Gary Sheehan: Homecare Champion on 'doing the right thing'

ATLANTA - Gary Sheehan, president and CEO of Sandwich, Mass.-based Cape Medical Supply, received the 2017 Van Miller Homecare Champion Award at AAHomecare's Stand Up for Homecare event at Medtrade in October. He spoke with HME News about the importance of taking ownership in the name of advocacy.
HME News: You've been lobbying for 10 years now. Why is it important to take the time to meet with lawmakers?
Gary Sheehan: That's a part of my job; that's a part of leadership; that's a part of ownership. I never view that as an option. If you're laying people off—as some people are—how to do you look your employee in the face and tell them you've done everything you can do if you're not taking those steps?
HME: Speaking of difficult times, where do you see the HME industry headed?
Sheehan: Consolidation is likely to continue. I think you're going to continue to see larger and more sophisticated operators who marry service and technology in a way that allows them to grow a lot larger in a way that is not onerously expensive from an operational standpoint.

HME:Your parents started Cape Medical Supply in 1977. Was taking over the business a choice or a destiny?
Sheehan: It was definitely a choice. I worked here in the summer growing up, but I never thought this would be a career for me. I came back about 15 years ago. I was 24 and I had worked in sports marketing following graduation, so I came back with a marketing/sales/growth mindset. We were a small company back then—about 15 people servicing the Cape. My parents were getting a little tired, and I saw an opportunity to take a small company and grow it significantly.

HME:How did you find out you won?
Sheehan:I got an email from Tom Ryan (president and CEO of AAHomecare) while I was in the car with my wife and I gasped. I didn't know I was nominated for it or under consideration.It's validating that there are other people who think I'm doing the right thing.