VGM Heartland Conference 2018 Recap

WATERLOO, Iowa (June 26, 2018)—Each year, home medical equipment specialists gather in Waterloo, Iowa, for education, networking—and fun.

The VGM Group's Heartland Conference brought together about 1,000 attendees, including providers, exhibitors and presenters, and featured 36 sponsors. Mike McGill of VGM Marketing said that 48 states were represented among those attending, and continuing education units offered new tracks, including an executive track designed for owners, presidents and general managers. The session was tailored to help executive-level professionals face the challenges that come with owning and operating a small business.

Keynote speakers included John DiJulius, president of The DiJulius Group and international consultant and best-selling author of “The Customer Service Revolution,” which reached No. 1 on Amazon. DiJulius works with world-class companies like The Ritz-Carlton, Lexus, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Nestle, Marriott Hotels, PwC, Cheesecake Factory, Progressive Insurance, Harley Davidson, Chick-fil-A and many more.

Day two of the conference featured Jared Johnson, presenting “The Elite Leader.” Motivating and practical, “The Elite Leader” is a high-energy program that captivates management team members and frontline staff, motivating them to strive toward their absolute best by connecting their mission with practical ways to empower an elite mindset throughout their own teams and even in their personal lives. It challenges attendees and inspires them to be passionate about their purpose as leaders who are capable of delivering elite results.

The Heartland Conference also featured a panel discussion and open forum with officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), discussing the future of the competitive bidding program and promoting government resources available for small businesses.

Attending on behalf of the CMS and the SBA were CMS Competitive Acquisition Ombudsman, Tangita Daramola, and SBA Deputy National Ombudsman Natalie Duncan. In addition to the agencies, Medicare contractors from CGS, C2C and Noridian also participated in the 90-minute session.

“VGM has maintained a working relationship with Tangita and her staff at CMS in an effort to improve CMS programs and keep DME suppliers informed of CMS updates,” said Ronda Buhrmester, VGM’s reimbursement expert and session moderator. “By bringing them to Heartland Conference, members will have the opportunity to share first-hand how regulations, reimbursements and audits are affecting their business. Believe it or not, this group of panelists listen to our members.”

As part of VGM’s continued efforts to advocate for the durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) industry, an electronic form to help providers calculate the cost to deliver supplies was launched during the conference.

“In an effort to provide policymakers and regulators with objective, real-world data of the price to provide this vital equipment, we are launching the delivery cost calculator to the DME industry,” said Mark Higley, VGM’s vice president of Regulatory Affairs. “This industry is a hands-on, service driven industry which current reimbursement rates are not properly reflecting, and it will come at the cost of poor patient outcomes. This tool will allow us to demonstrate to CMS what the real world costs of providing high quality patient care to beneficiaries in their homes.”

The five-step survey includes built-in formulas that calculate the total average delivery, set up and pick up cost per patient. Once received, the data will be used to provide evidence to CMS and members of Congress for the expense of delivering in rural areas has on providers. VGM’s survey will be launched nationwide for all providers, VGM members or not, to participate in collecting the valuable data.

More highlights:

(Above) Heartland Conference provided 115 education sessions—85 of which offered CEUs. Along with 10 education tracks, Heartland Conference also included beginner and advanced tech training, introduction of a delivery cost calculator, launch of a home assessment tool, and for the first time in the conference’s 16-year history, two keynote speakers.

(Above) Laura Lynde Reznicek of DeRoyal (left) enjoys some
time talking with a Heartland Conference attendee during the Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception. Seventy-six vendors opened up their temporary showrooms to welcome conference attendees and discuss the many products and pricing options available to providers.

(Above) Keeping with tradition, VGM, U.S. Rehab and Variety—the Children’s Charity of Iowa partnered to donate special gifts during VGM’s annual Heartland Conference. Six children, ages 5 to 12, received the gift of independence by receiving Rifton adaptive tricycles, a scooter from Golden Technologies and an Obi robotic feeding device. This is the third consecutive year that VGM and U.S. Rehab have collaborated with their partners to donate mobility equipment as part of VGM’s Heartland Conference.

(Above) VGM’s Chris Hetherton shares a story with Jay Anderson, president of Anderson’s Wheelchair, Inc., and Greg Packer, president of U.S. Rehab, during a Heartland Conference social event.

(Above) This year’s conference saw the addition of community dinners. One of the dinners was for the Young Professionals. Pictured with VGM’s Shelby Graveman (third from left), are Kristen Craddock, Rachel Krasinski and Shayla Bowden-Parks—all of Access Medical located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Photos courtesy of The VGM Group