EMT Cash Sales

“Sales to EMT Squads.” Locating EMT squads is not difficult. There are volunteer ambulance services throughout the country. Every hamlet, village and city has people who will respond when there is an accident or a need. Every police and fire department in the country has trained EMT personnel. Universities, colleges, and schools all have people who can respond to an emergency and that are trained for most contingencies.

 

OSHA has mandated that large companies and other places where people gather, such as arenas and stadiums, all be prepared for any occurrence. Many of them will have emergency trained personnel, nurses, or EMTs available. There are EMTs just waiting to see you.

 

Where do these squads currently obtain their supplies? Most of them buy from mail order companies. They send a catalog, including order forms with a place for a credit card number or for a check with order. The freight terms are on the order form, so they collect their dollars before the items are shipped. Neat, isn't that? The negative result is that you have allowed this business to slip away from your company. Fortunately, this loss can be recovered easily with a little effort.

 

Most dealers offer respiratory therapy as a standard discipline. Everything that you normally stock for the RT department is usually the same as used by an EMT. There are very few items that you will need to add to your inventory. As your sales become more sophisticated, you will find yourself stocking many more items, which means you have developed another niche for your company. 

 

Follow this up at Medtrade next month. The vendors will be there!

See how many new ways you can enhance your business in Orlando. I will see you there!

Things You Can Do

There are so many easy things that every DME/HME dealer can easily do to help keep their business growing.

The obvious is marketing! We have tried, via this blog, to provide new program ideas and remind you of other effective means, which have proven very successful. One of the first ones that stands out is to hold an “OPEN HOUSE” in co-operation with your preferred vendors. I bring this up for discussion first because we are only a few weeks away from the major Medtrade in Orlando. Medtrade is the place where you will find opportunities.

A number of very successful dealers I know tell me that they try to do an Open House in their showroom at least once every two months. Some of these have attracted such a large audience that they have had to start holding them at a local school or church where they had access to larger space.

Some examples are with blood pressure monitors. Your primary source will work with you, bring lots of handouts, take everyone's BP, and often two dozen or more units were sold at the Open House alone. The same can be done with many different OTC cash sales items. Speak with your vendors at Medtrade; they will be delighted to set dates and work with you.

There will be a large number of new items for your attention at the Exhibition. Examine every item displayed in the New Product Pavilion. Recently I heard from a gentleman who sells clothing. His are inexpensive, easy to wash, and designed for the elderly. Certainly different, and I anticipate seeing many new items such as these in Orlando at Medtrade.

Don't forget to use promotional code MTShelly to get a Free Expo Pass when you register for Medtrade, if you have not done so already. Early Bird Rates are available until this Friday, September 6th.

The Meeting Place

Over many years, most of the important contacts I made were at the “meeting place.” This is how I describe Medtrade, as this is how the show most certainly should be described.

When I talk to many of the speakers and various association officers who share their knowledge at Medtrade. They all agree that Medtrade is the “meeting place.”

Since I have had the good fortune of participating in every Medtrade since its inception, one thing has become crystal clear. Indeed, this is where things happen! 

When you are opening your e-mail, you will find two important messages every Monday. These are announcements from Medtrade and HomeCare Magazine. You will also discover many valuable notices of information on the web reported by HMENews.

There are reports about the activities at Medtrade almost daily both in these emails and on social media. Each is important for every DME/HME provider to help them during these trying times. I just cannot imagine why some dealers do not attend. There are only a few weeks until October 8-10. Please be sure you are there, because . . . unless you are present you will miss many important opportunities. These will provide you and your company with vital information for survival .

Too much is hanging over every DME/HME provider's head. But when you learn what you can do from the speakers and meet the people who make decisions, then you will know how to cope. With every business expense, there has to be an ROI. The ROI for this Medtrade in Orlando will be better than ever.

Don't forget to use the promotional code MTShelly when registering to get your free expo pass!

Modest Telemarketing

I receive more than 150 e-mails a day. As all of you do, I only open those that I think are appropriate. Many of those can be best described as a form of modest telemarketing.

 

For the average DME/HME provider, this is a means of communication, and one which is effective because it is gentle. Very quietly you are doing a few things such as saying thank you for a purchase, sending information or a message to a family caregiver. Yes, you are in charge.

 

When any customer, Medicare, Medicaid or HMO obtains a piece of equipment from your company, an opportunity is presented to you. You should send an e-mail the day after delivery was made (telemarketing) asking if they were satisfied. Ask if there are any problems they wish to discuss, and leave your personal number if they should need additional service.

 

If they ask you about new or other items, the opening is there. Keep track of the date of the call. Periodically send them a mailing with a specific product that is suitable or works well with what they bought.

 

Depending on what item they obtained, I would suggest a second telemarketing memo. If the product is for short period use, perhaps send the message in two weeks, if the product is more for long term use, send your message after a month. Once again, introduce yourself and make this a very friendly inquiry into how they are faring and if the equipment is doing everything they anticipated.

