RehabHacker

Too Cool For Crutches

2008-04-07T22:44:00.004-04:00

We have become very well acquainted with the four wheeled walker with seat and brakes. The walker combines the safety of the wheel locks with the convenience of a place to rest.

This new concept crutch combines the convenience of a place to rest with . . . well, a little bit of style I guess.

The design doesn't show much of a nod to ergonomics in the handle design or placement of the forearm pads, but the two crutches do stick together and lean against things.

I don't see this design gaining status as medically necessary or having a HCPC code assigned, but it is nice to see some innovation and style in the development of DME.

HME News Poll - Has Medicare been over-paying for HME?

2008-03-25T14:35:00.004-04:00

HME News is running a poll to gauge the industry reaction to the 26% cut in Medicare reimbursement to HME.

If the winning bidders think they can survive with a 26% cut, does that mean that Medicare has been overpaying or does that mean that vendors are undervaluing their products and services thinking that the only way to increase demand is to lower prices?

If you decide to play within the Medicare box, it looks like you might just get trapped. Medicare has limited businesses to the point that they are only allowed to compete on price. If you want to compete on a different level, fire Medicare and choose the customers you want to work with.

Vote early and vote often.

Pack Up, We're Out of A Job.

2008-03-20T22:30:00.005-04:00

Even Competitive Bidding announcements couldn't have killed off the rehab industry as entirely as this recent press release. Israeli industrial design and engineering firm Argo Medical Technologies, has announced the development of the ReWalk Exo-Skeleton.

The exo-skeleton concept is not new, UC Berkeley and Sarcos have prototypes focused on military applications. While impressive, they are bulky and not suitable for everyday living conditions.

The Argo Medical exo-skeleton brace type device is designed to attach to the body of a person with a spinal cord injury and allow that person to stand and walk. Using motors, sensors, and rechargeable batteries, attached to the brace frames and a backpack, the ReWalk is designed to allow users to walk safely with the aid of crutches. A video demo can be seen on Argo's web page.

Besides showing off the new product, Argo also dedicates some room on the website to justifying the financial impact this type of product will have. With the first two years of paraplegia estimated to cost insurance companies 285,941 dollars, the possibility to offset costs promised by the ReWalk at 120,000 dollars per year makes the device rather attractive.

This device would not only make wheelchairs obsolete, it would also kill off the standing frame industry. Argo is hoping to have this device on the market by 2009, do you see a HCPC code assigned to this product in the future? But the real question is: Will this device be included in a competitive bidding carve-out?

CMS unveils competitive bidding fee schedule for DMEPOS

2008-03-20T20:53:00.005-04:00

CMS press release as seen on HMENews:

WASHINGTON - Providers in the first 10 competitive bidding areas submitted bids that on average will lower the fee schedule rates on many DME items by 26%, CMS officials stated during a late afternoon press conference.

"This new program means that Medicare beneficiaries will have access to some medical equipment and supplies at substantially lower prices than they are paying now," said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. "The Medicare program and taxpayers will share in these savings. This program represents yet another way to use the competitive marketplace to bring the best possible and most efficient care and services to people with Medicare. Because new accreditation and quality standard initiatives are being implemented in conjunction with the phase in of competitive bidding, this program will provide assurance to beneficiaries that they are receiving high quality medical equipment for home use."

Here's my first reactions:

26% reduction in reimbursement? DMEPOS has fought every reduction in reimbursement tooth and nail, usually unsuccessfully. Given the chance to rally together and set the rates that everybody can live with has resulted in a self-imposed reduction of 26%. Not to mention the 100% reduction in reimbursement for those who did not win the bid because they wanted to keep their reimbursement higher. Ouch.
"The Medicare program and taxpayers will share in these savings." Sounds all warm and fuzzy to the average American who doesn't need any DMEPOS and doesn't realize how little of the total Medicare budget is actually spent on DMEPOS (1.7%).
Does anybody else cringe when you read 'use the competitive marketplace' in reference to a program that actually reduces/eliminates competition? He who controls the language, controls the debate.
When was the last time any government program was able to deliver on a promise of 'best possible and most efficient' especially when it comes to care or service?
Of course with the 'new accreditation and quality standard initiatives' that are being implemented, service providers have no choice but to provide the best possible equipment and service to beneficiaries.

