Miller's: 'All in' on social media

AKRON, Ohio - Miller's, a runner-up for this year's HME Excellence Awards, has taken full advantage of the various media platforms that are available to spread its message to the public, referral sources and patients.

By using technology to keep in close contact with everyone the company serves, owner Johnny Miller says it has given him a greater context on the provider's role in the healthcare continuum.

“We had been slow to adopt, but once we went in, we went all in,” he said. “We wanted to do a better job getting from clients and referral partners what they want and what we could do to improve. Some of the feedback isn't easy to hear, but we use it to better ourselves.”

Miller's has a diverse business mix, but a strong concentration on complex rehab. Because many rehab patients start as children, having clear channels of communication is especially beneficial for them, Miller said.

“We have patients who have been with us for a very long time, starting as kids and still with us for 20 or 30 years, so that's important,” he said. “We want our clients and referrals to see us as an educational resource on disease states and equipment, so to that extent, that will help us develop trust and relationships with those folks.”

Besides informational purposes, Miller's also uses social media sites like Facebook for product promotion. Yet the products featured are not commodities, but “products that make sense, such as complex rehab, home accessibility and CPAP,” he said.

Despite the intense focus on Facebook and Twitter, Miller admits, “We're still newbies at it, with only about 500 followers on those sites…so it's not a lot yet.”

Even so, efforts to improve Miller's online footprint using Google reviews “has helped set our brand for the public who is searching for a provider, but is new to the area and doesn't know us,” he said.