Page 10 - HME Business, March 2020

Rehab Medical Picks up Mobility Specialists
The CRT provider already operates an office in Pensacola
but aims to expand its presence in central Florida with this purchase.
Rehab Medical is looking to grow its busi- ness presence in Florida with the acquisition of Mobility Specialists, a mobility equipment provider based in Winter Haven, Fla.
“We are excited to continue our expansion throughout the state of Florida, where we have had great success over the last decade,” Rehab Medical President Kevin Gearheart said in a statement. “This move will allow us to expand our footprint outside of northern Florida and service more people in the central part of the state while continuing our mission to improve lives.”
The complex rehab technology (CRT) provider said that all Mobility Specialists employees will transition to
become Rehab Medical staff members, including ATPs, sales representatives, technicians and office staff. Rehab Medical already operates an office in
Pensacola alongside locations in 12 other states. The company has acquired several smaller mobility businesses over the past few years, including the purchase of OMS Rehab in 2019.
The Mobility Specialists team, which has served central Florida for over 16 years, will benefit from the structure and technology offered by Rehab Medical, according to Gearhart.
“This is a great fit for us, and we expect this move to be a great opportunity to provide more mobility options to those in need,” Gearheart said.
VGM Hosts State Leaders Summit
Inaugural VGM Government Relations event attracts more than 20 state association leaders and board members, who shared ideas and resources.
VGM Government Relations recently hosted its inau- gural State Leaders Summit, which attracted more than 20 presidents, executive directors, and board members from state associations to network, share ideas and provide resources to one another.
Key issues identified during the meeting included: • Membership retention, participation, and
engagement.
• Medicare rural reimbursement rates.
• State issues such as managed care organiza-
tions, licensure, and tax exemption.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better group
of folks,” said Clint Geffert, president of VGM & Associates. “There was so much optimism and enthusiasm for strengthening their association. I believe every attendee said they are taking back and implementing something they learned from the summit.”
“We had a great mix of new state leaders and more experienced leaders,” added John Gallagher, vice president of VGM Government Relations. “The group provided both fresh ideas and expertise. ... We are already planning a following up meeting later this year.”
PEOPLE IN HME
Permobil Foundation Honors Life & Career of Brandon Edmondson
The Permobil Foundation is remembering Brandon Edmondson, OTR, ATP, Director of Clinical Sales and Outcomes for Permobil Business Region Americas, by creating an educational fund for his children.
Edmondson, 45, died in a car accident on Jan. 10. He was well known and respected in
the seating and wheeled mobility industry for
his expertise in manual and power mobility, and served in many capacities, including as a teacher, a provider and a clinician.
Edmondson joined Permobil in 2012 as an Area Sales Manager. An ATP since 2001, he was a veteran educator who gave clinical presenta- tions on seating and wheeled mobility to other therapists, case managers, and CRT providers at
a number of venues. According to a biography provided by Permobil, Edmondson “also served as a guest lecturer for numerous OT/PT programs across Texas, handling the topic of applied complex rehab technology. He has worked closely with a model spinal cord center as well as an ALS/ MDA clinic and has first-hand experience of the rehab model.”
The Permobil Foundation remembered Edmondson as “a hero and a cherished member of the Permobil family.” In memory of Edmondson, the Foundation is raising funds to create a
college fund for Edmondson’s children, and the Foundation will match donations up to $10,000. Donations are tax-deductible.
— Laurie Watanabe, Mobility Management
8 HMEBusiness | March 2020 | hme-business.com
Management Solutions | Technology | Products
VENDOR HEADLINES
Brightree Acquires SnapWorx
HME software company Brightree (Atlanta) is acquiring SnapWorx (Brentwood, Tenn.), a soft- ware company that provides patient contact management and workflow optimization for sleep therapy equipment providers.
SnapWorx’s software as a service (SaaS) offers features that help providers service CPAP resupply patients. The solutions include work- flow automation, patient communication, and tools for collecting the supporting documenta- tion required for dispensing and billing of CPAP supplies.
With the addition of SnapWorx, the Brightree ReSupply brand, which already provides tech- nology and live-call services, will have the largest CPAP resupply patient base in the industry.
“By adding SnapWorx’s capabilities to our industry-leading resupply program, we’re helping more HMEs keep patients on comfort- able, effective CPAP therapy long term, and effi- ciently optimizing their own resupply business,” Brightree President and CEO Matt Mellott said.
SnapWorx’s 40 full-time employees will join the Brightree team, and SnapWorx President Emmet Seibels will continue to lead the SnapWorx business.
“We’re excited to join the market leader
in enabling opportunities for our customers, deliver better patient care, and to grow and strengthen our own business and technology,” Seibels added.
Allegiance Group, BASYS
Enter Strategic Partnership
Patient billing and debt collection
company Allegiance Group (Overland Park, Kan.) has entered a strategic partnership with debit and credit card processing company BASYS Processing (Lenexa, Kan.) to expand Allegiance’s capabilities as an integrated solution provider (ISP) to the HME industry.
The partnership will combine Allegiance’s healthcare billing software, COLLECTPlus,
with BASYS Processing’s proprietary payment gateway for credit and debit cards, as well as its customer service. The goal is to improve finan- cial results, increase productivity, and streamline workflows for Allegiance’s provider customers.
“We are excited about integrating BASYS’ merchant card processing with the COLLECTPlus payment portal,” said Bruce Gehring, senior vice president and business development manager for Allegiance Group.
“With this partnership, both BASYS and Allegiance Group are actively listening to the needs of COLLECTPlus users and molding the software to requests such as text-to-pay capa- bilities,” added BASYS Processing CEO Brad Oddo.