Medtrade 2005 Preview

The Art of the Deal: Ellis Takes Over the Show

Just a few weeks out from playing host to more than 20,000 attendees and 900 exhibitors, Art Ellis, Medtrade's new group show director, got a curve ball from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: The agency decided to do away with the certificate of medical necessity for power mobility equipment, requiring instead that providers submit a physician's prescription and, if requested, the physician's patient records.

But Ellis saw the change as business as usual for Medtrade and VNU Expositions, Atlanta, which is bringing the home medical equipment industry's top trade show back to its hometown this year. In this business, as all players know, the only constant is change, and Medtrade's goal is to adapt to the changing scene of HME, he says.

Ellis, who took on a role as VNU's group vice president for health care early this year, fully expects the power mobility issue to be addressed at Medtrade's flagship show Oct. 18-20 at the Georgia World Congress Center. One of the show's draws, he points out, is that it's not only a place for dealmaking but a place where the industry's top players come together to answer the questions of the moment.

Ellis realizes he is taking the reins of the giant show, which covers almost 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, at a crucial time in the industry's history. “There are a lot of anxieties out there,” he observes. “But if we do our job at Medtrade, we can relieve some of that anxiety.”

In addition to showcasing manufacturers' newest technologies and products — an estimated 250,000 of them — Medtrade's education committee has put together 170 seminars covering the monumental changes the industry faces, among them competitive bidding and accreditation, with eight different courses on that topic alone. Organizers also have added three tracks that reflect both the industry's challenges and its growth in mergers and acquisitions, sleep-disordered breathing and oxygen/respiratory issues.

Other tracks on the schedule include business operations/customer service; home health/clinical issues; information technology; legislative and legal issues; pharmacy; professional motivation; rehabilitation and assistive technology; and sales and marketing. On Oct. 17, a day ahead of the official exhibit hall opening, all-day sessions include the Continuum of Care workshop, which will focus on respiratory issues and rehab; and a separate session on reimbursement, with a panel of experts to lead attendees through the intake process to qualification, accounts receivable management and audits.