Sky's the limit for Mediware

LENEXA, Kan. - Mediware, a major provider of software solutions to HME providers, announced last week that it has changed its name to WellSky to better reflect its increasingly diverse product portfolio.

The company, known as Mediware for 30 years, has grown organically and through acquisitions, to the point where it now comprises more than 30 brands serving not only HME providers, but also blood banks, home health and hospice agencies, rehab facilities and more.

“As pressure mounts from reimbursement challenges, the Silver Tsunami and other factors, the marketplace requires a more comprehensive set of solutions, and because more demands are being placed on them, our clients are asking for a more comprehensive set of solutions,” said Bill Miller, CEO. “We have the momentum in the market to become the company that has the intelligent care management platform.”

Specifically on the HME side, Mediware has acquired companies like Fastrack and Definitive Homecare Solutions, also known by the name of its flagship product, CPR+, helping to significantly consolidate the software offerings in the industry.

While Mediware has been integrating the companies that it has acquired—in 2015, for example, it launched CareTend as a single platform for its homecare providers—the new name is the “last step” to notify the market that it's “one company, one brand,” Miller says.

“Externally, there can be confusion in the market on who you are and internally, there can be some tribalism,” he said. “Both prevent you from scaling up.”

Changes under WellSky range from a singular support line starting Feb. 1 to a $50 million investment in research and development, Miller says.

“We'll be investing in a number of areas, but what you'll hear about most is our efforts to continually lead data-driven care and analytics,” he said. “That drives down costs and drives up patient satisfaction, and that is job No. 1.”