Ryan French has knack

When Ryan French first started working at Jim's Pharmacy & Home Health two-and-a-half years ago, the provider was still using a phone message book to jot down customer special orders.

“It was a very impractical solution and I immediately said, 'Let's use an Excel workbook we can all access over our network,'” said French, who had never worked in the industry before. “I've definitely pushed adopting technology for more things.”

French, home health director for the Port Angeles, Wash.-based provider, was recently named a Brightree Ambassador for his involvement and contributions to the Brightree Online Community, where he has started more than 900 conversations. He spoke with HME News recently about the value of peer support.

HME News:Have you always had a knack for tech?

Ryan French:I've always kind of had that ability to use a program and figure out how it works and why it works, and then expand on that to figure out how I want to use it, whether that's Excel or Brightree Software.

HME:How do you use the online support community?

French:I have not been working in this industry for very long, so in addition to helping people with questions that maybe support can't answer or maybe trying to troubleshoot issues with the program, my use of the community has been asking other people what do you do and then turning around and being able to communicate that to other newer users.

HME:Do you find that engaging in peer conversations is helpful?

French:I've found it to be much more valuable than calling a support line. Oftentimes from support, you get an answer that is specific to using the program in a vacuum; whereas when you communicate with your peers, you learn how people are using it day to day.

HME:Does the HME industry have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to using technology?

French:I don't know that you can get so far behind the curve that you can't catch up, but you have to have the right people in charge of adopting it, to make sure they are not just adopting something that is flashy but actually getting a substantive use out of it.