Tag: Graham-Field health products
Mobility providers 'co-exist' with bid program
June 21, 2016John Andrews
Mobility providers have had more than their share of fiscal challenges in the marketplace with competitive bidding and stringent reimbursement qualifications. Yet opportunities still exist for manual and scooters for providers with the right business plan, mobility specialists say.
No doubt, the market has had the formidable task of adjusting to competitive bidding, which Lawrence de la Haba, senior vice president of business development for Atlanta-based Graham-Field Health Products, calls “a...
Divergent paths for wheelchairs, scooters
December 23, 2014John Andrews
The future of mobility equipment lies with wheelchairs and scooters and, based on their current situations, it could end up going in different directions, manufacturers say.Manual wheelchairs face a stiff uphill climb going forward as Medicare competitive bidding has winnowed down the number of sanctioned providers and those still furnishing chairs for the program are scrambling to find ultra-low cost products for patients. Conversely, scooters appear to be an attractive retail business for mobility...
Mobility market puts premium on cash, style
December 20, 2013John Andrews
In just a few short years, mobility has begun transforming itself from a largely reimbursement-dependent product category into a market that is predominantly retail. Due to restricted Medicare eligibility requirements and lower fee schedule amounts, the HME industry is poised to make wheelchairs and scooters into thoroughly commercial and profitable product lines, manufacturers say.“As the reins tighten on Medicare reimbursement, scooters as a retail product become more and more a necessity...
Bidding redirects wheelchair market
July 24, 2013John Andrews
As it has with several other HME categories, it appears that competitive bidding is causing mobility providers to re-think and re-engineer wheelchair sales. For bid winners, wheelchair provision is, for all intents and purposes, a nonprofit venture. Those excluded from Medicare are seeking opportunities in the commercial realm, mobility manufacturers say.Either way, competitive bidding is permanently altering a category that has long been the mainstay of the HME business.“If a provider won...
New tagline: 'Made in USA'
August 24, 2012John Andrews
Medtrade exhibitors that sport the “Made in the USA” label hope that promoting American-made products will translate into more interest, and ultimately, more business from show attendees.In an era that has seen thousands of jobs leave the United States for China and elsewhere as manufacturers seek cheaper labor, the companies that have kept production stateside are touting their domestic operations as a competitiveadvantage.“We do the basic research, design and engineering, and...