The Road Ahead

The only thing permanent about life is change. Most would agree that this proverb applies to the home medical equipment industry, too.

Granted, the industry has experienced many challenges during the past 10 to 12 years: acquisition mania, “superstore threats,” and concerns revolving around mass retailers, “direct” manufacturers, managed care, accreditation, oxygen reimbursement cuts and more.

Nevertheless, one constant remains: the importance of the local, full-service HME provider. Whether the provider operates independently, as part of a buying group, or as a national account location, an autonomous, local, full-service, experienced and caring HME, mobility or rehab provider still is what best serves people in need of our products, and I fully expect this will continue to be true. There is a saying, “All politics is local.” In our industry, all business is local. I remember thinking, at the turn of 2000, when HomeCare magazine was looking for the HME person or topic of the decade, that the obvious choice was the local provider. This feeling has remained; but the challenges have changed.

I was asked to write about my thoughts about what lies ahead for the industry in 2003. Because the provider is the most essential link in the client-fulfillment chain, I have decided to focus on providers.

Successful providers never are stagnant. Instead, they evolve with industry conditions. Such evolution has led to a wave of specialization. Providers are finding that specialization not only differentiates them from competition, it allows them to become good at their core business.

Standards for Providers

Industry conditions will call for a new set of provider standards. Some of the standards and certifications that industry leaders are discussing target rehab providers and mobility companies, and others target more generalist HME providers. Once such standards are clearly defined, they will make sense for all providers.

I don't believe any industry professional supports a provider or manufacturer who operates below a generally accepted code of ethics. So it probably is time for new requirements — standards that will further formalize our profession, remove any who don't belong, and help new participants better understand the level of responsibility that being a provider requires.