Searching for Peace in Reha

Advances in medicine and technology, and the demographics of an aging population provide unprecedented opportunities for growth in the rehab industry. But rather than enjoying the ride, there is dissent in the air.

Over the years, the word rehab has been used to describe the mobility products and assistive technology market of the home medical equipment services industry as if it were one product segment. It is not. In fact, three distinct market segments that fall under the rehab label. And, not only do these segments not look like each other, they don't much like each other.

Standard Products

The standard rehab products market segment includes walkers, canes, crutches, standard wheelchairs and other items that are used to rehabilitate individuals who are recovering from strokes, fractured hips, knee replacement surgery or other maladies from which the individual is likely to recover — or to be rehabilitated.

From a marketing standpoint, the situation is similar to what goes on in the pharmacy business: You can treat a cold with over-the-counter remedies or antibiotics prescribed by a physician. You can buy many standard items of DME at many retailers without a doctor's prescription. Are these rehab products or durable medical equipment?

Consumer Power Products

In recent years, a new product segment has exploded in the rehab market and it is growing like wildfire. Manufacturers and a new group of “providers,” known as mass marketers, have discovered that there are people out there who can benefit from basic power wheelchairs and scooters (Medicare calls them power-operated vehicles or POVs).

The majority of the consumers in this market segment are older Americans who have some health condition that limits their ability to walk and who use the products to improve the quality of their lives. From a medical perspective, these people probably won't get any better as they age.

While improving anyone's quality of life is a laudable objective, it is not, in and of itself, rehab. The businesses that serve this market segment use phrases like consumer power or senior mobility products to differentiate themselves and serve a clientele that benefits from their presence.

Rehab Technology Products

The third market segment is served by businesses that call themselves rehab technology companies, or RTCs. They serve patients who require wheelchairs that are custom fitted, have specialized seating and, if motorized, can be made usable with a variety of alternative driver controls (chin controllers, sip-and-puff systems, etc.).