Author

Susanne Hopkins

  • Operations

    Power Play

    You can’t keep a good market down. Take the power wheelchair market, for example. It has endured a DMERC policy clarification that stalled thousands of payments for power wheelchairs to home medical equipment providers; it has long grappled with an inadequate Medicare coding system; and it has had to compete with an influx of offshore manufacturers, many of whom undercut both prices and quality. But it’s still one of the best HME markets out there, manufacturers say, and there is nowhere to go but up. “The market has steadily grown because the population continues to [get] older,” says Cy Corrigan, national sales manager for Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa. “Individuals have had their freedom, they’ve seen a lot more than our fathers’ fathers saw in...

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  • An Issue of Access

    The situation is not exactly what HME providers projected during the last quarter of 2003 when they responded to HomeCare's annual survey on purchase

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    Pulling Together On Capitol Hill

    “We’ve got to be a team. Teamwork wins. If we don’t hang together, it’s for sure we’re going to hang separately.” Shelly Prial, HomeCare magazine, November 1999 The question is, is the home health care industry, circa 2003, hanging together? Or is it still in danger of hanging separately? Four years ago, just before the calendar flipped over into a new century, the industry — home medical equipment, home health agencies, home infusion, respiratory and rehabilitation — was in turmoil. Reimbursement was on a downhill slide. Federal mandates such as inherent reasonableness, competitive bidding, consolidated billing and the interim payment system were wreaking havoc in HME businesses and HHAs alike. Many simply shut up shop. Key stakeholders prescribed one antidote for the industry’s critical condition:...

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  • Life Savers

    Success stories aren't easy to come by in the home ventilator field, but Cynthia Gray has many and the number is growing. The vice president of respiratory

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  • Operations

    The Right HME Stuff

    Ever hear the one about the home medical equipment deliveryman who simply left the oxygen concentrator on the end-user’s front porch and drove off? How about the tale of the temp who picked up the phone but, unable to answer any of the caller’s questions, finally told the customer to call back in three days? Then there was the customer service representative who responded to a caller asking if the manager was in by saying only, “No.” These are just a few of the horror stories of the HME business, tales from the trenches of staffing and training gone wrong. Such incidents, say industry consultants and providers, can slice into profits by undermining your reputation, increasing the number of after-hours and emergency calls and driving...

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  • Operations

    Tools of the Trade

    When it comes to building a home medical equipment business, it pays to have the right tools. No, we’re not talking wheelchairs and oxygen concentrators here — we’re talking about financing and protecting your company as it grows. The choices HME providers make in obtaining loans, leasing equipment and taking out insurance can help construct a firm business foundation — one that experts say can be the difference between success and failure. But understanding your options in these areas can be complicated and confusing. What, for example, is the best way to fund expansion? When should a provider lease equipment? Which insurance coverage is must-have and what is optional? For answers to these and other questions, HomeCare sought advice from industry professionals and successful providers....

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  • Operations

    Getting the Goods on Retail

    If you want to learn how to do retail, go to Wal-Mart. No, don’t laugh. It’s good advice for home medical equipment providers, industry players say. The giant retailer has perfected the art of displaying, marketing and moving its wares, and a trip down its wide aisles can reveal much about successful retailing. In an environment that hasn’t looked kindly on the HME provider for some years, successful retailing could make the difference in whether your bottom line is black or red. Indeed, a successful retail operation can jump start your cash flow and reduce your dependency on third-party payers, according to industry consultants who, along with HME retailers, shared with HomeCare insights into how to beef up retail sales. “If you want to learn...

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