Education reflects new era, new normal

ATLANTA - The new era of HME is certainly reflected in the tone of Medtrade 2014's educational sessions, with a variety of tracks dedicated to niche markets, retail opportunities and other topics covering the “new normal,” education advisory board (EAB) members say.

To keep HME providers abreast of the latest trends, programmers are including new seminar ideas while bringing back a popular favorite in a new format. The goal, they say, is to avoid the staid and superficial, while concentrating on what will be relevant today and over the next decade.

“We recognize the transformation that the industry is going through and that the business model of seven years ago is no longer relevant in today's environment,” said board member Jeff Baird. “We also recognize that the business model seven years from now will look much different than the business model of today. The EAB knows that the single most important place that suppliers can gain education is at Medtrade and it costs money and time to send employees to the show. For that reason, the EAB is adamant that the education programs be substantive and practical; we will not tolerate 'fluff.'”

With these concepts in mind, the EAB spent many hours debating which topics are most important to the provider sector, said Baird.

'Power' trip

The popular Power Lunch will return with a new format that streamlines the noontime learning into one easily digestible program.

“Attendees still have a choice of which topic they want to hear about, but what we found in the past is that they usually attend one and then leave,” said Mary Ellen Conway. “So take your pick of one session and learn while you have lunch.”