Adding Up ADLs

The much-hyped promise of the baby boom generation is by now ingrained into the national consciousness. Home care providers and health care clinicians of every stripe agree that demand will grow for at least the next couple of decades. With competitive bidding complicating the outlook for so many major product categories, the focus inevitably shifts to the diversification offered by cash-based aids to daily living (ADL) products.

In addition to the natural effects of aging, elective surgeries are driving the need for ADLs. According to most estimates, orthopedic surgeons perform about 200,000 hip replacements every year in the United States. For total knee replacements (arthroplasty), the number hovers right around the half-million mark. Even with CMS watching every dollar, those numbers will probably go up even more thanks to recent research that demonstrates considerable bang for the buck in joint replacements.

The June 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine featured a study that concluded knee arthroplasties were "cost effective across all patient risk groups." Essential Medical Supply feeds the knee/hip trend by offering kits that home care providers can sell to surgical patients who need extra help after post-surgical stints in rehabilitation facilities. The kits normally include five items: a reacher, sock aid, shoehorn, dressing stick and bathing sponge.

Boosting referrals in the ADL category depends on building solid relationships with the therapists who recommend these kits. Education is crucial, but offering new twists can spark the interest of veteran therapists. One such twist could be to offer customized kits tailor-made to therapists' favorites.

"Different rehab professionals will have different preferences," says Michael Hoepner, national sales manager for Essential Medical. "We offer custom hip kits, and our providers have been very successful with these. We do have prepackaged kits, but as long as a store is willing to place an order of at least 20 kits, we will customize it to a rehab center's needs."

With rehab facilities responsible for much of the ADL business, providers who are keenly tuned in to therapist needs will be the ones reaping the benefits. "Yes, the dollar figures are relatively small when compared to the Medicare reimbursable items in home care," adds Hoepner. "But if you get to the right referral sources, the volume you will generate can be tremendous."