No CAMPing

I just got back from the CAMP meeting at the Morongo Casino outside of Palm Springs.  The CAMP folks tried hard and the meeting was well organized, but very low attendance.  The exhibitors were bummed at spending a fair amount of money with not much possibility of a return on that investment.

Maybe all these kind of trade shows are doomed.  I attribute a lot of this to the avaiability of information on the Internet, plus the doom and gloom in this industry.

 There were lots of accreditation folks there, eyeing each other, and wondering when the “tidal wave” of applications was going to happen.

The big rumor at the end of the show was that CMS was going to announce that all competitive bidders must be in the accreditation process by the end of May and accredited by October.  I can’t find any corroboration for this.

I think casinos stink, literally from the smoke, and just as a bad vibe.  It seems  like every gambler is issued a cheap cigar when they come through the door.  Also the folks cashing their Social Security checks so they can play the slots is a real downer.

I got a good deal on a room in a resort in La Quinta, which was quite a pleasant contrast to the casino. 

So eight hours of driving each way, 3 leads, and free nachos at the pool party.  Laissez le bon temp rouler!

DME: Whither or wither?

I have entered a strange new world called DME or Durable Medical Equipment and I feel like Robert Heinleins book “Stranger in a Strange Land”.  DME companies supply equipment and services to people in their homes.  Medicare (CMS) believes that not only is there fraud and abuse but there are also a lot of haphazardly run companies in this field.  We once did  a telemarketing blitz in Southern California from Medicare’s list of providers and found that at least 25% of the phone numbers listed were disconnected so I think they are on to something.

So now CMS is requiring all of these companies to get accredited (a good idea) and to participate in competitive bidding (not so much of a good idea).  This is causing great turmoil, consternation, hand wringing, whining, and general angst in the industry.

So the question is which title fits; whither goest DME? or DME withers on the vine.  I think it has a chance to reinvent itself with a smaller number of higher quality providers.  According to HME News there are approximately 114,000 suppliers that bill CMS.  107,000 bill less than $300,000 per year.  So we could lose 50,000 and probably not even notice the difference.  The survivors will get more business and deliver higher quality because they are accredited.

Tune in next week for the reason that providers need Helpers.