Team Approach Leads to Success

In 1950 when Merle and Jean Marx started Medical Service Company, they were dedicated to running a business based on a sense of family and service to the communities they served. Today, the company is run by their son Joel, now owner and CEO, and it remains true to its original purpose.

What sets Medical Service Company apart is its tireless commitment to customers. According to Patrick Clevidence, vice president of respiratory services, the company differentiates itself by recognizing both its internal and external customers.

“We are a team, with each person playing an important role in satisfying both our patients and our referral sources. Each of our 118 team members is a customer to me, and they are just as important to me as our external customers, which include our patients and referral sources,” says Clevidence. “I need to make sure every member of our team has the best training and support available to provide a great patient outcome.”

Clevidence attests that the staff functions as the company's eyes and ears.

“I truly think the thing we do best at the executive level is listen to our team members. If a respiratory therapist or a customer service representative says we can do something different that will make us more productive and efficient while serving the patient better, we act on it,” he says. “We try to hire the best and the brightest, and we empower them to trust their decision-making abilities.”

The company, which has four Ohio locations in Cleveland, Canton, Youngstown and Mansfield, is concentrated heavily on respiratory care, with 70 percent of its business directed in this area.

Medical Service Company differentiates itself to patients and referral sources by being ardent about communication, as Clevidence notes it is likely the equipment it delivers is no different than that of its competitors.

“We have to differentiate with service and education to our referral sources, and more importantly, to our patients. There have been studies that indicate patients with increased ability to attend to all of their daily living activities live much longer than a patient who cannot. We assess their equipment needs and make certain they can go on living their lives to the fullest,” he adds.

Some of the tactics the company incorporates to enhance service include the following:

• Respiratory therapy assessments on all patients to determine what oxygen equipment is best for them and their daily living activities.