When Mary Schuleri’s mother, Jo, was prescribed a walker during her post-surgical rehab, her spirits fell. She didn’t want to use the drab gray walker she’d been told to—so she became less active and her recovery slowed. So Schuleri searched for a way to get her mother—who had always accessorized her colorful outfits with style—moving.
The product she came up with, a cloth walker cover called the Jover, ended up taking top honors at Medtrade’s New Product Pavilion. The New Product Pavilion, which is sponsored by HomeCare Media, features new home medical equipment and allows attendees of the show to vote on their favorites.
“It’s been fantastic—very uplifting,” said Jover Co-Founder Kristen Hyatt; it was the team’s first trip to Medtrade.
The Provider's Choice Gold Award went to the Jover Walker Cover, a new entry into the market. It’s a patented, one-piece, washable fabric cover with four easy-access pockets (two 6"x6" interior pockets for smaller personal items and two 10"x10" exterior pockets to hold larger items, such as an iPad or magazine). The cover fits securely on the walker, folds with it and is simple to attach and remove.
The Provider's Choice Silver Award went to Elsa, an artificial intelligence (AI) operation created by the new-to-Medtrade company Celeritas AI. The program sits atop other billing and operations software to help home medical equipment providers save time working out insurance details and avoid unnecessary denials.
Celeritas AI CEO Geoff Seyon said the system (which was named after Albert Einstein’s wife, Elsa) can help staffers search out complex coverage rules, scan claims before submission to reduce denials and more.
“Companies struggle to find people to do this work because it’s so mindboggling complex,” Seyon said. “We’re multiplying the productivity of your existing staff so you have the room to grow your revenue.”
The Provider's Choice Bronze Award went to Tranquility Incontinence Products, which launched a refreshed version of its popular Tranquility Premium OverNight and Premium DayTime Underwear entirely in breathable fabric to wick moisture and decrease skin issues. The lines are also in redesigned packaging and some products have introduced additional sizes up to 3x.
Bob Recker, the company’s senior manager of content marketing, said the expansion allows more access to some of their most in-demand incontinence products and gives HME providers new packaging along with additional breathability and other options to offer to customers without changing SKUs or pricing.
