UroMed's exit creates void, especially for Medicaid patients

SUWANEE, Ga. - Providers say they've been fielding calls from patients scrambling to find a new source for urology and other supplies in the aftermath of UroMed's announcement that it will close on July 8.

“We're getting multiple calls a day from customers that have no idea what to do or where to go,” said Chris Malcolm, president of First Source Catheters in Cumming, Ga., and a former employee of UroMed. “They are not being led in any direction one way or the other.”

In its June 4 letter to customers, UroMed stated, “The customer service team will be available to work with you regarding customer transition.”

Also, in a subsequent email to HME News, Cardinal Health, the parent company of UroMed, as well as Edgepark Medical, stated: “Edgepark is working diligently to ensure a seamless transition of care to a provider of each customer's choice.”

The disconnect may be the result of Edgepark and UroMed focusing on different payers, providers say.

“I know Edgepark is well-contracted among the managed care organizations,” said Gayle Devin, CEO of Minneapolis-based ActivStyle. “My understanding is they don't deal with a lot of the fee-for-service for the traditional Medicaid plans (like UroMed).”

Provider Bert Burns says he's heard from UroMed customers, too, including Medicaid recipients in Texas, Maryland and Georgia.

'We'll take care of all of them that can come on,” said Burns, co-owner of UroStat Healthcare in Buford, Ga.

For Burns, who founded UroMed in 1996 with Malcolm, the news of UroMed's demise is bittersweet.

“When I sold it, we had 120 employees and 7,000 customers,” he said. “It was a thriving business. I'm not sure what went down.”

Cardinal called the decision to close UroMed “difficult.”

“Since acquiring the business in 2014, many customers decided to transition their service to Edgepark and continuing to operate the businesses as separate entities compromised our primary goal of delivering a consistent and excellent customer experience,” the email read.