Face to Face with Physicians

There's something good going on in Omaha, Neb., when it comes to the home medical equipment business.

At family-run Kohll's Pharmacy & Homecare, the focus isn't on what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is doing, or reimbursement or the impending implementation of competitive bidding. It's on getting patients what they need.

Indeed, says Joe Pepitone, the company's mobility manager, “the biggest issue for me is getting to my patients for service and being able to help them when they need it.”

In fact, says Pepitone, the company's mission statement is “Identifying the needs of the patients to make their lives better.” That goal has propelled the company, a full-serve HME provider with seven branches, into some innovative ways of doing business that are paying off in terms of growth, a low turnover rate among its 175 employees and patient satisfaction.

Face to Face

It's quite common, for example, for Pepitone to accompany a patient to a doctor's appointment, often with a piece of equipment in tow.

That practice started several years ago when Pepitone, who has been with the company for seven years, decided to accompany a young man to his doctor's appointment to demonstrate a tilt chair. The doctor had the opportunity to observe the patient in the tilt chair, study the wheelchair itself and truly ascertain whether it was needed.

It might have been a bold move, but it was a successful one. Pepitone has been accompanying patients ever since.

Making the effort — and taking the time — to accompany a patient to a doctor's appointment is beneficial on a number of accounts, Pepitone says. “You go and meet and you have the paperwork there and everything is handled, as opposed to faxing something over and hoping it gets handled,” he explains.

“The doctors really appreciate it,” he continues, “because they might not have all the verbiage and language that goes into the documentation. I can bring a chair with me and show the doctor what it will do and how it will benefit a patient. And that is really good.”

Physicians, Pepitone notes, don't have time to keep up with the fast-changing HME field. They often don't know what products and technologies are available. Pepitone thinks it's his company's job to educate them.