Speaker Q&A: Be in charge of your destiny

PHOENIX - Health care will become even more personal over the next few years – a trend that HME providers will want to take by the horns, says Weston Hopper, vice president of strategic national accounts for McKesson Medical Surgical. 

“(Consumers) have higher expectations and (their) choices are now global,” he said. “If we want to keep health care local, it’s up to us.” 

HME News recently spoke to Hopper, who will be hosting the session, “Emerging from COVID stronger & more diversified through retail engagement,” about what HME providers have over Amazon in a more personal health care market. 

HME News: What should HME companies be emphasizing about their business model to get customers to shop with them versus larger retail websites? 

Wes Hopper: Focus on their greatest asset: their staff. When was the last time you went into a CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens or Walmart? Try asking (an associate) to show you how to use a blood pressure cuff – try even finding someone in the whole building. Or go to Amazon and ask, how do you use this thing? If (providers) train their staff to say, “Hi, welcome to our store, how are you doing?” and focus on the person that’s in front of them, they’ll never have to worry about Amazon again.  

HME: What are the larger trends in consumerism that HME companies should be paying attention to? 

Hopper: Highly intensive service industries, such as restaurants and Amazon; the impact of social media and TikTok; fully understanding what makes your business unique; and the Great Resignation. 

HME: If attendees learn one thing from your session, what should it be? 

Hopper: They are in charge of their own destiny; they have a choice. Are they throwing their arms up and saying they can’t win, or are they doubling down and saying, “I am going to crush it in my marketplace and I’m going to take advantage of all the things that are in front of me; I just have to organize myself, organize my business, and execute.”