Peggy Bland, owner of Power Chairs of Kentucky, was working on a bariatric power chair order for an obese woman who had been using a manual chair for the past year. The woman’s manual chair provided limited mobility, allowing her to move from her bed to the couch and back again. “With the manual chair, the patient’s world was limited to four walls,” says Bland. “When we delivered the new equipment, she cried.”

The bittersweet tears told Bland that Power Chairs of Kentucky had made a genuine difference in the quality of life for this particular patient. Now the patient could move about her entire home with ease, as well as attend the church services she had so desperately missed. Bland learned that servicing the bariatric niche meant she had a chance to expand the life possibilities for obese patients. At the same time, it became clear to Bland that bariatrics is an expanding market niche for providers who have the knowledge, sensitivity, and dedication to do the job right. The latest statistics show that some 60 million Americans are considered obese, with about 9 million of them morbidly obese. Last year alone, the United States spent $75.1 billion on obesity-related medical costs, according to a recent study in the journal Obesity Research. Indeed, bariatrics is a burgeoning market that promises to be both profitable and professionally rewarding. If you want to succeed in bariatrics, be prepared to offer quality products, strong service, and an extra dose of sensitivity.

Your Merchandise Mix
You do not need to carry every new product under the sun. More often, success in bariatrics begins with choosing quality over quantity. Power Chairs of Kentucky did not set out to serve the bariatric population when Bland founded the company some 4 years ago. But presently, the Campbellsville-area provider attributes approximately 15% of its business to the bariatric niche and sees the market increasing. “Until recently, we did not realize there was such an overwhelming need for bariatric products,” says Bland. “Today, we are aware of it so we are working within our areas of strength to meet the demand.”

Bland started serving bariatric patients with the products she knew best—power chairs. Now she is adding bariatric beds and walkers to her merchandise mix. “The most important factor is quality,” says Bland. “We select only the highest quality bariatric products because we want the products to hold up for the patient.” Product integrity and endurance are critically important when serving the bariatric patient.

If you are a general HME provider just entering the niche, you may want to start out like Bland by adding a few quality products in a category you already know. Perhaps it is bariatric manual chairs, power chairs, or walkers. More ambitious categories include bariatric beds, support surfaces, and lifts.

Whatever the case, you will need to educate yourself thoroughly—bariatric beds, for example, come in both 600- and 1,000-pound capacities. And you will need to familiarize yourself with a variety of features like adjustable widths, built-in scales, integrated trapezes that provide stability for the patient, and Trendelenburg features which, can assist in the case of cardiac arrest.

There are a variety of innovations in the support surfaces category as well. For mobile patients, a pressure-reducing mattress is often suitable. But obese patients often suffer from pressure ulcers. In these cases, an alternating pressure/low air loss mattress may be the better solution. These surfaces provide constant therapy for vital tissue pressure reduction and release. Finally, manufacturers offer a variety of bariatric turning or rotating mattresses. These provide therapy to the patient as well as assistance to the caregiver.

Bariatric lifts are another important product category calling for solid knowledge on your part. Hoyer-type lifts are available in both electric and manual varieties. Overhead lifts are used for morbidly obese patients weighing up to 1,000 pounds. You will need to assess the right lift for the particular patient, caregiver, and setting.

Finding the Education
There are many ways providers can seek out leading edge, quality products. Meet with several manufacturers, visit their Web sites, and assess availability. If a supplier continually does not have stock on hand, it is probably not a reliable source for your business. Attend major industry events such as the recent Medtrade show in Orlando, Fla.

Finally, keeping pace with technology is key. Equipment that was state-of-the-art a few years ago may be archaic today. Successful bariatric providers keep abreast of new developments and informed on the latest innovations.

Service and Sensitivity
Dependable service is vital to any business, but sensitive service is particularly important in the bariatric market. Seasoned bariatric providers agree that the obese patient is typically self-conscious, depressed, and/or self-deprecating. The mind-set of the obese patient presents the provider with unique challenges. When it comes to service, providers who are truly compassionate will reap the greatest rewards—financially and otherwise. “So many obese patients feel shunned by society,” says Bland. “One of the reasons we have been successful is because we treat these people with the respect and dignity they deserve.” In the end, your business will flourish or fail based on word-of-mouth. Power Chairs of Kentucky has earned a reputation for reliable, sensitive service among bariatric patients—and in turn, the word-of-mouth referral business is booming. According to Bland, she does very little advertising and the majority of her bariatric business is generated through referrals.

Sensitivity begins by building a rapport based on a patient’s history. After all, patients became obese over time. Originally, they may have been overweight but still mobile. Unfortunately for many, immobility eventually becomes a reality. Bland begins the service process with a dialogue. She inquires about the patient’s interests and activities prior to becoming immobile. “I ask the patient, ‘What did you do before you were confined to home?’,” says Bland. “This helps determine the kind of chair I will order for them, because if they are a nature lover, I can find one that works great over a grassy field.”

Building a rapport with your bariatric patients will help you choose products that match and enhance the lifestyle they hope to lead. That’s just smart, sensitive service. But sensitivity does not end there. As a bariatric provider, you will need to find your own personal way of alleviating patient self-consciousness and anxiety.

Obesity is a serious illness. As a provider, you will need to educate yourself on medical complications the bariatric patient often suffers from such as back problems, diabetes, and pressure ulcers. In addition to gaining the knowledge, you will want to be diplomatic and understanding as you discuss these complications with your patients.

Servicing bariatric patients can also be labor-intensive and absolutely requires home visits. Because equipment is large and heavy, you will need to visit their residence so you can evaluate the setting and structure. This can mean everything from assessing the stability of the floors to measuring doorways, hallways, and ceiling heights. Moreover, your product recommendations will vary according to setting. The solution for a bariatric patient in an urban apartment will be different than the one for the patient residing in a farmhouse.

Still, compassion is the primary quality you will need to succeed. At Power Chairs of Kentucky, insensitivity will not be tolerated. “We treat all our patients the same and obesity is just another medical condition,” says Bland.

Marketing Your Niche
Building your bariatric business means meeting challenges beyond patient service, such as promoting your organization and dealing with reimbursement. Some of the best tools for promoting your bariatric business include publicizing your company at community events and health fairs. In addition, you can produce your own newsletter for mailings or conduct educational seminars at home health agencies. Naturally, distributing a brochure and business cards will help increase awareness of your company, too. In the long run, word-of-mouth referrals will be the biggest asset for growing your clientele.

No doubt, the best providers in the business are expanding possibilities for obese people by improving their quality of life. For dedicated providers, bariatrics is an expanding market that offers a sense of fulfillment along with financial rewards.

Marianne Matthews is a contributing writer for Dealer/Provider.