As usual, providers attending Medtrade Spring expressed their opinions about a number of the industry's most pressing issues. Following are some of their comments on a range of topics they say are chief concerns.
On certification
“When you get into custom rehab equipment, you better know what the heck you're doing or you should not be in it. We're out there for the end user. There are lots of unqualified people in this business [who] should not be, no doubt about it. When you start getting more certification, it's going to help clean up the industry a lot.”
— Gary Salazar, rehab technology specialist, Mobility Giver Inc., Huntington Beach, Calif.
“Reimbursement and access to care is the chief concern. Third-party [payers are] reducing reimbursement, and they're choosing what they want to reimburse based on prostituting the industry instead of the real care and services that we provide.”
— Scot Silber, R.Ph., CEO, Green Valley Drugs, Home Health and Physician Sales, Henderson, Nev.
“I'm looking for technology. I want to use technology to maintain our operations and reduce our expenses. I don't want to cut people because of the scare of competitive bidding and everything else that's going on. We still need to provide a service … and my main concern is the patient back home. I think technology can help, so I'm going to use it as much as I can.”
— Velma Goertzen, RN, general manager, Health-E-Quip, Hutchinson, Kan.
“I think those individuals who [keep doing] business like they've been doing it for years are going to have some trouble. There are tremendous opportunities for those who want to get into the business and actually respond to what the market wants instead of what they think the market wants. There is a real opportunity to take advantage of the changes in the industry now because you're going to be ahead of your competition that is locked into a way of doing things.”
— Bill Talley, president, Freedom Medical Solutions, Fayetteville, Ga.
“It's all in how you look at things: Is the cup half-full or is the cup half-empty? Of course there are disconcerting issues, for instance, in regard to the way Medicare and other insurance is going, but you can also look at that as an opportunity. We're here in this business to take care of people, and the opportunities to do that are endless.”
— Wendi Phillips, medical services specialist, Hart Pharmacy & Home Medical Equipment, Wichita, Kan.
“It's getting harder and harder to be reimbursed because there's so much red tape. I think that's really the No. 1 issue right now.”
— Mike Griffith, president, Griffith Medical, Denver, Colo.
“I think it's about time that the government does … take a closer look at some of the [companies] that give good providers a bad name. I believe the good providers who have been around this industry for years will stand up to the challenge and exceed what is expected of us so that we can grow more.”
— Pat Spanel, director, home medical equipment, Kohll's Pharmacy & Homecare, Omaha, Neb.
“Of course reimbursement cuts are a concern, but the other side is that we don't have the liability going forward that a lot of companies are carrying. We're not going to be haunted by things that have happened in the past. It's a brave new world out there. We've got to do the best we can to make sensible choices for our customers and for our business. We're optimistic!”
— Lisa Hovey-King, executive vice president, Freedom Medical Solutions, Fayetteville, Ga.
“We are a little concerned about the future in that access to equipment that patients might need may be hindered because of Medicare cuts in allowables, so we're looking at costs and how much we spend on things that are not directly related to patient care.”
— Jerry Woolam, Star Medical Equipment, Lubbock, Texas
