Georgia on Their Minds
Home health care industry members came out in force for the 24th annual Medtrade Conference and Expo held October 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. More than 21,000 people attended the show, which featured more than a thousand exhibiting companies.

“Medtrade 2003 has demonstrated that the HME industry is moving forward with innovation and resolve to provide quality products and services to their patients and customers,” says Cory Smith, group show director for VNU Expositions, the Medtrade show organizer. “It is a very exciting time to be in this business and Medtrade is proud to have attracted the industry’s best to this year’s event.”

Most exhibiting companies contacted for this article were pleased with the show attendance and the quality of leads they got. “I thought the traffic was nice and steady,” says Carla Laureano of CHAD Therapeutics in Chatsworth, Calif. “We probably did not have as many leads as last year, but they were more quality leads.”

The biggest challenge for exhibitors was how to stand out from the crowd. Since no single show attendee could possibly visit every booth in the 3 days of the show, many companies pulled out all the stops to make sure they were noticed. From expensive options, such as towering infrastructures, classic cars, and live entertainment, to creative low-cost options, such as prize drawings, massages, and fresh-baked cookies, exhibitors made the show floor a very lively place.

Even stair-lift manufacturer Access Industries, Fayetteville, Ga, which was at the very back of the show hall, was pleased.

“We didn’t suffer from any lack of traffic,” says William J. Kempf, the company’s regional sales manager. A demonstration lift that carried a booth staffer 20 feet above the show floor helped get Access Industries noticed, but Kempf thought they would have done fine even without this eye-catching stunt. “If people want to see your stuff, they will seek you out,” he says.

The next Medtrade will take place in October 26-28, 2004, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Medtrade Spring will take place March 16-18, 2004, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Representative Ross Speaks Out Against Home Health Care Cuts
If you think you are fed up with legislators who just don’t understand home health care, meet this year’s Medtrade keynote speaker, Representative Mike Ross (D-Ark).

Representative Mike Ross (D-Ark)

“I have talked and talked and talked until I’m blue in the face,” Ross said about his efforts to educate fellow members of the House of Representatives who do not understand the impact of home health care cuts, such as the competitive bidding for HME provision in the House’s current Medicare bill (HR 1).

Surrounded by an audience of his peers at Medtrade—Ross is the only member of Congress who is also an HME/pharmacy owner—the Arkansas representative did not mince words.

“This Medicare reform bill that the House is considering, that’s Medicare fraud!” he said.

The problem, as Ross describes it, is that many legislators know little about how Medicare functions and there are many misconceptions out there. “Many members of Congress think you pick whatever price you want and Medicare pays it,” Ross said.

To fight back, he encouraged attendees to support accreditation for home health care providers as a way to bring a new level of professionalism and credibility to the industry, and to aid the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare), which, with 17 staffers, faces the challenge of being heard over the 600 drug industry lobbyists also working Capitol Hill.

In turn, the industry threw its support behind Ross, awarding him the first AAHomecare “Patient Advocate Award” for his service to patients in the home health care industry.

A. Malachi Mixon III, and Cara Bachenheimer, JD, of Invacare Corp, give Grassroots Central attendees an update on the competitive bidding battle in Washington, DC.

Grassroots Central Draws Attention to State Issues
The Medtrade show’s latest addition, the Grassroots Central state association and industry lobbying area raised awareness of industry political issues, especially at the state level, said participating state associations. “The number of membership inquiries for FAMES far exceeded my expectations,” says Heather E. Allan, executive director for the Florida Association of Medical Equipment Services (FAMES), Orlando, Fla. “The opportunity to have a ‘home base’ for the state associations was an excellent idea, and very much appreciated.”

Seth Johnson (standing, center) of the American Association for Homecare leads a panel of state licensure experts at Grassroots Central.

Grassroots Central — which was sponsored by Dealer/Provider — featured state association panels on topics such as state licensure and Medicaid cuts, as well as presentations by industry legislative experts such as A. Malachi Mixon III, chairman and CEO of Invacare Corp, Elyria, Ohio; Cara Bachenheimer, JD, vice president of government relations for Invacare; Darren Jernigan, director of government relations for Permobil, Lebanon, Tenn; Martin Szmal, director of government affairs for Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa; Rita Hostack, vice president of government relations for Sunrise Medical, Longmont, Colo; and Jacquelyn M. McClure, BS, RRT, national respiratory network and government relations director for The MED Group, Lubbock, Tex. In addition, the area hosted the premiere of VGM MESA.net, an Internet communication and networking tool for state associations.