Round 1 bid awards are expected to be announced any day now. I'm sure this announcement was a precursor to set the tone of the upcoming announcements and quell as much public debate as possible. Are you (your company) ready for this?

Round 1 Announcement Imminent

2008-03-17T21:51:00.002-04:00

Seen on Notes from The Golden Commode:

Here’s the lastest news on round one of competitive bidding, courtesy of Don Clayback, The MED Group’s vice president of government relations. Clayback had a call with the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) earlier today. Here’s what he found out:

1.) The CBIC will send out notices to all Round 1 bidders within the next two weeks. That could mean this week or next; they would not be more specific.
2.) All letters (winners and losers) will be sent out the same day via Certified Mail. That means everyone should get their letter within a day or two of each other.
3.) Winners will receive a contract to be signed along with the new fee schedule. They will have 10 days from the mailing date to respond.
4.) The contract will be for a three year period commencing July 1, 2008.
5.) Unsuccessful bidders will also receive a letter stating they were not selected.
6.) Despite Clayback's additional inquiries, the CBIC would not share more specific information at this time.

Can Your Wheelchair Read Your Mind?

2008-03-17T00:59:00.001-04:00

Ambient made waves a little while ago when they announced the ability to control a wheelchair by thought. They have recently expanded the application to the technology to include communication devices, access to the internet, or darn near anything else that can controlled via voice.

Controlling a wheelchair or creating an augmentative communications device may be the ultimate purpose of the technology, but these lofty ideas will not likely pay the bills. Hopefully the technology can be made available to applications with wider appeal and fund the development of the intended goal.

Competitive Bidding vs. Congressional Signatures

2008-03-16T23:34:00.004-04:00

HME News reports that there are two letters being circulated around congress right now with the intent to put pressure on CMS about competitive biding. The letters have been signed by 100 congressmen so far. The letters don't call for an end to competitive bidding but they do ask for CMS to reexamine the impact on the small DME companies and might give enough time for congress to investigate the process as well.

The letters may just be a shot over the bow of CMS. It seems to me that if congress really wanted to stop competitive bidding there would be more aggressive moves made. However, a step is a step. Call your congressman and make sure his/her signature is on the letters.

Is this a sign that congress has decided that their local business community might be affected? Is this a sign that congress has decided that their constituency might be affected? Is the signature of 100 or more congressmen strong enough to make an impact on CMS?

Wheelchair Dude

2008-03-11T23:45:00.003-04:00

Gizmodo Blog points out that the Apple Thesaurus has a strange suggestion for how to use the word observe in a sentence.

So. . . who is this wheelchair dude? Apple is usually pretty conscientious about what they do. This one must have slipped through the cracks.

What would you do?

2008-03-11T12:44:00.003-04:00

Here's a tale that seems to be all to familiar to those of us in the rehab industry. It is told by a cab driver who is sent to pick up a 'Lil' Ol' Lady' from the hospital. The poor woman is non-ambulatory and should be sent home in van transportation, but the cab ride was cheaper. This puts the cabbie in an awkward situation:

"Look, lil' ol' lady," I told the Lil' Ol' Lady, "the only way I can get you into this car is to pick you up and put you in it." We were not supposed to do this, because of our insurance. Imagine if I had dropped her and she had ended up not with a bruised hip but a broken one. Worse, imagine if she had croaked.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? When you get to an appointment and realize there is nobody there to help make transfers in and out of a chair or bed, what do you do?

EyePod

2008-03-04T16:23:00.004-05:00

Reuters is running a story on a Japanese University that has created a switch to control an iPod via a series of blinks. The movement of the skin around the eyes is read by a series of sensors attached to eyeglasses or headphones.

