Provider of the Year: Bellevue Healthcare 'packs a lot of punch'

BELLEVUE, Wash. – The last three years have been chock-full of logistical, fiscal and emotional challenges for HME providers, but if it wasn’t for the pandemic, this year’s HME Provider of the Year, Bellevue Healthcare, might never have applied. 

“I think we realized that we went through something big and we came out of it stronger,” said Bryce Schaffner, executive vice president, business development. “We realized that if we can make so many changes in a two-and-a half-month period, and our people can weather that and adapt, we realized we can probably make it through anything in our industry. We're not the biggest provider out there, but we're really strong and pack a lot of punch for our size.” 

Locally owned and operated since 2000, Bellevue Healthcare provides a full line of HME across 23 retail locations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. 

The judges were especially impressed with Bellevue’s double-digit improvement in EBITDA from 2020 to 2021, its investment in leadership training, commitment to patient satisfaction, and use of technology as part of the delivery process. 

“I think that’s really what sets us apart, the accessibility to Bellevue Healthcare,” said Schaffner. “Whether it's complex rehab, respiratory equipment, end-of-life hospice care or you just want to come in and buy a reacher—we do all of those things—same day, online, via phone or deliver as needed.” 

But what Schaffner is most proud of are the company’s mission statement and core values: honesty, integrity and reliability, which greatly impact patient satisfaction, and those numbers don’t lie. 

“We did highlight our customer/referral satisfaction scores and the process we have of assessing that amongst our directly contracted customers," said Schaffner. "You need some data to back up what you say you’re going to do and ultimately what you do. I think that’s what sticks out as a highlight for me.” 

Bellevue’s long-term goal is to be as strong as possible in terms of what they do, in the areas they serve, says Schaffner, and those areas are expanding. 
“I tell our people every day that we're really just getting started,” he said. “I think that Bellevue healthcare is still growing here and we have some other locations we’ll be adding in the near future.”