NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — The Scooter Store announced this morning it has set up a new home care equipment division.
The new division "formalizes a team that has been operating for many months, building a business plan, negotiating third-party relationships and providing manual wheelchairs, walkers, patient lifts, nebulizers, hospital beds, support surfaces and accessories in targeted markets for insurance reimbursement," according to a release.
The division will operate out of the company's New Braunfels, Texas, headquarters to leverage infrastructure and processes including customer intake, compliance management, revenue cycle management, and distribution and service capabilities.
Initially, the division will concentrate on targeted markets with a "select portfolio" of HME, but eventually will expand to all of the giant provider's locations, now at 59 retail stores, with a range of products. The company also has ecommerce and direct sales organizations that sell some home care-related items.
In 2007, The Scooter Store entered the complex rehab market with its Alliance Seating and Mobility division, which has grown to more than 80 Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs).
The new home care equipment division is a natural progression, the company said.
"This is an important milestone, and it positions our company to eventually serve customers in many new ways and participate in a larger continuum of care," said Doug Harrison, The Scooter Store's founder, chairman and CEO.
Chris Bailey has been tapped as vice president of the new division. A Licensed Vocational Nurse, Bailey joined The Scooter Store in 1999 and has held VP-level leadership positions since 2006.
Last month, the company said it was changing its messaging approach to consumers and planned to launch a campaign that would "capture the imagination of our target audience and allow medical professionals and other stakeholders to fully value The Scooter Store contributions to the health care system."