Earning from Learning

If you want to be successful in business, you've got to grab an opportunity when it comes your way. Great Lakes Home Healthcare Services in Erie, Pa., did just that when it acquired the diabetes education department from its hospital affiliate two years ago.

By tying together patient education with diabetes equipment and supplies, the company realized it could improve service to patients, establish a reputation in the community and broaden its referral base.

While management understood that diabetes classes and other education services are not a usual fit for an HME, the acquisition rounded out the company's diabetes business, explains Kathy Dubowski, GLHHS president. “It made sense to put it all together. It kept diabetes education viable in the community and allowed us to take the education component — particularly the education related to insulin pumps — and expand into the region.”

Strengthening the Service Line

As an affiliate of Hamot Health Foundation, an Erie-based health care system, GLHHS provides HME, home infusion and respiratory therapies, orthotics and prosthetics and private duty nursing services. Over the past few years, the company has begun several new programs — including the formation of a nutrition support team — to enhance existing services and further grow specialized business.

As far back as 1996, GLHHS had developed an HME niche through the sale and service of diabetic supplies. But with new technology designed for diabetics being released at a rapid pace, the provider found its patients had an increasing number of questions and concerns. To address them, the company added customer service representatives with special training in diabetes technology to existing “traditional” staff in its retail showroom. The new CSRs became responsible for the full line of diabetes-related products.

While this was not really a major innovation, says Dubowski, “what makes GLHHS unique is that during a time when many DME companies were abandoning the diabetes product line altogether due to low reimbursements, GLHHS elected to strengthen this service line even further.”

In 2003, the opportunity to acquire the diabetes education department came up. The hospital affiliate was seriously considering eliminating the department — a potential problem for GLHHS, which routinely relied on it for diabetes-related referrals. Comprised of seven nurse- and dietitian-certified diabetes educators, the department was a mainstay for diabetes education in the area and had a strong community presence.