With a diverse product mix and timely information from buying groups,patients and referring physicians will rely on you as the top resource for mastectomy forms and other women’s health products.

While you may be an expert in mastectomy and women’s health products, negotiating with insurance companies for contracts and pricing may not be your strength. When we first started negotiating, we asked: How have others fared with insurance contracting? Do we want to do this? Is this the future? Where do we find this information? It was a struggle to keep up with the changes, and we thought it could not get any more complicated.

We were wrong!

Since the 1990s, we have experienced an unprecedented growth in the development of post-breast surgery products. The research and development departments of industry leaders such as Trulife and Amoena continue to address the needs of our clients. Our initial education on product, advertising, and insurance coverage came mostly from these manufacturers as well. Unfortunately, while manufacturers have been innovative in product development, insurance carriers have tightened their belts and the ability to provide these products has been greatly restricted in many areas.

As a small business, though, we were still experiencing the “island” syndrome. Are we the only ones having these problems? Is there something so fundamental that we are missing it? Did we have the right product mix? The market was changing rapidly, and we knew we had to stay as efficient as possible in our business practices to compete. Were there better pricing structures out there? Was there information that our counterparts were receiving that we were not?

We knew we needed more information to stay competitive with larger businesses and national chains. We needed more information about fitter certification, accreditation, and negotiating insurance contracts. We needed to stay informed about Medicare changes and requirements. Our other product lines such as maternity and nursing, compression hosiery, incontinence, and large-size bras needed to stay updated. Were we using these other product groups to their full potentials?

So much of our business had become dictated by the allowables of the insurance industry that it became imperative to include cash sale items to supplement the cash flow. Researching these products too became important for our survival. We needed to find all of this information, and disseminate and initiate it while still running a business. There are only so many hours in a day, and small business owners need to use all of them and more.

Many of our questions were answered with our membership in the Essentially Women (EW) Group Buying Organization. Finally, there was a resource for businesses such as ours in all aspects of our industry. Superior educational seminars directed specifically to us and the annual trade show have helped keep us informed of accreditation, legislation, sound business practices, and new product development.

Motivational seminars and ones highlighting retail strategies, marketing, and merchandising give businesses the opportunity to use their merchandise to their best potential. Seminars on employee relation issues are also integral in today’s business environment. Networking opportunities abound both through the annual Focus on the Future show and through constant e-mail and fax updates. We finally realized that many businesses large and small had the same issues and questions.

We shared many merchandising strategies and gleaned many more from other EW members. We have learned of interesting new product categories such as sleepwear with wicking capabilities for women experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, and foldable canes for our traveling clients that came in to purchase compression hosiery. Even small items such as Trulife’s Comfy Straps, while not a high ticket item, can make a world of difference to your client. If your bra strap was falling down all day or was leaving a ravine in your shoulder, you too would be able to appreciate this small but extremely effective product.

Innovative headwear for clients undergoing chemotherapy will be of interest to other clients now that hats are back in fashion. Maternity garments, nursing bras, and accessories are always going to be needed. Expanding into products such as Prenatal Cradle’s maternity supports and V2 vulvar supports has increased our nursing bra business.

Doctors send their clients for one of the supports and we supply them with a printed flyer that lists all our nursing products. Bellisse Compressure bras, Jovipak pads and garments, and an increased compression garment inventory have been very well received by the therapists in our community. They know that we attend Focus on the Future each year and look forward to new product information. The EW Web site also allows members to search by product/service category. This feature saves time and energy when looking to expand existing or new product groups.

As a business, staying informed and updated helps us position ourselves as an indispensable resource of information and product knowledge for the women in our area in all stages of life. Our store resource center is filled with information from manufacturers, local support groups, and national support organizations—and it is constantly changing. It has on many occasions sparked conversations and purchases of products that we would have never discussed.

There is no doubt that the women’s health industry faces many challenges now and in the future; however, it remains a satisfying and vibrant niche market filled with opportunity. The basic technique remains the same: Experienced, compassionate fitters using all their resources to make their clients feel and look their best.

Syndi E. Salat, CMF (BOC/ABC), is product manager at Positive Care in Schwartz’s Intimate Apparel, Wilmette, Ill. She can be reached via e-mail: poscare@aol.com.