CALM, Monday Evening, October 7

I always try to arrive at the Medtrade Exhibitions one day early. The show officially opens tomorrow, October 8, at 9:00 AM, when Kevin Gaffney and his team slice the red drape and a swarm of dealers and providers pour through the door to the exhibition floor.

This opening experience has always been one of the moments that I relish. Today, Monday, when I arrived at the Convention Center, there was a certain calm, which I still found very reassuring. More than 350 dealers came to participate in a day filled with additional special training classes.

When I go into the empty exhibition area and see the crates and boxes arriving from all over the country, I am filled with delight! The hammering, displaying, and activity at each of the locations converts a barren room into the one place that every DME/HME provider awaits. Anything they could possibly need to help their business grow and develop new profits will be waiting for them. All the unfilled space becomes alive and each of the exhibits becomes a special arena where all the action will happen.


To date, 2013 has consisted of months of very diligent work by an industry to bring about change regarding how we are reimbursed for our services and supplies. AAHomecare and the state DME associations have spent hours making telephone calls, writing letters, appearing in Washington, D.C. on behalf of all DME/HME providers.

Over the next three days, I look forward to seeing an industry continue to roll up its sleeves and work in tandem with their state association and AAHomecare to make the changes we need. HR 1717 must come out of committee; so far 157 Congressmen have signed on. When we all co-operate with diligence this will happen.