"Wink strongly for one second with one eye to rewind, use the other to skip to the next song, or close both eyes to pause and play, Taniguchi told Reuters in an e-mail interview.

But what if users accidentally blink only to find themselves in a completely different soundtrack?

"It doesn't happen at all. This system doesn't malfunction even if the user eats, talks, walks and runs," Taniguchi wrote, saying there were differences in movement between an accidental and an intentional blink or wink."

This type of switch means:

You can independently rock your playlist even if you can't use that cool 'click wheel'.
Ipod accessories and options will start showing up on Invacare and Sunrise Medical invoices.
The switch may be adaptable as another drive option for power chairs. Lots of possibilities with that!

How To Read An Income Statement

2008-02-14T16:16:00.003-05:00

This is an important skill for all business owners, entrepreneurs, or anybody interested in making a business work. There are a myriad of financial forms, graphs, and other documents that are available to help you look at your business, but the income statement can give you some of the best data available. And it's really not as hard as it sounds.

Jeff Cornwall, director of the Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship, gives the secret:

"It is important to look beyond the numbers presented in the income statement and examine the percentages that each of those numbers represents. Look at major expenses every month to see what percentage of sales is being used to pay for each expense."

The rest of the simple article gives some good examples on how to use that little nugget of information, but the key is to 'look beyond the numbers' and look at trends over time. Did you really make any money when you got that new account after all of the time spent courting them? Was the hassle of getting that custom product rushed in from a new vendor worth it financially? Will I be able to continue doing business with Medicare and the new competitive bidding reimbursements?

It's important to balance what is seen on the paper with what is going to work for your business. You may show that your initial investment in that new account is sucking you dry on paper, but it may be worth it for the future revenues. Just make sure you have a way to re-examine your loss leaders before your whole business is a loss.

One of my favorite managers to work under shared the monthly income statement with her staff during the first team meeting of each month. She stepped everybody through how to analyze the data on the sheet as well as what that data meant in relation to each person's contribution to the branch. It didn't take long before everybody felt ownership and a sense of pride when numbers were up and also felt a sense of urgency when numbers were down.

Not everybody shares financial numbers with their staff. If you don't, why not? If you do, what changes have you seen in staff productivity and ownership?

Know When To Fold 'Em

2008-02-12T21:06:00.001-05:00

I recently received an email from Invacare announcing their new folding 3-in-1 commode. Drive Medical has had their version available for quite a while now. We have use the Drive product ever since our rep told us about it. From the pictures, it looks like the Invacare product is similar to the Drive product.

Why is a folding commode important?

Keep all the parts to the commode in one place. Never get to a house or hospital again only to find that the splash guard is missing.
Portability for the customer. The product folds easy enough that the users can take it with them when they travel. Makes any hotel room or family member's house that much more accessible.
Easy to store in the warehouse and on the retail floor.
Can be shipped via UPS/FedEx.

The folding commode only handles 250lbs where the non-folding version will usually handle 300lbs, so be careful who this product is recommended for. The folding commode does cost a couple bucks more than a regular commode, but we have decided that the benefits outweigh the price difference and have converted most of our commode stock to the Drive folding product.

Wheelchair Skills 101

2008-02-12T16:24:00.000-05:00

OK, you just sold your favorite customer your favorite chair. It is the coolest thing on wheels. It is lightweight, narrow enough to get through doors, the seating and positioning are perfect, you even got the insurance company to fund it, and they have already paid. Your customer is happy. You are happy. Everything is perfect, right?

What if your customer doesn't know how to use the chair?

New wheelchair users face a large number of barriers with their new lifestyle. Your job is to help eliminate as many of those as possible. The first step is to provide the most appropriate mobility equipment. The second step is to educate them on how to use that equipment safely. Our industry does a good job at pointing out features and reminding people to use their safety (positioning) belt and anti-tippers. But who is in charge of teaching people how to pop a wheelie?

