Upstate HomeCare embraces e-commerce

CLINTON, N.Y. - Upstate HomeCare is taking its CPAP business online, thanks to a new partnership with HealthSqyre, an e-commerce marketplace for CPAP equipment and supplies.

The provider, which also offers DME, respiratory, pharmacy and infusion services, is now HealthSqyre's preferred provider of CPAP machines, supplies and accessories in New York state.

“CPAP is a large part of our respiratory business and we want to reach more customers in a way that is scalable,” said Gregory LoPresti, senior vice president and CEO. “HealthSqyre fits that bill. They know how to do e-commerce. We know the space and the product. This puts us in touch with a much larger market share then we would have just in our own geography.”

Case in point: Upstate HomeCare recently sold a travel CPAP device to a U.S. airman stationed in South Korea.

What makes partnering with the Denver-based HealthSqyre especially attractive for Upstate HomeCare: The marketplace allows customers to compare product pricing using their insurance information to decide whether it makes more sense to use that insurance—which gets billed through Upstate—or pay cash, said LoPresti.

“They know what the out-of-pocket will be before they are even connected to us,” he said.

As consumers turn more and more toward online buying, that's a place Upstate Homecare, which was founded in 1985, wants to be. Eventually, it will have its own “storefront” on www.healthsqyre.com, says LoPresti.

“We live in a time where everyone has bought something from Amazon at least once, and we know Amazon is looking to get into the DME space,” he said. “It's all lining up to be more of an e-commerce driven business.”