Countdown to Medtrade

MILFORD, Mass. - Invacare Supply Group (ISG) will be giving two of its cash-boosting programs for HME providers a freshening up just in time for Medtrade.

ISG has been building websites with e-commerce capabilities for providers since early 2010, but it will have a new enterprise platform with added features by Medtrade, Oct. 24-27, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. One of those features: A control panel that allows providers to make changes on the fly.

"They can change the content and the pricing," said Gary Tobey, director of e-commerce sales for ISG. "They can also create marketing programs, like a rewards program. It's just packed with features that, although they may not use them right away, they can grow into them."

So far, ISG has created websites for 35 healthcare providers--everyone from HME providers to nursing homes to hospitals. The websites, which Tobey says can add "thousands of dollars a month to your bottom line," have a one-time setup fee, an annual license fee and a monthly maintenance fee.

"We're not a software company," Tobey said. "We're a distributor and we want people to distribute our products, so the fees are competitively priced. Sometimes they're waived."

ISG will also debut at Medtrade new and improved self-service kiosks that providers can purchase and place in their stores or other locations. The kiosks, which allow users to place an order for ISG products, now have extras like touch screens, keyboards with credit card swipe and 35-inch monitors to draw traffic.

"It can go anywhere where there's Internet access," Tobey said.

So far, ISG has two kiosks out in the field. The kiosks have a one-time setup fee (whether it's for one kiosk or 10) and a monthly maintenance fee.

The websites and kiosks are both geared toward helping providers get a firmer footing in cash sales.

"With competitive bidding, our customers are looking at ways to drive more cash business, and our websites and kiosks, along with our custom catalogues, are perfect vehicles for doing that," Tobey said.