A charity in the UK recently sponsored a wheelchair users course to educate young wheelchair users on how to use their chairs. The course covered everything from balancing on the rear wheels, climbing and descending curbs, and even demonstrated going down and up stairs for the very brave.

Why should you hold your own wheelchair users course?

This is information and skills that every new wheelchair user needs
You want to be the company that everybody thinks of when they need wheelchair information
Get more wheelchairs and wheelchair users in and around your store on a Saturday than you ever thought possible.

What do you need to get your event started?

Find your experts.

Invite PT's, OT's and others who work with out-patient wheelchair therapy
Invite your local wheelchair sports team (basketball, rugby, curling, etc)

Pick your date, about 3 months in advance (make sure you will have a reasonable chance at good weather, spring/summer)
Invite your customers, and your competitors customers, and their friends and families

Fliers in the store, website, newsletter, statement mailing
Contact your local newspapers and TV stations

Invite the reporters to attend and cover the event

Make sure your course is laid out in stations so people can find the skills that are most interesting to them.
Have lots of loaners and sample chairs on hand for people to borrow, check out, and buy.
Be prepared to do it again!

Let us know if you have done something similar. If you decide to plan a course, let us know so we can promote your event on RehabHacker.com!

A Case for Logic [Accessories]

2008-02-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

I've never seen a mobility accessory that I've really liked. The backpacks that come from the manufacturers are either cheap and flimsy or built so tough they add more weight than the flat free inserts in the wheels. I've seen cane holders that let the canes bounce out, baskets that can't be reached by the chair user, and cup holders that break when you look at them funny.

Case Logic, makers of some very high quality bags and electronic accessories, have come out with a line of 13 nylon mobility accessories. I first saw the line at a local Walgreen's store. They are also available for sale on the web site. I don't do retail and don't keep a stock of these types of items, so I didn't look into vendor pricing, but even the retail pricing on the web site is very reasonable.

Case Logic has created some well thought out products for manual and power chair as well as walker users. My favorite feature is the zipper pulls. Ever watch an incomplete quad try and use a zipper? The zipper pulls are part of each item sold with a zipper as well as available as a separate item that can be used to retrofit a favorite bag or parka. At 4.99 for a 3 pack, the price is almost too reasonable. I'm sure if Medicare had a HCPC code for it they would be much more expensive.

I also like the catchall that is built to hang on the side of a manual chair leg rest. It's just big enough to keep a couple of small items in an easy to get to place.

Case Logic has thought out some good products that make use of space that is not traditionally used for storage. Now if we could just find a basket for a power chair that the user can actually access while sitting in the chair.

Build a Safety Program You Can Be Proud Of

2008-02-02T20:36:00.000-05:00

How do you keep your self/employees safe in the field?

There was an interesting discussion on the MedGroup forum about delivery driver safety in bad neighborhoods after hours and late night on-call visits. We have all been there. I know that I have been in some pretty shady areas and have unknowingly asked my employees to enter into some bad areas. One day about a month ago, I had two technicians in two different cities that both felt concern for their personal safety. In one case, we didn't know the area was a rough neighborhood and in the second case, we didn't know the technician would be in the area after dark. In response, and out of concern, we held a couple team meetings to come up with a way that the drivers would feel safe when they are in the field. Here's what we came up with:

If an unknown bad neighborhood:
1. Technician in the field has the right to refuse the appointment based on feelings of personal security. (This only works if you can trust your field personnel to not use this as an excuse to slack off)
2. Office personnel mark client file as one that requires special appointment handling.
3. If technician decides to complete appointment than the steps for a known bad neighborhood are followed.

If a known bad neighborhood:
1. If at all possible, set the appointment for daylight hours
2. Technician reports in to office at arrival.
3. Technician attempts to park in a well lit area if possible.
4. Technician spends as little time outside as possible
5. Technician reports in to office when leaving appointment. (If after hours, reports in to manager by cell phone)
6. If technician does not report in to office after a reasonable amount of time to complete the appointment, office personnel proactively attempt to contact the technician. If no contact is achieved, office personnel contact the police in the area local to the appointment.

