Back in journalism school, professors posed the question: What is news? If a dog bites a man, that is not news. If a man bites a dog, we're getting warm.

As the industry endured unprecedented scrutiny from National Public Radio, the New York Times, and NBC Nightly News this past month, many HME Today readers felt stung by the negative coverage. Prior to the NBC broadcast, hopes were high that coverage of ethical providers might trump tales of Medicare fraudsters. You wanted "balance," but the hard-boiled reporter had one side to tell, and he told it.

The fact that most HME providers are ethical is not news. Among journalists, good news is "puff" or PR. For a medical trade editor, it's a different story. I love good news, and I print it every chance I get. I feed on your success, and I want others to learn from it.

As a journalist, I walk the blurry line between detached observer and advocate. However, I am only human, and it pains me—even angers me—to see the HME profession besmirched on national TV.

Fraudsters don't read medical trade magazines, because my sources rarely offer an easy road to success. It's not easy to build referrals and word-of-mouth business. It's difficult to overhaul your company and boost efficiencies while maintaining service.

In the absence of hard work, cheating can be tempting. Just ask major league baseball players who chose to ingest chemicals instead of work harder or bow out gracefully.

I also realize that it's tough to plan ahead when you're waiting around on pins and needles to see how competitive bidding shakes out. But what else can you do? As you browse this year's buyer's guide, it's hard not to think of new possibilities and new sources of revenue. Don't ignore this issue. Instead, refer back to it when inspiration strikes and browse through the new products and companies. And remember, even if you lose your print version you can always use this online buyer's guide.

As the new year chugs along, we all know that demand will only get stronger, so who says you should not be one of the providers left standing? A buyer's guide dares you to dream, and it is still OK to dream.

Greg Thompson