Laura Berry raises her voice

SEATTLE – Laura Berry says her experience heading up a medical supply company brings a broader view to the Pacific Association for Medical Equipment Services. Berry, CEO of Soundview Medical Supply based here, was named president of PAMES in July. Here’s what she had to say about how she plans to avoid a “micro focus” at the association. 

HME News: What do you bring to the table as the president of PAMES? 

Laura Berry: In the past, the micro focus has been on oxygen, but Soundview Medical Supply doesn’t do oxygen, so I felt like a lot of the issues surrounding our area of medical supplies were not being looked at. I want to bring our voice in, but I also want to open things up so everyone’s learning from all of the different suppliers. That’s a big responsibility of mine. 

HME: What do you see as the top issue for providers, regardless of their focus? 

Berry: I think issues around Medicaid and how Medicaid is working with managed care organizations affect everyone. It appears that Medicaid officials might not always be aware of the problems with MCOs and, in some cases, they might not be interested. That’s why it’s important to make sure we make our voices known and let Medicaid officials know how it affects their constituents. 

HME: How do you hope to build a stronger association during your tenure? 

Berry: PAMES has gone through some trials, but the leadership prior to me did a great job getting it into a better spot. I hope to continue the work they’ve done to build a better membership base and make the association more financially sound. I want to better answer the question, what’s the value in being a member of the association? 

HME: With state issues more of a focus, it would seem that participation in state and regional associations would be increasing? 

Berry: It’s kind of tricky. The more financially pinched suppliers are, the more they need our services, but they’re less likely to join. 

HME: Why have you made involvement in PAMES a priority? 

Berry: I started Soundview Medical Supply closing in on 20 years ago and after spending a lot of the early years building it up, I was ready to start working with the industry more as a whole. We’ve been a member of PAMES for years, but I wanted to be more active. I’m also the vice chair of the Medical Supplies Council at AAHomecare. That’s been very helpful, as well, because there are synergies between regional and national associations.