In all situations our technicians are trained to keep their eyes open and be aware of their surroundings. We double checked with one of our clients that works for the Sheriff's office that it is legal in our area to carry pepper spray. All field technicians are issued pepper spray to keep on their key chains now. The pepper spray is kept in a pocket to prevent escalating an issue unless needed. All field technicians are also trained to use the 'panic' key on their vehicle remote key fob.

We may never have a technician get into trouble or come into harm while in the field, but I would hate to think that if something should happen to an employee that there was no attempt to mitigate the problem. With the new protocols and the pepper spray ($10.00 at Ace Hardware), the technicians feel more safe during their appointments and feel part of the solution since they all contributed to the new procedures.

What are your plans to keep your employees safe in the field?

The Buck Stops. . . Over There

2008-01-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

An excerpt from a VGM Legislative Update email reminds us that CMS is all about saving it's bacon when it comes time to report to it's pork barrel loving bosses, the U.S. Congress. It's not enough that we are responsible to make sure the Dr.'s notes actually back up the CMN they sign, we are also fingered as the biggest de-frauders of the people and the system that we serve. And it's all your fault!

CMS Staff Briefs Congress on Competitive Bidding, and Slams the Industry

Yesterday, CMS hosted a congressional briefing on competitive bidding for the durable medical equipment (DME) in Medicare. Senior CMS officials outlined the agency's work on the competitive bidding program, summarized efforts to expand bidding to an additional 70 areas, and slammed the industry as a hotbed of fraud.

During the briefing, CMS staff claimed that DME fraud is the largest area of fraud in the Medicare program, the biggest loss to the program, and the biggest vulnerability in the program.

However, CMS staff did not describe their agency's accountability for failing to prevent criminals from obtaining Medicare supplier numbers.

Nor did CMS provide the math for how, exactly, the DME sector, about 1.7 percent of Medicare spending, could account for the largest amount of fraud in the entire Medicare program, which spends more than $400 billion per year. CMS estimates that the total cost of fraud across all sectors of Medicare is somewhere between $40 billion to $80 billion per year. So the agency's own margin of error for calculating Medicare fraud is many times greater than the total DME spending in Medicare.

Under the current system, CMS staff said, it is too easy for fraudulent suppliers to look like they meet all of the quality standards when they get their initial site visit from the National Supplier Clearinghouse and further claimed that suppliers do not uphold the standards once they have their provider number.

CMS suggested that there are116,000 DME suppliers enrolled in the Medicare program that collectively bill more than $10 billion per year and provide services to about 10 million beneficiaries per year (about one quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries).

And while it doesn't have much to do with rehab specifically, there was a frightening comment made in passing:

According to CMS staff, there is no product category for mail order diabetic supplies in round two because CMS is planning on having a national mail order diabetic program in the near future, which they are hoping can begin in 2010.

Whoah! So now the government is going to actually become a supplier? Is this a first tentative step towards the slippery slope of nationalized DME? Will grandma have to go stand in line at the Federal Oxygen Administration office, next to the DMV, to refill her tanks or have her concentrator hours checked monthly? Rehab will be just like the old Fords. You can have any color wheelchair you want, as long as you like black.

So it's obvious that CMS doesn't trust you. How much do you trust them?

Thinking Outside The System

2008-01-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared an experience in customer service that changed the playing field of my competitors. By changing the customers expectations, a new level of acceptable customer service had been set. There is a Doctor in the New York City area that is doing that with the entire health care system.

Jay Parkinson, MD takes house calls to a whole new level. Dr. Parkinson will visit with you and discuss your symptoms at your house, at work, or via email, video chat, or texting. He can be available to you 24 hrs a day for emergencies, and he even publishes his cell phone number on his website. Rather than wait weeks to get in to see a Dr. or spend hours in an ER, Dr. Parkinson promises to see you within the same or next day of your appointment request.

