DESPITE THE DARK clouds of reimbursement that hang over the seating and positioning market, some rays of hope and promise are shining through-enough, anyway, so that manufacturers remain upbeat about how well they can serve their customers.

Lauren Boulware, director of product management, Invacare Corp., Elyria, Ohio, says she sees the market moving more and more toward products that are easy to use and diverse in their application. Adjusting products to the lifestyle and clinical needs of the end-user-not the end-user adjusting to the product-is paramount to creating a quality product, she says. Products that are aesthetically pleasing to the end-user also are of growing value in the market, Boulware adds.

Being able to adapt a product to each user's unique needs is another critical factor in success. "Seating and positioning is such a custom market," says Tyler Robuck, director of marketing, Freedom Designs, Simi Valley, Calif. "It is a game of centimeters. Every order that we take is custom."

"You need to not just accommodate the end user and give them accessibility," says Scott Higley, national sales manager for Pride Mobility Products, "but you have to make that chair a part of them." His company, he notes, does crash tests on its seating and positioning products to make sure they can withstand the rigors of daily use.

"You've got to keep the provider, clinicians and clients in mind," he says. "If you fail to do that, you're making a big mistake in this industry."-J.P.P.