On the frontier with MedCare's Patricia Mastandrea

GREENSBURG, Pa. - When Patricia Mastandrea first came onboard with Excela Heath System, she made note of “this little DME” division during a review of expenses vs. revenues.

“We had to decide if that was a market where we wanted to be and where did we see health care going long-term,” she said. “We decided hospital-to-home was something we wanted to continue to be a leader in.”

That little DME was MedCare and Mastandrea soon moved there as director of operations, then COO, where she has seen the company grow from one location with 20 employees to 13 locations with more than 300 employees.

The newly appointed CEO recently spoke with HME News about how MedCare has evolved to meet the changing demands of the home healthcare market over the past 20 years and her plans for the company.

HME News: You decided to stick with HME, even before the shift to home-based care was fully realized.

Patricia Mastandrea: We were on the frontier of that—seeing where it went to today. Patients and families are more aware of the benefits of being at home. In addition, there are the baby boomers and the quality of technology available to live their lives at home (has contributed to the growth in HME).

HME: You mentioned baby boomers. How have shifting demographics changed how MedCare does business?

Mastandrea: When you look at our CPAP patients, they are anywhere from 35-55. That community is young and in the workforce. We had to be nimble to meet their needs so they can still work. We have created sleep coaches to manage the patients. It's amazing the satisfaction they have when they get a smiley face on their equipment when they do a good job. They also appreciate the outreach call (when they need help).

HME: What are some of your short-term goals as CEO?

Mastandrea: We want to continue to work with our referral sources on what the new equipment needs are, what the true acquisition cost is and what the reasonable expectations on reimbursement are. We need to communicate to them what is needed to expedite the patient from hospital to home and how to get that equipment to them.

HME: Has being part of a larger health system contributed to MedCare's success?

Mastandrea: Absolutely. Our partnership is such that we have to work for the referral—we don't just expect it, but we have the same mission and vision. We are all working for the good of the patient.