In brief: Packer retires, Drive Devilbiss celebrates, Quality Biomedical expands

WATERLOO, Iowa – Greg Packer, president of U.S. Rehab, a division of VGM & Associates, will retire at the end of 2023. 

Packer will maintain his relationship with VGM on a consulting basis through at least 2024 and will maintain his position as the current president of NCART. 

"We are deeply grateful for Greg's years of service, unwavering commitment, and exceptional contributions to U.S. Rehab," said Jeremy Stolz, president, VGM & Associates and VGM Fulfillment. "His expertise, leadership and dedication have left an indelible mark on the complex rehab industry. While his departure is a significant milestone for us, we wish Greg a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement." 

Packer joined VGM in 2009 and has been an integral part of U.S. Rehab, contributing significantly to the growth and success of the complex rehab industry. His commitment to serving the various needs of CRT providers in the community was reflected through the many projects, services and tools he spearheaded during his tenure at U.S. Rehab, including the development of the Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA) outcomes program. 

Tyler Mahncke, current vice president of U.S. Rehab, will lead the organization starting Jan. 1, 2024. 

Packer also served on various industry boards, including NCART, and attended countless industry events, legislative meetings and more to advocate on behalf of the complex rehab industry and end users. Packer came to U.S. Rehab and VGM with a background in sales management for Pride Mobility Products Corp. and Biocore Medical Technologies, Inc., providing him with an understanding of both the sales and product areas of rehabilitation technology. 

He also served three terms in the Kansas House of Representatives and brought an insightful perspective on the regulatory and governmental issues facing the rehab/HME industries. A graduate of Iowa State University, Greg received his master's degree from Baker University. 

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare celebrates 135 years 

SOMERSET, Pa. – Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare is commemorating 135 years of respiratory excellence with a free virtual event, “The Future of Home Respiratory Care,” on Nov. 15. 

Dr. Allen DeVilbiss, a Civil War veteran who invented the first atomizer for medical use, founded the company formerly known as DeVilbiss Healthcare in 1888 to deliver innovative and reliable medical equipment and health care solutions. His vision was advanced in July 2015, when the company merged with Drive Medical, a leading worldwide manufacturer of durable medical equipment with headquarters in Port Washington, NY. 

"We are immensely proud to celebrate 135 years of service and innovation,” said CEO Derek Lampert. “Throughout our rich history, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare has remained committed to delivering innovative and reliable healthcare solutions, making a positive impact on countless lives." 

DeVilbiss’ Somerset, Pa., facility has remained a primary site of respiratory production for the company, providing products to more than 100 countries and manufacturing widely recognized products, including stationary oxygen concentrators, the iFill oxygen cylinder filling system, and the iGo2 Portable Oxygen System with SmartDose Auto-Adjusting Conserver Technology. The location played a vital role during the coronavirus pandemic by dramatically increasing production capacity to meet the high demand for oxygen concentrators and other respiratory equipment. 

In the webinar and Q&A, keynote speaker and Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Senior Vice President Joseph Lewarski, MHA, RRT, FAARC, will trace the history of the respiratory field to help today’s providers better understand pressing challenges now facing the field, including the changing image and value proposition of home respiratory care organizations and current legal and regulatory challenges. Registration is free and open to the public at drivemedical.com/future. 

Rehab Medical expands along East Coast 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Rehab Medical has opened an office in Charlotte, N.C., its first in the state. The company now has 31 locations in 18 states. Katie Slusarski, a certified ATP who previously served mobility users in Georgia and Indianapolis for the past five years, will lead the new office. She is joined by another ATP and seven additional staff members. “Our growth program involves rewarding successful individuals with opportunities to advance their career by accepting a managerial role and leading a new office of their choice,” said Keith Hawkins, vice president of sales. “As a company, we are extremely happy and proud of Katie for accepting this opportunity and helping us to further our mission of improving lives.” This is Rehab Medical’s fourth territory expansion as part of its organic growth program, following new offices in Cleveland, Baton Rouge, and Augusta, Ga. This program was developed in early 2022 to help the company expand into more territories seamlessly while providing its employees with better career growth opportunities. Later this month, the company will be announcing another office opening as part of that program.  

Quality Biomedical expands to meet demand 

BOULDER, Colo. - Quality Biomedical is expanding into larger facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to meet the growing demand for its services. “Texas has always been a strategic market for us,” said Jim Worrell, chief commercial officer. “We have experienced considerable growth in Texas and the surrounding states, necessitating the need for much larger facilities. Our new 20,000 square-foot service center allows us to provide enhanced levels of service to our customers in this region.” The new Texas facility, one of eight service centers the company operates across the United States, incorporates Lean Manufacturing and 6S standards as the company prepares for ISO-13485 certification. “Along with the larger facility, we have doubled our logistics capacity in the region, providing more frequent pickup and delivery services to meet the needs of our valued customers,” said Worrell. Quality Biomedical is a Factory Authorized Service Center (FASC) for most of the major respiratory OEMs in the market. Their 170 employees support more than 3,000 HME and post-acute care locations nationwide. 

Registration opens for NHIA 2024 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Registration is now open for the National Home Infusion Association’s 2024 annual Conference to be held March 23-27, 2024, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. NHIA 2024 will feature four days of educational content on topics selected for their relevance by industry-leading experts and draw from more than 120 industry submissions on the most current practices and challenges. “Each year, NHIA looks for ways to evolve the conference by bringing in fresh ideas while also maintaining the high-quality education and intimate atmosphere attendees appreciate,” said Connie Sullivan, president and CEO. “Among other changes this year, we are adding interactive workshops, as well as repositioning the ever-popular roundtables, moving them earlier in the schedule to facilitate opportunities for individuals to connect, network, and share ideas.” NHIA 2024 offers more than 40 hours of CE for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses and dietitians, as well as networking opportunities strategically placed throughout each day. Three keynote sessions offer powerful takeaways related to personal and professional success; a high-level industry outlook; and essential knowledge and tools to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. Companies can learn more about exhibiting at or attending NHIA’s 2024 Annual Conference, by visiting conference.nhia.org. 

Best Buy Health, Mass General Brigham partner on home care model 

MINNEAPOLIS & BOSTON – Best Buy Health and Mass General Brigham are collaborating to support a new model of healthcare delivery that serves at home. This technology-enabled clinical delivery model will expand access to Massachusetts residents choosing to receive acute-level hospital care in the comfort of their home. This collaboration will also help address one of the biggest challenges the healthcare industry faces today — workforce shortages. “More people than ever before are comfortable with the idea of receiving care in their homes, but we know that bringing care across that threshold isn’t as easy as it sounds,” says Deborah Di Sanzo, president of Best Buy Health. “Together, Best Buy Health and Mass General Brigham will create long lasting solutions that will support the rapid growth of the care at home market and all of those who play key roles in delivering quality care in the home to patients who need and deserve it.” Together, Best Buy Health and Mass General Brigham will develop customized systems and capabilities to enhance the experience for patients receiving Home Hospital care as well as for the multi-dimensional care team that provides it. In addition to developing new solutions, Mass General Brigham will leverage Best Buy Health’s existing technology and support services, including: 

Current Health, the company’s care at home platform, which connects patients to nurses, paramedics, advanced practitioners and physicians 

Services that enable better coordination of how home-based care is delivered and logistics management to support the patient’s broad care team 

Lively Mobile Plus, their personal emergency response system (PERS) device which can detect falls and enable patients to contact an Urgent Response Agent.