VGMA taps into state issues 

WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM & Associates played host to the leaders of nine state and regional association leaders in February to provide them with a venue to share their struggles, including Medicaid managed care and member recruitment, and see where it can help. 

The annual State Leaders Summit was attended by leaders from the Home Medical Equipment and Services Association (HOMES), the Texas Medical Equipment Providers Association (TexMEP), the Association for Tennessee Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Services (ATHOMES) and others. 

“We can look at national trends, but when it comes to state payers and regulators, they’re living it every day,” said Mike “Ike” Isaacson, senior vice president of government relations for VGM & Associates. “And because it’s a copy-cat world, if something is happening in one state, the next state is going to be looking at it. So, there’s a huge value in information sharing.” 

Leaders participated in a full day of roundtable discussions, with some led by topic experts at VGM. 

One of those experts: Shelby Graveman, director of sales and member success for VGM & Associates, who led a roundtable discussion on how VGM can help state and regional associations grow their membership base and conference attendance. 

“We’ve built things internally that we can extend to them – a process and procedure, and KPIs,” Isaacson said. "These associations are often one or two people operations. Their board members have full-time jobs. If we can support them, that’s important.” 

Action items that came out of the event include regional account managers at VGM & Associates talking up state and regional association membership and conferences; and topic experts recording short videos to provide “micro learning” on topics like online marketing tactics and employee retention, Isaacson says. 

“We want to put together some meaningful packages that they can use and also share with their members to use,” he said. “It’s a mutually beneficial relationship for us: The stronger they are, the stronger the industry is.”