So how does a Dr. promise complete treatment if he has never seen you? While he discusses your symptoms with you during an online chat, he is also searching his network for a diagnostics center he can refer you to for testing. Need blood work? The good doctor will get you in and out of a lab quick and follow up with them until the results are in your hot little hands. Need to see an obscure specialist? Dr. Parkinson will get you in to the specialist that can see you the quickest and is closest to your home, or he will leverage his network to get you into the best specialist available.

Don't have insurance? Dr. Parkinson will work to save you money by ordering only tests that are necessary and even publishes his house call appointment pricing on his website.

This type of service will change the health care market. Suddenly, the patient and Doctor are back in control of personal health decisions. The Doctor is looking out for the best interest of the patient instead of the best interest of a top-heavy bureaucratic system. This type of service provides entrepreneurs with an MD a way to practice medicine as well as flex their muscles in the free market of ideas.

Medicare is changing the rules on the DME and rehab industry to the point that some companies just won't survive. Dr. Parkinson decided he didn't want to rely on the established system for his income. When you play outside the system, you can make your own rules. How much more can your business take from Medicare and survive? When are you going to change the rules your business works in?

Tips and Tricks for Traveling With a Wheelchair

2008-01-26T11:59:00.000-05:00

Stephen Hawking had the ultimate roller coaster ride when he got to experience zero gravity. Do you have clients that travel or are getting ready to travel for the first time with their wheelchair? Their are plenty of horror stories and their can be some serious barriers, but Holly at SpinaBifidaConnection.com has assembled some good tips that you can share with your clients like:

Whether the service is good or bad, get names and write them down. This alerts people that they will be held accountable-for better or worse-for their actions. If you do have a problem, save all tickets, receipts, dates, times and names.

I know that when I've had clients travel, I usually only hear the stories when they come back for repairs after their chair has been abused by baggage handlers. For some reason, the successful travelers tend to keep their tips secret.

Be a hero and share these tips in a knowledge library available to all of your clients.

The Scooter Store Keeps Taking The Hits

2008-01-26T10:17:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we found out that Invacare had dropped The Scooter Store after learning about the letter that had been circulating around congress to discourage the rehab carve-out. The week hasn't gotten any better for The Scooter Store.

Jerry Keiderling, president of US Rehab sent a letter to AAHomecare encouraging the expulsion of The Scooter Store from the Rehab and Assistive Technology Council (RATC), citing the need to keep a unified industry voice when dealing with congress.

These two are not aimed specifically at The Scooter Store by name, but the timing is hard to ignore:

Pride Mobility has stiffened up and re-published their provider standards, putting an emphasis on mandatory annual training, ATS/ATP employed at each location, and servicing ALL products sold. Pride promises to review their suppliers annually for compliance.
CMS published a new set of supplier standards raising the number from 21 to 31. CMS feels that competitive bidding will weed a lot of fraudulent providers out of the system, but the increased supplier standards will discourage the few that may slip through.

Invacare has still not made a statement on InvacarePro but our local rep has been making the rounds sharing the story and the stand that Invacare has taken. Sunrise Medical is the only other provider listed on The Scooter Store's website that has not made a comment, even subtly, in response to the carve-out letter.

So is everybody ganging up on The Scooter Store, or is The Scooter Store trying to take advantage of a business opportunity that has presented itself? The letter from The Scooter Store and the statements from the CEO show two different faces of the company, one that looks out for the industry interests and one that looks out for the company interests. Who is looking out for the clients?

Change The Rules and Change The Expectations

2008-01-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

I made a delivery at a local rehab hospital today that taught me a pretty interesting lesson in customer service and what can happen when expectations are changed.

