Better to swim with the sharks

It's a chilly today, here in Las Vegas, but here's hoping things warm up with the official start of Medtrade Spring '17 this morning.

I actually flew into Vegas on Saturday. I figured if I had to spend a whole day crammed onto a plane, anyway, I might as well take an extra today to enjoy some sun and relative warmth—two things that are often in limited supply in our neck of the woods.

On Sunday morning, before all the vacationing families could descend on the Shark Reef Aquarium (it's just past the food court, which is just past registration for the show), I bought a ticket and headed in. While the aquarium was small by East Coast standards, it was oddly peaceful to wander around in cool dark rooms in the middle of *arid Nevada looking at sharks and other predatory sea creatures.

We've all heard the old adage, “swimming with the sharks,” which means to swim in uncharted, often dangerous waters. Well, that's what HME providers often need to do these days to survive. They are dipping their toes into new markets or adding new products and services. That's ostensibly why they are here.

During a session today led by Sarah Hanna on success stories, one audience member shared how he added companion services: that segment of his business is on track to surpass the DME portion next year.

Other means to survive include knowing when to walk away from something—a payer, a service—that just isn't working any more. We get it. Change is scary.

But if you are here, you are looking for new ideas and opportunities. You are looking for change, either ready to embrace it full force or get dragged toward it kicking and screaming.
I mean, what's the other option? Better to swim with the sharks then sleep with the fishes.

Stop by the HME News booth at 606 and let us know what you hope to get out of this year's show (warning: I take names and notes).

*Fun fact: 90% of the facility's water is recycled monthly, resulting in an estimated 2.1 million gallons of reclaimed water each year.