In a recent television interview, venerable veteran newscaster Walter Cronkite had a one-word answer to the interviewer's question on what he thinks of today's news coverage. “Inadequate,” he said.

Prodded by the interviewer, he elaborated, saying that news mediums offer shallow reporting. The best journalism, he said, tells people what they need to know, not what they want to know.

So what do you as a home medical equipment professional need to know? In our many surveys and talks with providers over the years, the most popular answer to that question has been, “How to run my business better.”

Which brings us to this issue of HomeCare. Perhaps more than most, this edition is geared to helping you refine your business, keep on top of new legislative developments and plan for the future.

For example, check out our annual salary survey, which is published each September. It's a useful gauge for comparing your salary costs with those of your peers. If, for example, you are a company based in the South, you will note that delivery technicians in your area are, on average, paid $20,514 annually. If you are offering only $18,500, you may discover that you need to “kick it up a notch” in order to attract the best candidates for the job — and keep those you have.

While you may not want to know about the ramifications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, you do need to know about them. So don't skip over our article on HIPAA. If you do, you'll miss some key advice from industry experts, who tell you what you should be doing to prepare for the implementation of the privacy act — and what could happen if you don't.

Confused about the upgrade advance beneficiary notice? You're not alone. While the industry waited eagerly for a Medicare upgrade provision, most of us were surprised when it took the form of an ABN. But columnist and long-time industry leader Cara Bachenheimer sorts out the details of the ABN for us in her “Washington Wit & Wisdom” column.

And if you're preparing to go to Medtrade in New Orleans next month (and if you're not, why not? It's the place to see the newest home medical products, meet your peers and get a peek into the future), take a look at our Medtrade Planner. It's full of information about the show's special events, the exhibitors and even ideas on making the most of your time in the Big Easy.

We hope you'll find, here at least, that sometimes getting what you need is better than getting what you want.

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There's soon to be a new face at HomeCare, but one familiar to many of you. Paisley Stevens, most recently vice president of business development for professional service provider and systems integrator Digineer, is joining the HomeCare team as publisher. She was responsible for the redesign and relaunch of Home Health Products and Continuing Care magazines. She also launched Respiratory Products and Rehab Products magazines and was a founding member of online media publisher Productbuzz. You'll be seeing Paisley at Medtrade in October, as well as at numerous other upcoming HME industry functions. We hope you'll welcome an old friend back into the HME fold.