Crispin Teufel’s get-to-know-you tour 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Crispin Teufel has spent the first 90 days as CEO of National Seating & Mobility traveling to different branches and spending time with employees in different divisions to help determine the best path forward for the company. 

Teufel was named CEO in November, replacing Chuck Bodner, CFO, who served as interim CEO. 

“I’ve really been on a mission to listen and learn from the organization,” he said. “I’ve spent time in every job function to learn what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, and what we can do better. The best thoughts often come from your own people, so I’m grateful to spend that time with them.” 

Teufel, formerly of Lincare, spoke with HME News about his first impressions about NSM and the complex rehab industry, as well as his goals as CEO of the company. 

First impressions 

“The piece that really sticks out is, (regardless) of the corner of the company it is, the enormous focus on clients and how to serve their needs. That wasn’t surprising, but maybe it was the most rewarding. From spending time with people, everyone is so focused on the client.” 

Lessons learned 

“There is some learning on how to better leverage technology and better leverage best practices of the company to drive a better work environment for our people and, in the end, our clients. More broadly in the space of CRT, there are learnings on the reimbursement side for me on how many services are provided that are not being reimbursed.” 

People first 

“I made clear (at our recent annual symposium) that the employee experience is just as important as the client experience. We want to support our people with the training and technology needed to be successful in serving our clients. It is also very important that our ATPs have an excellent support network around them to allow them to do their jobs and focus on our client’s clinical outcomes and experience.” 

Vision for future 

“The vision for 2024 is really realizing NSM360, which has gotten a refresh over the last three months, and serving our clients in an effective way across more than their wheelchair needs. The plan is to take our ancillary businesses, like home access and like our Canada division, and act as one company and focus on the client and employee experience.”