Systems Provide Rx for Cash Sales

Mobility Scooters & More north of Atlanta in Alpharetta, Georgia, sells many big-ticket HME items, including lift chairs, power chairs and vehicle lifts, but on a small display amid the 2,500-square-foot showroom, manager Sue Sharp features small medication management systems and accessories. Sharp carries the MedCenter Systems line of products, which includes the popular MedCenter 31-day, a medication organizer that allows people to record the voices of loved ones reminding them to take pills. “You can record anything you want,” she explains. “Sometimes, the grandchildren all say something. You can wake them up with: ‘Good morning. Don’t forget to take your pills.’ People love it.” Sure, every pill box transaction is not a big-profit home run, but lots of singles are nice, too, especially when they are cash sales. Experts say medication management products are a good fit for any HME business that has a little display space and wants to provide customers a complete solution to health care needs. Paul Brelo, general manager of MedCenter Systems LLC, believes relatively simple medication management systems are small items that can make a big difference in maintaining the health and independence of customers. “Basically, half the people in this country don’t take medications as prescribed,” he says. “And 40 percent of people in nursing homes are there because they are unable to take their medications as prescribed.”

The key to selling a product such as the MedCenter 31-day is to price it competitively and take a little time showing it to customers who are coming in to purchase other products. “The American consumer has been conditioned to think they never pay retail,” says Brelo. “I would suggest that if you have a customer who is buying lots of stuff for grandma…to sell our product at a slight discount to get them to buy it. The MedCenter 31-day organizer is not overly complicated. There is no subscription fee. And there’s no need for somebody to come into their house.” Chris Gardner is director of business and product development at eNNOVEA life, which offers a wide variety of medication management products for the HME business. “We have everything from pill cases, to pill splitters, to pill grinders, to a complete multi-medication management system with an electronic timer,” he says. “We’re trying to take that category a little more upscale, especially in the retail environment, where the 99-cent pill cases with the slip lids have prevailed.” For example, eNNOVEA offers a watertight organizer called the Gasketed VitaCarry Pill Box to protect medications that are sensitive to moisture and oxidation. It’s one of the best-selling pill organizers on Amazon, says Gardner. “We’re proud of that product.” For HME businesses, Gardner believes it’s best to focus on improving prescription compliance for customers. “They’re going to buy it on the way out the door as they are thinking of managing complex dosing,” he says. Jeff Swain, director of marketing and communication at Carex Health Brands, says his company offers two smaller display racks that are popular with smaller HME businesses. “The displays work well at the register where you get some impulse purchases,’’ he says. “It’s a great impulse, cash item. Generally, the products are under $10.” The displays feature a wide variety of products that help organize, split and crush medications. “We have different sized organizers,’’ Swain says. “We have products that push open for people who have difficulty opening pill containers.” Carex also offers specialized products, such as the Nitro Now container that can be attached to a key ring and carry doses of nitroglycerin. It retails for $6.95.

Brendan Leonard, VP/senior director of sales & market for Health Enterprises Inc., says his company has been in the medication storage and compliance business for 40 years, and offers a full line of products. “We’re constantly evaluating easier ways for users to take their medications,’’ he says. Most recently, Health Enterprises launched a liquid medication dosage product, the Tru Easy syringe. “It’s a patented system with a color-coded dial,” he explains. “When you pull the plunger back, it’s got a stopper system that ensures you get the proper dose.” Its MSRP is $4.99 and it makes a nice addition to any cash product display. “It’s a no-brainer, add-on sale.” HME providers need a base assortment of medication management products. “Meet the basic need,” Leonard says. “Some of our better SKUs are the 28-section boxes. You want to have at least a few of those products in there. If he were to choose one medical management product that should be offered in every HME business, it would be the company’s deluxe 28-section pill box. “That’s a higher price point, but it offers maximum value to the customer.” Health Enterprises also offers custom imprinting for pill boxes. HME providers can have logos and telephone numbers imprinted on these small products. “They may sell those, give them away or use them at events for name recognitions. It’s another way to connect with their patient base. It is low-cost advertising that stays in the home.” In addition, he suggests, consider other small items the medication management section. His company offers two small products that are used to clean and maintain hearing aids. One is Dri-Eze, which is used to manage moisture in hearing aids, and the other is the Audio Kit, which has small tools to clean hearing aids. “If you’re taking a lot of pills, you’re likely to be using a hearing aid as well,’’ he says. “These take up a small footprint, and allow you to better meet the needs of customers.”