HME News Business Summit

Keynote Speaker –
Under control: A population management approach to post-acute care

Cleveland Clinic is one of the pre-eminent hospitals in the country. How should it respond to increasing pressure to "control" lives outside of its four walls? Cleveland Clinic has put Don Carroll in charge of its Center for Connected Care, which houses all of its home and transitional care services, to find out. Carroll has already built out a specialty pharmacy division for Cleveland Clinic and managed a 19-store pharmacy chain for the hospital. Hear how he plans to reshape how Cleveland Clinic is tackling one of its biggest challenges yet: becoming not only a provider of specialty referral-based services, but also a manager of population health.

Speaker:
Don Carroll, associate chief for the Center for Connected Care and associate chief pharmacy officer for Specialty and Ambulatory Pharmacy at Cleveland Clinic

The status of the Affordable Care Act: Replace, repair or tinker?

Health economist Mark Votruba gives us the latest developments on the rollercoaster ride that is the Affordable Care Act. After failing to take a vote in March, the House of Representatives in May passed a second version of the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace the ACA. What's the current status of the ACA, especially the exchanges? Are things getting worse or stabilizing? What are the current alternative policy proposals for replacing the ACA? What are the economic implications of those proposals? Votruba gives us the big-picture outlook.

Speaker:
Mark Votruba, PhD, associate professor with positions in the Economics Department in the Weatherhead School of Management and in the Center for Healthcare Research and Policy at Case Western Reserve University

Manufacturer-provider relationships: Rules of engagement amid shifting business models

Last year, a number of supplies manufacturers bought providers in anticipation of these products being added to the competitive bidding lineup. CMS no longer has immediate plans to make supplies part of the bid program, but the aftershocks remain. Then there’s Inogen, which has been negotiating the fine line between manufacturer and provider for years. What are the macro-economic factors that are forcing manufacturers to rethink their business models? Most importantly, what does all of this mean for providers? How do they mitigate the risks of manufacturers shifting their business models? These panelists brainstorm ideas on how to make it work for everyone in the mix.

Moderator:
Lisa Wells, vice president of marketing, Cure Medical

Panelists:
Doug Harper, president, NDC Home Care
John Anderson, CEO, Cure Medical
Scott Wilkinson, CEO, Inogen

Provider-customer relationships: Rules of engagement amid shifting business models

Manufacturers aren’t the only ones rethinking their business models. HME providers are, too. For Persante Health Care, that has meant moving to a drop-ship delivery program for CPAP patients, who tend to be younger and more tech-savvy. For Home Oxygen Co., moving billing operations to the Philippines, where workers can be hired at a 5:1 savings ratio. For Medical Service Company, moving to a business model that recognizes Medicare beneficiaries as shoppers. What are the factors that are forcing providers to rethink their business models? What does all of this mean for their customers? How do providers balance a healthy bottom line with quality care and customer satisfaction?

Moderator:
Sarah Hanna, president, ECS North

Panelists:
Joseph LaPorta, president, CEO and board director, Persante Health Care
Todd Usher, co-founder, Home Oxygen Company
Josh Marx, vice president, business development, Medical Service Company

Investors go small to go big

With greater competition from strategic buyers, private equity investors have turned their eyes to smaller transactions in the plus/minus $10 million range, a move that puts HME companies very much into play. Hear from PE investors that have been involved in HME-related deals in the past and have continued interest in the market. What’s the appeal of HME? What’s their take on the market? How have investors taken their companies to the next level: are they earning an appropriate return on invested capital, and are they gaining market share? What’s their exit strategy? Don’t miss this exclusive session.

Moderator:
Jonathan Sadock, managing partner, Paragon Ventures

Panelists:
Zach Wooldridge, co-founder, ElmCreek Partners
Luke McGee, principal, Quadrant
Joe Merrill, partner, Rockwood Equity Partners

Their stance on home care: The private market and the Medicare paradigm

Now that Medicare has rolled out competitive bidding pricing nationwide, all eyes are on private payers and insurers. The immediate question: How many of them will follow Medicare's lead and reduce reimbursement? But on a higher level, what's their stance on home care? How are they looking at value-based vs. fee for service care, disease management and other large trends in health care, and where do they see home care fitting into these trends? What's driving their decisions in these areas? AAHomecare’s Laura Williard will ask panelists these questions and more.

Moderator:
Laura Williard, senior director of payer relations, AAHomecare

Automation and integration: The AI of the HME industry

In an environment where labor cost management must be a top priority, HME providers are in hot pursuit of ways to further automate and integrate their businesses. Software vendors have made great strides in these areas, and they’ll be at the Summit, not to pitch their products, but to have a high-level discussion about why HME providers need to move in this direction. We’ll also open up the floor to providers to pitch their ideas for how software could be better suited for their businesses and the future. Wish your software had a patient-facing app or portal that allowed them to schedule CPAP and mask fitting sessions, to reorder supplies and to pay bills? This is your chance to bend their ears.

Moderator:
Miriam Lieber, president, Lieber Consulting, LLC

Panelists:
Becky Bowden, product manager, Home Care Solutions, Mediware
Dan Greyn, senior systems consultant, TIMS Software
Lisa Ziehl, strategic account executive, Brightree

Mike Sperduti connects the dots

Sales guru Mike Sperduti has a unique perspective on the HME industry. He has worked with manufacturers with big names and providers that are growing like weeds (yes, even in this current environment), and he has presented at broader healthcare conferences around the globe. He'll marry that work and research with the important information you’ll hear at the HME News Business Summit to give you a "state of the state" of the HME industry. Leave this wrap-up session fully charged to see the opportunities right in front of you.

Speaker:
Mike Sperduti, president & CEO of Mike Sperduti Companies

The 11th Annual HME News/SRA Financial Benchmarking Survey

Each year, hundreds of HME providers participate in this study to see how they stack up against their peers in everything from net revenues to DSO to employee expenses. Insights from last year’s session include 35% of respondents reporting revenue growth of more than 10% in 2015, and 62% reporting revenue growth year over year. What happened in 2016? Come find out. Bonus: Analyst Rick Glass will zero in on data from 2013 through 2016 to give us a look at the impact of Round 2 of competitive bidding, when the program expanded from nine to 91 cities.

Presenter:
Rick Glass, president, Steven Richards & Associates