New hub ‘builds back’ CRT at Medtrade

DALLAS – Medtrade in February will feature a new hub for complex rehab technology called CRT Live, giving exhibitors and attendees a dedicated area on the show floor to check out products and get educated.  

“We’re working on getting the complex rehab side (of the show) back up in full force,” said Alexis Ward, senior director of payer relations for AAHomecare and a member of the Educational Advisory Board for Medtrade. “We want to build it back up for everyone, not just the standard HME side.” 

In its first year, Ward envisions CRT Live will have “a good handful” of exhibitors, including Rifton, which was the first manufacturer to sign on to the idea.  

While the amount of innovation in the CRT space means showcasing products will be a major focal point of CRT Live, it will also give exhibitors “a community space” to hold one-on-one meetings and conduct “mini presentations” on issues like reimbursement, Ward says. 

“The strive in innovation and usage in CRT in the past 10 years has been huge, but we are still struggling to get payers across the board to recognize the importance of these types of products,” she said. 

Rifton sees its early support of CRT Live as a way to not only put the company “at the tip of the spear on addressing the needs clinicians have,” says Derek Meier, but also position itself and the CRT space as part of the industry’s larger conversations. 

“You’re only part of the conversation if you’re at the table and I think Medtrade is a powerful way to do that,” said Meier, government affairs director for Rifton. 

Ultimately, CRT Live will make the booths of CRT manufacturers a destination instead of a coincidence, Meier says. 

“One of the frustrations on the show floor this past year was having all the CRT exhibitors spread out,” he said. “We had an attendee who came by the Rifton booth remark that they were surprised we were there. We want to make it so that when you come to Medtrade to see CRT products, you’re not surprised.”