Page 27 - HME Business, September 2017

“HME providers already have a customer base so they’ve got a big advantage over a startup,” Swick says. “A good place to begin is to allo- cate some floor space for mobility products in a prominent location and let your existing customer base know you’re expanding your product offerings either with a grand reopening promotion, customer appreciation days, or some other marketing campaign. Reach out to your suppliers and ask them what their best products are and how they recommend you get started. They are motivated to ensure your success.”
Packer says that along with scooters and power chairs, toiletry items, disposables, pain creams, and aids to daily living — such as grab handles or grabbers — are all good products to include for mobility retail. He says that the products should be convenience items with good margins that are displayed on shelves. Ramps, lifts, and cushions are also good options. “The provider should look at the patient as a whole,” he notes. “The patient will need these items. He or she might as well purchase the prod- ucts through the provider.”
Another important strategy for power mobility is having a strong social media and overall online presence, says Packer. Upgrades, including main- tenance packages, specialty add-on items like increased service and repair warranty extensions are good add-on options when purchasing a power chair or scooter online. Offering home accessibility items, like ramps, lifts and grab bars are also an option for retail sales.
Another key merchandising strategy for retail power mobility is selection.
“Nobody goes to car dealership with just six cars on the lot or with just one or two color choices,” Swick says. “Similar rules apply to our industry. Show your best-sellers in multiple colors. It creates a strong presenta- tion, suggestively saying this is a popular product, and provides selection.
Providers putting three or four of our Go Chairs on their floors are selling multiple times more units per month than when they display just one. Also, make sure there is space to test the units. Consumer are significantly more likely to purchase if they can take their new mobility device for a test spin before asked to open their wallet.”
Turturiello advises to make sure that you have an employee with power mobility experience.
“You can’t just buy used or demo chairs and go into power mobility sales,” he explains. “You need to have a substantial knowledge base in power chairs before you can recommend a chair to someone. You need to know how to set up a chair for an individual and how to explain the func- tions and limitations of each piece of equipment. You have to be able to repair and maintain what you sell.”
Packer agrees in the importance of on-staff education and added that HME providers also need to have knowledge of the diseases, the obstacles that people would need to overcome, aids to daily living that could help a person, and whether patients will use their power mobility device inside, outside or both.
“Another option for additional sales opportunities is doing a fall assessment in the home, where you are looking at any hazards in the home that may be
a risk for falling,” he suggests. “Then you are able to offer products to help alleviate these risks while also boosting your rapport with the patient by taking the time to address his or her needs.” n
Joseph Duffy is a freelance writer and marketing consultant, and a regular contributor to HME Business. He can be reached via e-mail at joe@prooferati.com.
Renew
Renew
Financial First Aid
Wound care can patch up provider profits.
What’s Inside:
Claims Data Treasure Hunt . . . . . . . 20 News, Trends & Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 8 FineTuningPortableO2........... 14 GlucoMe’s Diabetes Management . 25 Therapeutic Footwear Options . . . . . 26 AdoptingaRetailStateofMind.....30 Why Providers Should Explore This Service Category
Ato dsevpelroop avniddimeprlesmcenot sntrtatiengiuese to diversify their revenue streams, patient groups, and referral partners, they are starting to see wound care services as an opportunity to put a Band-Aid on hemorrhaging income. Wound care offers providers an effective avenue for extending their market reach, because of the wide variety of related referral partners and patient groups that need these products and services. Furthermore, from a care perspective, becoming part of a patient’s “wound care team” affords providers the ability to make dramatic improvements in a patient’s life. (With the right products and expertise, the results can sometimes be nothing short of miraculous).
But wound care requires specific product and care knowledge, and twhhuesrlye mtoabneygpirno—vidaenrsdatrheny’tmsuigrhet even feel a little intimidated. However, sneottinegaurlpyaswhoaurdndascaitrmepigrhatctsiecemis.
s o T m h e i s e mx p o e n r t t h s ’ s i n c o t h v e e r fi s e t l o d r t y o t a o l u k t s l i t n o e the market basics, the various wound care products that play well in the HME space, and the payment oppor- tunities for the HME provider. In addition, it provides a listing of key vendors serving each of the main wound care product categories.
A Wound Care
Services Overview . . . . Page 15
May 2017 Volume 24, Number 5 hme-business.com
What’s Inside:
5 Ways to Boost Patient Claims. . . . 15 News, Trends & Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 8 SleepTherapySolutions........... 29 TheLatestHMEInventory ......... 30 ResMed’sNewAirMiniCPAP ....... 32 ImagineeringCRTAccess .......... 34 Providers are Tackling Many Challenges and Opportunities
tFhaot rmualtnitayskoinng ies awmyhtho, thtehyinkesed only gander at the current status of HME providers’ businesses to realize that multitasking is very much reality. It wasn’t always this way. Somehow, an industry that had operated in a stable and somewhat predictable Medicare funding market had to not only deal with a rapid influx of complications and challenges, but also explore all new business models in order to survive Medicare’s constant reimbursement cuts.
And providers rose to the occasion. Now, providers have a constant eye on efficiency; they work to maximize their profitability; they work to lengthen and expand their patient relationships; they track their performance by the numbers; they develop new market opportunities; they add new exper- tihsey; acnadn btheecyormegeublaertltyerebsuesairncehshseosw. That’s quite the juggling act! anTnhuatl’HswMhEyHwaen’rdebpouobkl.isThhineghaonudr-10th bconotkinhuigehtoligmhatstwearytsheprmovaindyecrshacla-n lenges and opportunities they face in order to build better businesses. This year we examine topics such as women’s health, performance metrics, and home access to name a few. Take a look at this year’s edition and see if it can’t lend your business a hand.
2017 HME Handbook . . Page 16
June 2017 Volume 24, Number 6 hme-business.com
July 2017
Volume 24, Number 7
2017 Buyer’s Guide
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2017 HME HANDBOOK
Mastering
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Eight ‘how to’ articles to help providers improve, expand and succeed.
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What’s Inside:
Software Interoperability & HME . . 16 News, Trends & Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mobility:FundingforPASH ........ 15 MarketingOrthopedics ........... 24 Broadening Compression Lineups . . 28 PortableOxygenRoundup ......... 30
The Bath Safety Rethink
Providers Must Reapproach Bath Product Safety Lineups
There can be no doubt that bath safety ranks as a pivotal product offering for any retail-minded provider. Bath safety items serve a pertinent safety need for a wide variety of large patient groups, such as seniors, those with mobility limitations and bariatric patients.
We know that more than 80 percent of home accidents occurring in the bathroom, according to the National Safety Council, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that preventing bathroom- related falls and subsequent injuries in older Americans is critical.
And providers have responded to the need. They know that besides the can’t-ignore retail sales opportunity, ensuring bathroom safety is a public health and safety concern where they can make a true difference in their clients’ lives. However, they might not be aware that the nature of bath safety products is changing in dramatic ways, and they must respond accordingly.
As the Baby Boom increasingly needs bath safety items, this consider- able age cohort is impacting how bath safety products look and feel. Items such as plain, bent metal grab bars are going the way of the Dodo, and what’s replacing them emphasizes a zeal for designer appeal. HMEB examines this evolutionary change, and how vendors and providers are addressing it.
Fixated on retail appeal, it can buoy your bottom line.
Bath Safety Rethink . . . Page 21
August 2017 Volume 24, Number 8 hme-business.com