New Remedy for providers

WESTMINSTER, Md. - Although his recent acquisition of Smart Remedies gives him a national platform, provider Randall Weston says he's still a small provider.

“We are a small provider and we want to reach out to the small providers and engage them to work with us across the country,” said Weston, CEO of Mobility Rehab Products. “If we can somehow form an alliance and help smaller providers get back the business they lost, we can also bring them other opportunities in their market.”

At the top of Weston's priorities: reaching out to existing and potential subcontractors. With its April acquisition of Smart Remedies, Mobility Rehab also acquired dozens of contracts as part of Round 2 of competitive bidding, including beds (79), wheelchairs (74) and walkers (50).

Weston acknowledges that there have been problems with subcontracting, not just with Smart Remedies but with providers across the program.

“The problem with the initial subcontracting idea was (nobody) knew how it was going to work—the protocols, the agreements and who was responsible for what,” he said. “We are peeling back the onion. You've got to sit around a table and say, 'What do you expect and can it be done?'”

Although Smart Remedies will be folded into Mobility Rehab, it will retain its name. Weston wants to reintroduce Smart Remedies as a provider of high quality equipment and services, he says.

“We want to have licensed professional therapists assessing need and determining the most appropriate equipment,” said Weston. “That provides a better end result for the patient.”

Wetson, himself an OT, bought Mobility Rehab in 2006. The company provides durable medical equipment throughout the Southeast Atlantic region. Watson's healthcare portfolio includes home care, hospice, pharmacy and a lab. Buying Smart Remedies closes the senior care loop, he says, because it allows therapists to work more closely with DME.

“We want to work to get the right bed or the right wheelchair to the right person,” said Weston.