When I walked in to the hospital there were three delivery vans parked in front of the hospital. All three vans were from the same local provider. I suppose there could have been a good reason why the provider sent three different vehicles to one location, I don't know what the delivery technicians were doing inside the hospital. But I do know that the delivery vans were taking up almost all of the drop-off/pick-up space in front of the main entrance to the hospital.

When I made a simple rental wheelchair delivery to a client before discharge, I was able to meet the therapist and confirm that the equipment met the clients needs. I asked if the client could transfer into the chair so I could adjust the leg length. The therapist was surprised. She said that she was planning on making the adjustments when she got done with another patient. I got out my tools and proceeded to make the simple adjustment. When I got done getting paperwork signed and pictures taken, I asked if there was anything else needed. The therapist asked if she could have the walker that was to be delivered to the home so she could set the height and install the platform attachment. I brought the walker up from my van and proceeded to set the walker up exactly like the walker the client had been using in the hospital.

These are little things that I do and have done ever since I started working in this industry. The therapist said that the local provider, who had three vans parked in front of the hospital, would usually pile equipment in a corner of the PT gym, get signatures and walk away. I had given her the ability to focus more time and attention on doing what she does best, by doing what I do best.

By taking a few minutes to make some simple adjustments I created an impression as well as set a new precedent for service in that hospital. Each time a competitor falls below that new level, they will be compared to the service that my company provides.

Therapists had gotten used to dealing with one provider under a certain set of rules. Without knowing, I changed those rules and changed expectations for the future. What unwritten rules can you change to alter the status quo?

Become a Grab Bar Guru [How To]

2008-01-23T22:51:00.001-05:00

Grab bars can add a lot of safety and security to the bathroom environment. Nearly all DME retail outlets sell them. I even saw some at Albertson's today while I was shopping for groceries. But a grab bar in a box is not worth as much as a grab bar securely attached to a wall.

If you currently sell grab bars but do not offer installation services, set yourself and your company apart by adding a needed service. There may not be a huge profit margin in the grab bars, but the installation is fairly simple and labor is always good for the bottom line. This is also a chance to get into a clients home to perform a full home evaluation and find new ways you can help your client improve safety and independence at home.

Click through the slide show to get a step by step illustration of just how easy it can be to add a new service to your product line. The slide show can also be viewed as a full screen presentation for training your technicians before tackling the next job.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

2008-01-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

HMENews got the scoop on the break-up between Invacare and The Scooter Store. Last week Invacare announced that they will no longer supply products to The Scooter Store stating they are, “against everything the industry stands for.”

HMENews reports that:

After 17 years of focusing on consumer/geriatric mobility and scooters, the Scooter Store began tiptoeing into the complex rehab market late last year. Then, in December, the company circulated a letter to a “handful of congressional offices” making its case that complex rehab should not be carved out of competitive bidding.

Obviously, if complex rehab is not carved out, the sheer geographic reach of The Scooter Store will make them the biggest player at the competitive bidding party.

The Scooter Store did some backpedaling about the letter and tried to toe the industry line, but revealed it's true intentions when the CEO, Doug Harrison stated, "the Scooter Store opposes it (competitive bidding); but if it must go forward, both geriatric mobility and custom rehab should be carved out; and one big bid would be more efficient for CMS than 80 smaller bids." Confused yet? It sounds like they are apologizing with their fingers crossed behind their backs.

The rest of the article dissolves into the classic he said, she said bickering that you have to listen to when your best friends break up in high school. The Scooter Store points out that Invacare will be losing a large chunk of income. Invacare thumbs it's nose at the former bed partner preferring to hang out with the whole industry instead of trying a monogamous relationship. Like most break ups, each party is quietly hurting inside but everybody on the outside is secretly happy the relationship is over.

Obviously The Scooter Store is not out of business. They no longer have any Invacare images on their website, but they are still pushing Pride Mobility and Sunrise Medical. Invacare, is banking on an increased sense of loyalty from independent rehab providers despite the fact that they have not published their story on their website. I guess they are hoping that HMENews and other industry news sources will tell their story for them.

