Bursting at the Seams

It's not easy to grow sales in the home medical equipment environment. But due to increased obesity awareness, and better-designed products to help the overweight segment of the population, the adage “big is beautiful” has never been more true.

“Bariatrics is definitely growing — no pun intended — and becoming a larger part of the HME marketplace,” says Bill Baker, director of training for Drive Medical. In fact, both the increase in awareness and an increase in the morbidly obese population are key reasons why sales are growing, he says.

When Baker entered the HME industry 27 years ago, he says Medicare and most manufacturers did not recognize bariatrics as its own category. However, he notes, “the nationwide emphasis on obesity, diabetes research and the emergence of specialty physicians and bariatric centers have created more awareness in obesity and management of the bariatric market.”

Drive and numerous other manufacturers now offer extensive product lineups including mobility, beds and bath safety products, all designed to help patients live more productive lives. And after submitting a claim and processing Medicare paperwork, the margins are still reasonable, experts contend.

Big and Getting Bigger

There's no doubt bariatrics is starting to boom, according to Joe Zervios, director of communications for the Obesity Action Coalition. In the United States alone, an estimated 93 million people are obese, according to the Coalition's figures.

Obese individuals — as determined by a body mass index of 30 or higher, or a weight 100 pounds heavier than their ideal body weight — are at higher risk for impaired mobility. They also are more at risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea, among other conditions.

In 2002, the most recent year statistics are available, 25 percent of the morbidly obese were being treated for six or more co-morbid conditions.

As awareness of obesity grows, so do the products designed to assist that population.

“In the past six months, more and more people are starting to delve into this market,” Zervios says, adding that he frequently gets calls from people with bariatric product ideas. “It's not so much that these products didn't exist before; before we never saw a need for these products. Obesity is coming to the forefront and is finally being recognized by the health care community as a disease.”