Heard at the Show

ATLANTA — Health care reform, competitive bidding, company
survival. Those were the top items on HME providers’ minds at
Medtrade
2009, held Oct. 12-15 at the Georgia World Congress Center. In
spite of the industry’s uncertain conditions, however, many
providers said they were determined to move forward in the face of
current challenges, employing new products and new operating
strategies to help them remain profitable.

Here’s what a sample of providers attending the annual
conference and expo had to say:

“I think that health care reform is absolutely going backwards,
and the people who need equipment and supplies are not getting
their needs met. We are all fighting to help them. Health care
reform is taking more money out of the pit instead of putting it
in. Government oversight is costing so much money — and it’s
money that isn’t going to the end-user. Let’s focus on service, not
dollars.”

— Christine Miller, Walker Discount
Medical Supplies, Grand Junction, Colo.

“I’m a first-time attendee at Medtrade. My husband and I own a
pharmacy, and we are looking at ways to make sure we stay in
compliance, keep our records well-organized and meet the needs of
our clients in the most cost-effective manner.”

— Margie Biliter, Bluegrass Family
Pharmacy, Richmond, Ky.

“In the last year, we have become accredited and we have
streamlined our distribution process. My outlook on the future is
about 50-50, and it depends on the government. They impacted us
tremendously this last year — we lost 30 percent of our
business — and we are looking to reverse that this year. It
depends on the regulations.”

— Edwin Morgan, American Hospice
Equipment Co., Atlanta

“Our goal is to find a retail product that I can put in my
showroom that will draw people in and bring in new business. I’m
trying out these massaging insoles to see how they work, among
other products.”

— Marty Giles, Motion Mobility &
Design, North Canton, Ohio

“I am optimistic about the future of home care. At this point,
there is a lot going on legislatively, but home care is the place
to be.”

— Terry Luft, Central Medical Equipment
Co., Harrisburg, Pa.

“The best new product I have seen at this show would be the
Retractable Oxygen Tubing Reel. It combines an innovative, yet
simplistic, approach to allowing patients within the home and in
skilled nursing facilities more mobility and less to worry about as
far as oxygen tubing.”

— Eric Houck, Laurel Baye Medical,
Norcross, Ga.

“We are going to look at developing business for more retail
products in the coming year. We all need more diverse revenue
streams, and we are looking at [lumbar sacral orthoses] and
electrotherapy and any of the ancillary products such as conductive
garments. I see it as an additional revenue source and as an
additional benefit to the patient.”

— John Herod, Advantageous MD LLC,
Virginia Beach, Va.

“I attended the inventory control session. There were a lot of
good ideas that I can take back about how people use software. I am
in charge of ordering and managing inventory for our company that
installs overhead ceiling lifts.”

— Steve Abbott, Patient Lifts of New
England, Atkinson, N.H.

“I liked the session about the legal guidelines on marketing and
joint venturing. It helped outline how to go forward in
relationships with doctors — how I can structure my company
in a legal way so that I can leverage that opportunity.”

— Michael Christensen, Momentum
Orthopedic Products, Mansfield, Texas