Dealer/Provider: What are the trends in bath products?

Dale Cathey: The trends are safety and comfort. Accessibility is also one of the buzzwords—accessibility to safely live on your own. Our products give easy accessibility. With our tub, users simply open the door and step into the low step-in. There is a seat already built in. Users sit down on the seat, seal the door, fill it with water, and take a hot, soaking bath with hydrotherapy. Our bath lifter is a battery-operated chair that lowers the person into the water so they can soak. In our market age group, ladies like to soak. When the user gets down to the bottom of the tub, the back reclines 40°, and when the user is done, they push the button and the lift takes them up, which they could not do before.

D/P: How can providers effectively generate cash sales of bath products?

Cathey: If providers have our units on display, it will lead to a bathtub sale or a bath-lifter sale. Dealers are missing the boat if they are doing nothing more than running a small ad in senior publications and taking advantage of direct mail. There are direct mail lists that you can get by age group and income levels. Certainly within their geographic area, that is an effective way to generate leads.

D/P: What can providers do to generate referrals to help them increase sales of bath products?

Cathey: After the customer has purchased your products, give it a couple of weeks and call back to see how satisfied they are. We also offer a gift card to any referral that results in a sale.

D/P:What bath products do you recommend providers carry?

Cathey: We require our dealers to display a bathtub and a bath lifter. They position these where it will draw people’s attention.

D/P: What feedback have you received from users ?

Cathey: People say, “I haven’t had a bath in years. I have to sit on a stool in my bathtub and let the shower nozzle splash on me. That’s not a hot, soaking bath. I want to be able to sit in a tub and soak.” After their first bath, they tell us how wonderful it was to finally have an enjoyable bathing experience. DP

Dealer/Provider: What is business interruption insurance and do you recommend it for HME providers?

Dennis Santoli: Business interruption insurance provides a safety net for HME providers who suffer a physical loss to their property that prevents them from continuing their normal operations. It might typically come into play if the provider’s inventory is destroyed by fire. It is important to determine how long a waiting period might be required before the coverage kicks in, since most providers should be able to get back in operation in a relatively short time. The longer the waiting period, the less valuable this coverage is to the provider.

D/P: What insurance riders do you recommend for providers who are particularly concerned about fire loss?

Santoli: Standard property loss coverages may not provide full protection. Riders, endorsements, and other policy enhancements can broaden the scope of coverage and increase the ability to make the provider whole. Replacement cost coverage will provide for the current cost of replacement as opposed to actual cash value, which is what the lost property was worth at the time of loss. This eliminates the write-down for depreciation and usage. Building and ordinance coverage is another useful addition to coverage. It would provide insurance for the increased cost of complying with tougher zoning, environmental, and safety laws that might not have been in effect when the provider first occupied the premises. Also to be considered are coverages for demolition and debris removal, spoilage, electronic data processing exposures, employee theft and dishonesty, plate glass window coverage, damage to signs and landscaping, and advertising and personal injury coverage.

D/P: How can a risk management program help providers improve patient care and minimize liability exposure?

Santoli: Physical safety inspections, environmental inspections, security and theft inspections, and all the programs to limit those exposures are sound elements of a good risk management program. Employee safety is also a key area. Safe driving, proper lifting techniques, and appropriate sanitary and health precautions are all components of a sound risk management program. DP