Direct Supply readies to ramp up presence

MILWAUKEE - Direct Supply Brands has brought its range of health care products, including respiratory products, to the HME market and has plans to bring technology solutions to bear, as well, says Nick Bush.  

Bush, director of business development at Direct Supply, spoke with HME News about the company’s long-time presence in the long-term care market and what that means for HME. 

HME News: Since Direct Supply is new to the HME market, tell us a little about the company. 

Nick Bush: From a high level, we're a health care technology company, leveraging our robust manufacturing and supply chain to bring customers the critical supplies they need, like DME and respiratory equipment, among other categories. We were founded in 1985, we're employee-owned and we have 1,300 employees based out of Milwaukee. Our bread and butter has been serving skilled nursing and assisted living, but our passion is seniors, and while we've taken a more focused approach in the past, the reality is many seniors are living in their homes, so we want to be there and make sure they're taken care of. 

HME: You called Direct Supply a health care technology company. 

Bush: Yes, we're a solutions-based company. We listen to problems and try to solve them. Out of 1,300 employees we have, hundreds are software engineers. One example, back in 1995, we built our own eProcurement system. A large national skilled nursing provider tried to buy it, and we said, "No, but we'll build you something." With their feedback, we developed the largest eProcurement platform in long term care, called DSSI, for senior living providers. It now processes billions of dollars in transactions annually. 

HME: What's the vision for how Direct Supply will serve the HME market? 

Bush: Today, we're here to leverage our robust manufacturing and supply chain, and there's definitely a need for our stability right now. We're a financially sound organization and since we're private, we’re not beholden to Wall Street. But we can couple that manufacturing with some advanced technology – whether it's asset tracking or order management or demand planning and cap ex. These are all things we do for the long-term care market today. So now we're having some high-level discussions about technology and looking at what challenges there may be and how we can tackle those with HME provider partners. 

HME: Direct Supply also recently became a corporate partner of AAHomecare and you joined the board of directors. Why was that important? 

Bush: Joining AAHomecare gives us a ton of visibility. We're extremely well known on the long-term care side for our advocacy, because of our track record of dedication and success in fighting for the resources seniors and caregivers need. We created our own PAC in 2005 that’s comprised of a large percentage of our employee partners who contribute voluntarily from their paychecks to support advocacy efforts to help make senior care a priority for policymakers. Together, we've raised more than $5 million. There is no one in the long-term care space that does it like we do.