HME Excellence Awards: DASCO turns ship again and again

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Like so many other HME companies, DASCO Home Medical Equipment has gone through a lot of changes in the past few years.
But there has been one constant: DASCO remains family-owned, thanks to a brother-and-sister team that continues to lead the Westerville, Ohio-based company founded by their father, Don, almost 30 years ago.  
CEO Rachel Mazur credits this family atmosphere for maintaining DASCO's success through several restructurings aimed at keeping the company competitive. Her brother, Jason Seeley, serves as president, and the two share not only executive responsibilities but also the same vision for growing the company.  
“We've been talking Medicare cuts at the Thanksgiving table since I was 12,” Mazur said.
Mazur and Seeley have never been afraid to embrace change, whether it's restructuring billing each year, or bringing referral intake under one roof to maintain high service levels.
And they're not afraid to tackle tough decisions. Soon after taking the helm, Mazur and Seeley had to decide whether to accept an insurer's contract with much lower allowable costs than a previous contract. They took the deal—when other HME companies didn't—and learned how to still make money.
Each October, Mazur and Seeley get away from the office for a deeper discussion about the company and how it can perform better in the future.
“Our ship turns—we turn it all the time,” Mazur said. “It's all about communication.”
Mazur said DASCO's 170 employees have consistently risen to the challenge as the company has added products and expanded its performance expectations.
“When we set goals, our teams hit them,” she said. “It's pride in their work. They know what they're doing is affecting the big picture.”
Despite the challenges the industry faces, Mazur remains optimistic that HME will rebound.  
“It has to stop and come back up at some point,” she said. “I believe it's our job to weather the storm and try to continue to put patients first.”