Educational Program

Doctor's orders: Patients belong at home

You don't have to convince Dr. Steven Landers that, whenever possible, patients belong at home and not in hospitals. In this kick-off session, Dr. Landers will discuss the public health and policy issues that demand an increasing role for home care; the technologies and payer factors that will shape how it's used; and the potential growth opportunities for HME providers. Dr. Landers serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians and was named the National Association of Home Care & Hospice's "Physician of the Year" in 2009.

Presenter:
Steven Landers, MD, MPH, director of Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation, Cleveland Clinic

The 5th annual HME News/SRA Financial Benchmark Survey

Each year, hundreds of HME providers complete the HME News/SRA Financial Benchmark Survey to see how they stack up against their peers in everything from net revenues to days sales outstanding to employee expenses. This year, you'll get that data and more, such as how many providers are outsourcing sleep services like supplies replenishment. This survey has become a bedrock for the HME industry and now, with competitive bidding already in nine cities and the program slated for 91 more, it's more important than ever.

Presenters:
Rick Glass, president, Steven Richards & Associates
Scott Lloyd, president, Extrakare
Liz Beaulieu, editor, HME News

Street Talk workshops:
Part 1 — Generating revenue
Part 2 — Cutting costs

These annual Street Talk sessions provide some of the best networking opportunities in the HME industry. Attendees divide into three groups and discuss their business highs and lows: What worked and what didn't work? This is networking at its best. Are you kicking around an idea and wondering if it's going to fly? This is the place to get feedback. Street Talk is simple: It's provider helping provider, and in the opinion of past Summit attendees, it doesn't get any better than that.

Ground zero for competitive bidding: Providers in Charlotte are still standing

Contract and non-contract suppliers in the Charlotte competitive bidding area discuss the first nine months of Round 1. What did they do right? What did they do wrong? What would they do differently? What advice do they have for providers in future rounds? In this session, they tell all.

Moderator:
Beth Bowen, executive director, North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services

Presenters:
Rick Perrotta, president, Network Medical Supply
Kimberly Brummett, vice president of contracting and reimbursement, Advanced Home Care
Dan Gooch, vice president, Pal-Med Diabetic Supplies Company

Learn from the best: The competition was stiff and these providers came out on top

More providers than ever submitted applications for the 2011 HME Excellence Awards. Hear from the winners for Best HME Provider, Best Home Respiratory Provider and Best Rehab Technology Provider. Find out how one winner has managed to grow sales more than 20% in the last fiscal year, how another has made performance improvement plans a cornerstone of his business, and how another uses a comic book as an educational tool.

Moderator:
Don Davis, president, Duckridge Advisors; HME Excellence Awards judge

Presenters:
2011 HME Excellence Awards winners

Let's get real: Where's the opportunity in the HME industry?

Everyone agrees that the days of white knights buying HME companies for twice their revenue and five times their profits are over. Yet some note renewed interest in the industry this year by private equity firms. Others believe providers should be less busy trying to sell their businesses and more focused on redesigning them. So where's the opportunity in the HME industry? Get a realistic portrayal from these merger and acquisition experts.

Moderator:
Rick Rector, publisher, HME News

Presenters:
Dexter Braff, president, The Braff Group
Jonathan Sadock, CEO and managing partner, Paragon Ventures
Rick Glass, president, Steven Richards & Associates
Don Davis, president, Duckridge Advisors

Social media, part 1: Why you should be thinking about it

In this first of a two-part session, Professor Michael Meredith will explain why you might need to change your attitude about social media. He says it's not necessarily what you gain from having a company web site and a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, it's what you might lose if you don't. "When the Internet came out, everyone was trying to figure out how to use it to drive revenue," he says. "But for a lot of companies, as people became more sophisticated buyers, the greatest potential for business was having a place where people could go to learn about their company and get more information." Professor Meredith will provide examples of how companies are effectively building relationships with customers online and how students in his MBA-level course might be able to help you develop your own social media campaign.

Presenter:
Dr. Michael Meredith, assistant professor of management and corporate communication, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Social media, part 2: Here's what it can do for you

In this second of a two-part session, Lisa Wells will share one provider's experience testing the relatively uncharted territory of social media. Find out which tools they found to be worthwhile. (For example: Is Facebook a good way to market a company that provides adult diapers? It turns out, yes.) How they determined what was worthwhile and what wasn't? (Two words: Google Analytics.) Wells will walk attendees through the process of how to use social media to convert users into customers. She'll also discuss how UroMed has incorporated online marketing into its overall strategic plan.

Presenter:
Lisa Wells, director of marketing, UroMed

From hospital to home—to stay: Key principles for reducing hospital re-admissions

Healthcare reform has put a huge spotlight on hospital re-admissions. Greg Spratt, the homecare chairman of the American Association of Respiratory Care, is surveying the association's members, including about 1,000 home-based respiratory therapists, to find out why patients often bounce back and forth from home to hospital. He'll take the results and identify key principles for respiratory therapists that will help prevent hospital re-admissions.

Presenter:
Greg Spratt, homecare chairman, AARC; director of clinical marketing, Oridion Capnographies

Connect the dots: Street Talk workshops wrap-up

In the Street Talk sessions, you brainstormed with your peers on how to generate revenue and cut costs, the Holy Grail of surviving a healthcare environment dominated by increased regulation and decreased reimbursement. In this final session, Dexter Braff reprises his popular Street Talk wrap-up to connect the dots between your ideas. Leave the Summit charged up to improve your business.

Presenter:
Dexter Braff, president, The Braff Group

Dive into your market share and strategize for growth

Attend this session to see a demonstration of the HME Databank and hear a discussion of the value of business intelligence to HME providers today. The HME Databank is a powerful online resource that tracks Medicare spending on home medical equipment for 117 key product categories. Learn how the HME Databank helps you determine your market share, keep track of your competitors and strategize for growth. Dimensional Insight powers the HME Databank with its business intelligence (BI) software, The Diver Solution.

Presenter:
Nancy Berkowitz, MBA, Vice President, Supply Chain Sales, Dimensional Insight