There still isn't a clear cut winner here. The Scooter Store, like any other business will conduct business in a manner that is most beneficial for them. Competitive Bidding is not good for the industry as a whole but may be good for a small number of companies and CMS. Business owners and customers both lose when competition is artificially eliminated by the government. I don't know if Invacare struck a positive blow against Competitive Bidding or not, but they have put their money where their mouth is.

Invacare is hoping to gain some ground in the industry by showing loyalty to the industry as a whole rather than one large customer. Will Invacare's recent actions influence your product purchasing?

Who Do You Know?

2008-01-20T19:56:00.001-05:00

Seth Godin is a New York Times Bestseller marketing guru. He works specifically within the computer tech industry, but many of his concepts are transferable to rehab as well. Here's one of his tid-bits that caught my attention recently:

One of the mantras of networking (and the many social networking sites that people are flocking to) is that it matters who you know. The goal of having a thousand or more friends online is that you're well known. Connected. A click away. I wonder if there's a more useful measure: who trusts you?

The very same is true in the rehab industry. Knowing all the Doctors, therapists, and referral sources and having them know you is very important. But of all the people you know in the industry, how many of them trust you? If a Doctor can not trust you to take over the care of a patient, you will not get that business. If a therapist can not trust you to assume the responsibility of providing the proper equipment, you will not get that business. If you can not guarantee to the discharge planner that you can get the right equipment to the right location at the right time, you will not get that business.

Remember, it's not necessarily who you know, it's also what they know about you. Are you known for having the best customer service or the best bagels?

Make a list of the top accounts you want more business from. What do they want to trust a provider to provide? How can you gain that trust and that business?

The Future of ADL's is Now?

2008-01-19T09:45:00.000-05:00

PostlerFerguson is a design firm that researches new ways to interface technology, culture, economics, and people. They have come up with new ways to interact with music, use of artificial intelligence during disaster recovery, and even designed a 3D paper based model of an AK-47 machine gun. They have also looked into the relationship between robots and the aging population with a line of prototypes called Life Machines.

"Life Machines engages with the question of how an aging population's needs can be met through technology. It investigates a possible future society in which humans and robots coexist in domestic spaces and asks what issues arise in a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology. Questions about what kind of compromises and adjustments will have to be made are explored through scenarios of everyday routines in the relationship of an aging individual and a robot. The design of domestic objects that reflect the needs of both machines and humans becomes a tool for exploring the human condition and our fascination with using technology to recreate ourselves."

I like the concept of investigating the issues between technology and human interaction. I'm especially happy to see that they mention exploring the compromises and adjustments that would have to be made. While there may be a need at a point in the future for a robot to shave a person's face, that need may be weighed against the level of comfort and dignity involved in having a robot shave your face. And from what I have seen so far, the average quadriplegic may be more willing to ask a stranger on the side of the road to swab the inside of an ear before strapping into this contraption.

Technology and Aids to Daily Living are a natural combination that may be too easy to take too far. What types of gadgets do you and your clients hope to see in the future?

Virtual Magnifying Glass

2008-01-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

Workers Collection offers a software package that adds a virtual magnifying glass to your computer. Microsoft offers a similar product that is already built in to Windows (Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, Magnifier), but both the freeware version as well as Magnifying Glass Pro offer a few options that are superior to the version packed in the product that comes with your computer.

When active, Magnifying Glass zooms in on whatever the mouse cursor is hovering over. In addition to increasing viewing ability with size, the contrast of the screen can be controlled. The Pro version adds even more features and cleans up a few programming issues. Take a quick tour of the program and view screen shots on their website.

This program, especially the free version, can be a great thing to refer your customers to if they are having problems viewing their computer screens or can be used as part of an adaptive equipment package sold to your customer to make the computer accessible. The Pro version is reasonably priced at $24.95 and for a ~~very limited time can be had for free from Giveaway of the Day blog~~.