drop, HME providers need different revenue streams to remain successful. These cash products are easy to learn and easy to install, resulting in minimal barriers to entry for the provider,” Sullivan says.

Advances in design that emphasize reliability, functionality and simplicity along with extensive testing have enabled lifts to withstand the environments where they will be used, says Mills. Pride offers a lift model designed on a smaller platform to be more compact and to fit in the latest vehicles comfortably while allowing second row seating to remain in place.

Products also have been simplified through advances in securing strap technology, for example, a strap that can be operated using one hand with an ergonomic handle to allow easy release and ratcheting action to disengage, engage and secure the mobility product with little effort, he adds.

Installation of the interior platform lift has been simplified significantly through development of adapters designed to secure lifts in specific automobiles they were designed to fit. Installation time has been reduced to as little as an hour, requiring little or no modifications to the auto interior.

Provider Training

Harmar’s Sullivan says the best source for HME providers to learn about lift products is to talk to the experts — the manufacturers. For example, Harmar has cash sales experts available to offer assistance, and there are free technical and product training classes available at its facility.

SureHands offers regularly scheduled sales and service training for qualified providers and representatives, as do other makers.

In the case of Freedom Sciences, mobility providers who wish to offer the automotive lifts line must first be trained and certified at a factory location, says Bick. The technical training covers installation and vehicle applications.

Pride supports education by offering hands-on training classes available through its national Seminar Tour, which travels the country to present continuing education courses for providers. The manufacturer also makes available company experts in the fields of product research, design, testing, electronics and mechanical functionality in order to enhance providers’ expertise in the mobility products industry.

Consumer Education

Education for consumers is also a key component in this product category, manufacturers say. The old standard of having a delivery person drop off a hydraulic floor lift has been replaced by in-servicing sophisticated systems that can help to maximize the ability of the user and their caregiver. The educational process should begin with an initial evaluation of the user and his or her needs prior to purchase.

For SureHands, that evaluation includes the user’s self-lifting capabilities as well as a thorough review and assessment of the architecture of the home where the lifting system will be installed. It is important that the provider meet with the customer to learn about their current situation in order to understand how a lift system would enhance their lifestyle, says Herceg.

“It is usually the children who are in charge of caring for an aging parent in the home and who need education about the equipment and how easy it is to use,” says Spidare of Invacare. “[HME providers] need to reach out into their community and say, ‘This is the equipment, it is available, and this is how you use it. This is how you can afford to keep someone in the home environment a lot longer.’”

Spidare also suggests that providers hold an open house showing a full array of lift products. In many cases, people don’t know that the equipment exists, she points out.

“We spend a great deal of money each year shooting videos and creating DVDs for our dealers to use in their showroom or with a laptop computer in a home,” says Krawczyk of Bruno. “We also spend a lot of money on product and technical literature so dealers can answer questions.”

In other words, these manufacturers say, HME companies should play an active role in educating patients and caregivers to make them aware of the various options available to maintain mobility. For example, a transport lift for a wheelchair should be a primary consideration, not an afterthought, which can cause compatibility issues that are unnecessary and not easy to resolve, says Pride’s Mills.

But providers can’t do it alone. In order to assist with its product line, Harmar is beginning to market directly to patients and caregivers. “After raising initial awareness of the product, we will then send the consumer leads to the HME provider, where they can complete the sale,” says Sullivan.

Selling More Lift Products

For HME providers looking at innovative ways to sell more lift/transfer products, manufacturers offer these ideas:

• Creative financing Freedom Sciences offers consumer financing in which a scooter or power chair can be combined with a lift purchase. Low payments over extended periods can be provided for a higher-dollar combined purchase.
• Remember to ask for the sale “If an HME provider just sold a chair or scooter, why not ask the customer if they are going to want to take their chair or scooter out and about with them?” suggests Conor Sullivan of Harmar. “Most consumers are not aware these products exist.” Databases of wheelchair and power chair customers can also be good leads.
• Keep demo units on hand and on display “If a client sees a lift display when looking for their mobility product, they could be more likely to inquire about how a lift system would benefit them,” says Brian Mills of Pride Mobility.
• Install lifts on delivery vans, Mills suggests What better way to demonstrate the convenience of transporting a mobility product?
• Consider all possibilities Bruno’s Mike Krawczyk tells about an HME provider in Minnesota who took an especially novel approach. “He happened to frequent a large furniture store with two levels, and he noticed that the store had to have personnel bring chairs or couches down to the bottom level to show them to customers who couldn’t climb the stairs. He said, ‘If you’ll let me install a stair lift in your store, I will do it for free.’ He has had great success partnering with a furniture store.”

Selling Related Products

A related product category that providers should not miss is lift chairs and cushions.

Uplift Technologies offers both its Seat Assist and Power Seat products. A product with a hydro-pneumatic gas spring can lift up to about 80 percent of the user’s weight to help customers who have light to moderate difficulties standing. The company’s power lift handles 100 percent of body weight.

“Our lifting cushions are designed for people who are still mobile but just need some help,” says Michele Fash, product manager. But she cautions providers must know about a particular customer’s needs to recommend the correct product. And knowing those details could also lead to sales of additional products to ease the home situation.

“HME providers need to identify which product is suitable for each customer,” says Fash. “Ask the right questions,” she advises. For example, she explains, the manufacturer’s Seat Assist is for a customer with pain in the joints and hips but who otherwise is mobile, with sufficient strength in their arms and legs to initiate the standing motion.

Lift cushions also answer providers’ need for a cash product; they are a less expensive product and thus generate more out-of-pocket sales, says Fash. “We see more of a shift to cash — it’s actually happening.”

The company provides written materials, brochures and sales sheets for providers, as well as in-service training for staff. “We work with them on their referral base,” says Fash.

Experts Interviewed

Todd Bick, national sales manager, Freedom Sciences, Green Lake, Pa.; Michele Fash, product manager, Uplift Technologies, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Thomas Herceg, president, SureHands Lift & Care Systems, Pine Island, N.Y.; Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Oconomowoc, Wis.; Brian Mills, lifts product manager, Pride Mobility Products Corp., Exeter, Pa.; Fran Spidare, group product manager, patient transport, Invacare Corp., Elyria, Ohio; and Conor Sullivan, director of marketing, Harmar Mobility, Sarasota, Fla.