Sunset Healthcare maximizes position as partner 

CHICAGO – Sunset Healthcare Solutions, which is celebrating its 20th year, is not the same company it used to be, in part because it has stayed true to the mantra of always letting its HME customers steer its offerings and direction, says P.J. Ruflin. 

When it was launched in 2004 by Greg Wood and CEO Chris Slosar, the company offered CPAP filters and tubing, but over the years it has expanded into CPAP masks, chinstraps, oxygen cannulas and other respiratory devices and accessories. 

“Our reps have a system for getting feedback from customers and providing it to our ops and business development teams,” said Ruflin, vice president of business development, who has worked for the company for 16 years. “Those teams are looking at, what did the customer ask for and what can we do, and trying to answer, is this going to be impactful for our customer base overall? We build our product portfolio based on their needs.” 

In 2020, Sunset Healthcare launched its Acute Care Division, securing GPO contracts with Vizient, Premier, Capstone and Acurity, and added numerous products to its portfolio, including resuscitation devices. 

Even as it diversifies into acute care, Sunset Healthcare still has its HME customers top of mind, Ruflin says. 

“The benefit to them is a consistency in the level of care,” he said. “If a patient moves from acute care to post-acute care, and they’re able to use our supplies in both settings, that’s of genuine relevance to them. And now we have that insight into what’s going on with acute care and how that will impact where things are going in home care.” 

Sunset Healthcare has also extended its support for its HME customers beyond products by prioritizing partnerships with AAHomecare, VGM & Associates and other industry organizations, and by attending Medtrade, the HME News Business Summit and other industry events, Ruflin says. 

“We’re not just sitting in the background,” he said. 

This overall strategy has led to significant growth for Sunset Healthcare over the years, Ruflin says. 

“It’s just disposables, but we’re excited to talk about it, and we’re excited to get a small order, so we can provide that service level that people didn’t know existed,” he said. “Looking at where we were 20 years ago, so much has changed, but not that focus. In the next 20 years, we’ll continue to do that – to position ourselves as a valuable partner.”