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…

In a market driven by price and fierce competition, it seems unlikely that manufacturers of manual wheelchairs would be interested in improving current products and developing new ones. Fortunately for providers and end-users, manufacturers — while cognizant of the restraints placed on them — continue to look forward, envisioning better products that provide greater independence to end-users. Mike Serhan, vice president of Dr. K Healthcare Products, says manufacturers who are in the market for the “long-term” must differentiate themselves from others through innovation, faster response times and a commitment to serving their providers. As Serhan and others know, competition among home medical equipment providers is increasing, and cost is the best bargaining chip for some providers. “Smart providers understand quality, reliability and service, but they…

Ask a question of three home care providers and you will receive three different responses. At a least, that was the case when HomeCare queried Jim Binson, chief executive officer of Binson’s Home Health Care in Center Line Mich.; Todd Christopher, chairman and chief executive officer of Home Care Supply in Beaumont, Texas; and Joel Mills, president of Advanced Home Care in High Point, N.C., about their 2003 forecasts for the industry. HomeCare: How would you characterize the upcoming year for the HME industry? Jim Binson: Challenging and rough. A shaky economy, reduced reimbursement from state and federal programs, HIPAA, compliance [issues], lack of manufacturer support, competitive bidding, specialty providers, Wal-Mart and Walgreens entering our industry — all of these are equally challenging. Todd Christopher:…

The only thing permanent about life is change. Most would agree that this proverb applies to the home medical equipment industry, too. Granted, the industry has experienced many challenges during the past 10 to 12 years: acquisition mania, “superstore threats,” and concerns revolving around mass retailers, “direct” manufacturers, managed care, accreditation, oxygen reimbursement cuts and more. Nevertheless, one constant remains: the importance of the local, full-service HME provider. Whether the provider operates independently, as part of a buying group, or as a national account location, an autonomous, local, full-service, experienced and caring HME, mobility or rehab provider still is what best serves people in need of our products, and I fully expect this will continue to be true. There is a saying, “All politics is…

This year will be a challenging, but opportunity-filled year for the home medical equipment industry — let’s call it a “no-pain, no-gain” environment. The Internet will continue to affect the evolution of HME software into an essential component of the HME business profitability and productivity equation. Speed, security, affordability, redundancy, improved work flow and real-time access to information — all of these are the benefits of Internet-based HME software products and services. The biggest HME software innovations in 2003 will revolve around continued early adoption of Internet-based applications by forward-thinking HME organizations. As more businesses adopt HME software packages, they will become as de rigueur as computers, cell phones and DVD players are to the general population. Of course, there will be challenges to overcome…

When one looks over the past 25 years in the home care industry, moderation isn’t exactly a word that springs to mind. Extreme is probably a better word choice, because, excluding our current decade, the home care industry has been all about extremes. Take the extreme autonomy the industry enjoyed during the 1970s, for example. There was little government oversight, and profits, revenues and reimbursements for home care were large. Providers were left alone, for the most part, to run their own businesses the way they wanted. Spilling over into the ’80s, this autonomy began to shift toward another extreme — government oversight — which came to a head in 1997, when Congress passed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and cut reimbursements significantly. And…