Scaling Up

The government has a goal of reducing obesity among American adults to less than 10 percent by the year 2010. But instead of moving closer to that goal, all data indicates that Americans are only continuing to get larger.

Today more than 60 million Americans — 30 percent of U.S. adults — are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And the problem also is increasing among youth — more than 16 percent of children and teens are considered overweight.

Although the statistics are sobering, now is the ideal time for HME providers to reach out to this rapidly growing population, experts say.

“Baby boomers are the biggest demographic that will be retiring in the coming years. Many are sedentary and getting bigger. I don't see this trend reversing any time soon, and we need to keep up with demand,” says Michael DiFranco, bariatric product manager for Invacare.

Even though there is a huge opportunity for suppliers in this arena, many are missing the boat, notes Steve Cotter, president and CEO of Gendron.

“I'm not seeing many providers jumping into this emerging market and aggressively recruiting these patients,” he says. “Dealers are accustomed to delivering equipment to the patient, billing with nice codes and getting paid. Many [dealers] don't want to deal with bariatric patients because they require extra work and can be difficult to bill. But they are missing an opportunity, because these patients have lots of other needs, like for disposables for incontinence, diabetic supplies and respiratory [products].”

Growing Choices

Just a few years ago, the selection of home medical equipment was extremely limited for obese patients. Manufacturers typically offered only a few, if any, “heavy-duty” versions of their products. But today, companies have realized that this is no longer acceptable.

Some manufacturers now offer a separate line of bariatrics equipment — including in areas such as mobility products, beds, bath safety, sleep therapy, wound care, diabetic supplies and blood pressure monitors — specifically tailored to meet the needs of these patients. Some lines even carry products with weight capacities up to 1,200 pounds.

“What has changed over the last two to three years is [that] there is now a bariatric product for every category,” says Sue Jotblad, product manager for ambulatory and patient aids at Sunrise Medical. “If a dealer isn't supplying these products, they are missing a segment of the market they should be servicing.”