 

Please be sure you do no soliciting during these first e-mails. They are to establish communication and build your reputation. When the caretaker patient needs something else, they will remember the caring dealer who inquired about how they were doing. Occasionally, when you do send a “solicitation” it will be looked at differently.

 

Well, this is not telemarketing in the traditional format, but it sure can be effective. I know that when you establish this type of relationship, your customers will remember you and contact your company first. 

Getting Things Accomplished

DME/HME dealers must all roll up their sleeves now and get into the battle to save their companies! I have been speaking about this for a long time. HMENews and HomeCare Magazine have been writing about what everyone can do to pass HR1717 and eliminate the “Competitive" Bid.  At the October Medtrade in Orlando, you will be apprised of what else you can do!

I have been corresponding with dealers in many parts of the country and the reports I receive all auger well. I am going to share this one, from a DME/HME dealer who delivered a strong message.

As seen in the MedtradeMonday story "I Am the HME Industry - Colleen E. Hunter", this came from  Ms. Colleen Hunter, CPA, President,  Browning's Pharmacy & Health Care, Inc., in Melbourne, FL:

“Our company was invited to our local Chamber last Friday for a roundtable discussion with Governor Scott.  We were invited as we have been a member of the Chamber for many years as this is our 51^st year in business.

I was eager to go to be able to get the opportunity to let the governor know some issues facing Florida due to the negative impacts of competitive bidding.  He greeted each of us individually and was very personable.

I spoke on seeing the future of Medicare Part A hospital rates increasing due to longer stays in the hospital due to the lack of access to equipment for discharge.  Patients are paying for equipment they need out of pocket that would normally be covered under their insurance.

The thing he said that left me in amazement was that if we do not represent ourselves in Tallahassee and fight for our industry we can bet that someone else is there and what they want will negatively impact us.  I have never enjoyed being political, but that was how my father built our business, by being involved.  It may be uncomfortable, expensive and just not right but we all need to join together for a common goal.”

Colleen, “Thank you” for taking the time to send us your report. I will publish any reports that I receive which are of interest and will give ideas for other dealers to take action. Please send them to me <shelly.prial@att.net.>.

If you are among the DME/HME dealers that has not yet registered for Medtrade, please use the code MTShelly to get a Free Expo Pass.

A Universal Voice

As an industry, DME/HME has been recognized as a very professional industry. Dealers and providers, despite every problem and difficulty thrown their way, continue to give extremely good service, often pro bono, and take the needs of their clientele very seriously.

AAHomecare, the state DME associations, the buying groups, the publications, and the myriad of speakers and professionals all speak about “What to do.” They see the disaster facing our industry and are frightened of what will happen if we do not get HR1717 passed. Many visualize the number of companies who will be affected dramatically and how many may close their doors. All of this is so detrimental and we see how they are all doing their best on behalf of the industry.

I look at this very differently. If we had a single, forceful, common voice, it would be heard. The government estimates there are more than 15,000 DME/HME dealers in the country. But, if you total the number of dealers who are actual dues paying members of their state association and AAHomecare, you will understand my anxiety.

We have no choice, we must make every effort to get as close to 100% of the dealers on board, and we will then have a UNIVERSAL VOICE that will be heard.

To successfully get through the next year, it will require every dealer to get involved. If you are currently a member of both AAHomecare and your state association, you have made a giant step, and will survive. If you only belong to one, please make it both.

Now I ask the vast number of uncommitted dealers: Will you be able to survive alone, by yourself, and for how much longer? Let us keep our industry flourishing and keep the number of dealers from decreasing. The cost is so little, and the benefits of membership are so vital. WE WILL CREATE A UNIVERSAL VOICE!

Who Listens?

What is wrong with the Competitive Bid?  Who listens?

We lived through Round 1, and now we are in Round 2. Where is this leading? Further reductions on reimbursements, more providers and dealers being forced out of business, and an outcry from patients due to a lack of service. Yet CMS and Congress do not hear a thing.

When DME/HME dealers appeal for some help, the response many legislators have given is that the dealer is “only worried about his or her” profit dollars, not the recipients. Sure they are, but that is not what our industry’s main concern is; it is our patients.

We worry about our customers: the bed-ridden grandmothers, fathers and mothers trapped in wheelchairs, parents with great difficulty walking while using their walkers or canes, all unable to ambulate properly. These are many of our clientele. These are the people who are house bound and they are whom we worry about.

They all have family caregivers who try to fill the gap and who suffer sometimes more than the patient. They are frustrated by these problems and they also ask: Who listens?

Congress will listen to the patients. They vote, their families vote, their friends and peers all vote! They are the heart of the electorate, and Congress and CMS will hear their voices. When speaking directly to legislators, whenever we presented a list of patient complaints, they listened.

You know what's wrong, and so do your patients. When we showed them the list of complaints AAHomecare gathered, that was when we got the attention we needed. So please put together a list of problems such as: 1) difficulty receiving supplies, 2) change of provider, 3) cost to beneficiary increase, 4) difficulty finding new provider, and 5) general confusion.

All this is what they will listen to and that will be the way to show the politicians the competitive bid is NOT working.