Geriatric Medical hits small screen

WOBURN, Mass. - Geriatric Medical says it's time to bring online shopping from the desktop computer to the mobile device.

“Mobile phones and tablets have been around for a while and as more and more people pick up these devices, we need to accommodate them,” said Justin Racine, marketing and e-commerce manager.

The company, which distributes medical equipment and supplies to HME providers, and skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, recently revamped its website (www.geriatricmedical.com) to make it responsive, meaning that if you log on using your mobile phone, the site automatically adjusts to fit the screen size.

The website also groups products into about 227 easy-to-find categories that range from diabetes testing supplies to janitorial products, and allows users to search using terms like back pain.

“It's important to us to make sure that if a nurse is walking around the facility looking at what products she may need to order, she needs to look at in an easy-to-view format to make her job easier,” said Racine. “It's the best possible tool to help them serve patients and—the end goal we are all looking for—help patient outcomes.”

Additionally, Geriatric Medical is in the process of implementing a language feature that will translate the descriptions on the website into multiple languages, Racine said.

“People are from all sorts of backgrounds and we want to embrace that, not limit the site to someone who only speaks English,” he said. “You have to appeal to everyone.”

It's all a far cry from the days when the family-owned Geriatric Medical got its start as Bo-Peep Diaper Service in 1945, but the company, which transitioned to medical supplies in the 1970s, always strives to stay current.

“It's difficult sometimes to look down the road,” said Racine. “Mobile devices are here and they are the future.”