Monday, April 21, 2014

DME/HME Will Win

Since I returned from my tour of duty during WWII, one thing I learned has never left me. It is the importance of teamwork. We all protected each other and we won the war!

Today our industry is fighting for survival. CMS is doing their best to delay and hold back reimbursements. That, too, is a most devastating problem, which requires a strong team, as does the “competitive” bid legislation. There are many more puzzles, and these two are a good starting point.

We should have the ability to bring about changes but we DO NOT yet have a strong enough team. God only knows how hard your state DME associations and AAHomecare are working full time on your behalf. They do a tremendous job, but still are not quite powerful enough to do it all

Why? This is because there is still a stupendous number of DME/HME dealers who do NOT belong or support these associations. Too many of them are “penny wise and pound poor.” The dues they pay to the associations to keep them in business are so little. Their accountant is aware that it is a normal business expense. He, too, will assure his clients that joining will help keep them solvent.

When Thelma goes shopping she looks for the BO-GO items that we normally purchase. You know, “Buy one - Get one” free! If every dealer who reads this will make the phone call, as I suggested in A Redundancy, you will bring new members to the cause and then we will win. When the number of “dues-paying” members rises sufficiently, everyone will benefit. NOT JUST THE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS.

WILL YOU GET ON BOARD? If everyone just brings in only one new member, it would make the associations greatly more effective, and when the new members recognize what happened after they joined, well - how about that?

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