Veteran secures $15M VA contract

MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa. - When provider Ronald Carter delivers a piece of equipment to a veteran, he makes a point of shaking his client's hand and thanking them for their service.

“We tell them it's an honor to be able to bring you a raised toilet seat or a wheelchair to help you continue your quality of life after what they sacrificed for us,” said Carter, CEO of Performance Biomedical. “And we genuinely mean it.”

A United States Air Force and Army veteran himself, Carter's company was recently awarded a 5-year, $15 million contract to provide DME services to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Founded in 2010, Performance Bio offers a range of DME, including beds, lifts, wheelchairs, scooters, customized orthotics, oxygen and diabetic supplies, and services 16 healthcare facilities within a 150 to 200-mile radius.

Carter credits his success to the skills he learned in the military and modeled his approach to patient education after what the Air Force taught him. 

“They could take a country boy from West Virginia, put him to work on a multi-million dollar jet, and he could be the best mechanic there is,” said Carter. “And the reason was, they broke everything down and then they built everything back up. I tend to do that with my customers. You say, this is how the equipment is used, why they're using it and give them support.”

While the company accepts Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, Carter says the VA pays better and faster. 

“Competitive bidding is really tough and today we're researching to see how we can possibly compete in 2017,” he said.