Changing Times
It’s 2008, and the HME landscape is a lot different than it was
in1992, when Home Health Products began publishing a product tabloid.
There was no competitive bidding then, no Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services accreditation requirement, no 64 power mobility codes, no oxygen
rental cap and no $3.50 price tag for a gallon of gasoline ($1.58 was
more like it). And how much attention was CMS paying to the HME industry,
when the oldest of America’s 40 million baby boomers were still
almost 20 years away from needing Medicare?
These are changing times for the HME industry, and just as providers
and manufacturers are having to redefine their businesses, we are redefining
ours to better support your business in this brave new world.
Welcome
to the premiere issue of HME Business, a natural evolution of
Home Health Products.
HME Business continues as the only industry publication with
products and services as its core competency, but our product coverage
will now include the hows and the whys.
For instance, this month’s cover feature, “10 Top Product
Niches to Watch in 2008,” will give you the information you need
to achieve your optimum product mix in these times of competitive bidding,
funding cuts and changing customer demographics and needs.
In our Product Premiere column on page 18, you’ll hear Fastrack’s
Spencer Kay tell why the time is right for his company to start a new
HME member service organization. And you’ll hear about it first
in HME Business. Product Premiere will appear monthly to give
you an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at an HME product, service or
company making its industry debut.
Don’t miss our exclusive Editors at Large column. HME Business
is part of the HME Media Group, which also publishes Mobility Management
and Respiratory Management. Editors of these magazines are experts
in their respective niches and throughout the year will tell HME Business
readers about mobility and respiratory products they have personally tried
out or witnessed being used. See what products they picked this month
on page 42.
But as you know, the HME industry is made up of more than just products.
Since today’s financial climate dictates that providers run a tight
ship to remain profitable, we’ll devote a monthly feature article
to internal business solutions. This issue, we explore “Management
Goals for the New Year,” beginning on page 20.
HME Business will also update you on the trends, hot-button
issues and policies sure to impact your business. For instance, are you
keeping an eye on the sleep market? We are: HME Business and
Wachovia have partnered on a series of HME Sleep Surveys for 2008 that
will track trends and offer analysis. Turn to our News section starting
on page 8 of this issue for the first installment of the year.
But this is just the start. All year long, we’ll deliver the most
critical news, analysis, policy updates and technological innovations
the industry has to offer, while simultaneously helping you to apply this
information to your business operations. For instance, in future issues
we’ll discuss how removing the first-month power chair purchase
option and reforming manual chair coverage criteria and coding will impact
power and manual chairs and their future designs. We’ll also tell
you what products your peers have purchased and why in our “Shop
Talk” column, and ask leading providers and clinicians to share
their purchasing experiences after industry trade shows.
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Finally, you may have noticed that the size of our magazine has changed
a bit. We remain a tabloid, but we’ve opted for a Euro-tab size,
which is more convenient to hold, read or store in a briefcase or an office
resource library.
HME Business is not just products and not just news, but a complete
what-how-and-why package ready to help you navigate today’s evolving
HME landscape.
Happy
New Year!
Karen Cavallo
Group Publisher
HME Business