These days, the entire HME industry must work shoulder-to-shoulder to preserve homecare. The HME community is struggling with an array of threats—onerous Medicare audits, increasing regulatory burdens, falling reimbursement rates and a flawed competitive bidding program that is spreading to 91 new metropolitan areas.
Even with endless Tweets, Facebook posts and e-mails, we still need to meet face-to-face to accomplish our goals.
Conversations with HME experts—who can offer advice about best practices, improving patient care, navigating Medicare and helping one’s business thrive—are a perfect example of when meeting in person is preferable. For the HME industry, Medtrade conferences provide an ideal way to get personal attention from experts and peers.
There are a number of ways in which Medtrade beats any type of online or phone communication.
First, the expo hall at Medtrade is a phenomenon you should experience and take advantage of fully. Hundreds of the world’s leading HME manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and consultants exhibit there and are available to demonstrate their products and services. You see the latest in technology, learn about the best services available and speak with savvy experts. The expo hall also features a new-products area and examples of universal design in home building. Medtrade also welcomes consumer advocates who, as users of home medical equipment and services, can share their perspectives about current issues and products.
Medtrade’s education sessions draw the nation’s top experts on billing, sales, compliance, clinical, marketing and regulatory matters affecting the HME sector. All presentations center on strategy that can help providers survive in today’s reimbursement and audit environment. In addition to classroom-style sessions, Medtrade now includes small, informal “Lunch and Learn” sessions that allow for greater input by participants on critical challenges and strategies.
The AAHomecare Washington Update will bring the most significant legislative and regulatory issues up to date and into focus. Efforts to enact the Market Pricing Program as a replacement for competitive bidding, audits and the power mobility preauthorization demonstration program will be among the key topics.
Medtrade offers abundant networking events and forums. These are your opportunities to learn, meet peers and find out what your colleagues and business partners are doing throughout the country. The Stand Up for Homecare reception is a networking event and a fundraiser that generates resources that allow the HME sector to present accurate and positive information to the media and Congress. The Stand Up for Homecare Campaign has funded advertising, media outreach, research, focus groups and data collection that help promote the value of homecare.
AAHomecare also holds leadership meetings at Medtrade to allow our volunteer directors, policy councils and task forces to discuss issues and set a course for the organization.
Medtrade Spring comes to Las Vegas April 10–12 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. In the fall, Medtrade comes to the Georgia World Congress Center Oct. 15–18.
Another example of important face-to-face meetings is the time you spend speaking about HME issues with your representatives in Congress. We were pleased to have 300 HME stakeholders participate last month in the 2012 American Association for Homecare Washington Legislative Conference. The group made a strong impression on the congressional offices they visited to discuss the Market Pricing Program, concerns about audits, power mobility and other critical topics. More opportunities for in-person conversations with senators and representatives should be plentiful this election year since all 435 House seats, one-third of the Senate and the presidency will be decided by voters.
I look forward to seeing you at Medtrade this year and at other occasions like our legislative conference where the HME industry gathers face-to-face to fight for the future of homecare.
HomeCare, March 2012
