Medtrade Spring Preview

Focusing on New Ideas

This year's installment of Medtrade Spring offers a retooled conference program and workshops.

• By David Kopf
• Feb 01, 2017

If spring is a season of renewal, then this year’s installment of Medtrade Spring, slated for Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, has doubled down on the concept. The longstanding event has been revamped to emphasize educational offerings that will help providers reinvigorate their HME businesses.

“Medtrade Spring comes at the perfect time,” Kevin Gaffney, group show director for Medtrade Spring, recently said. “Providers looking to recharge their business batteries with new products, education, and inspiration need to be at the show.”

Workshops and Educational Sessions

The show begins at 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, kicking off with both workshops and conference sessions. The in-depth workshops offer intensive, full-day training from some of the companies exhibiting at the show. Key sessions include:

• Optimize Brightree, Optimize Your Business (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), which will be presented by financial implementation consultant Jennifer Bartlett, and will provide an advanced review of the tools, reports, and features designed offered by the system to help providers manage their businesses.
• Red is Not the New Black (9 .am. to 1 p.m.), which will be presented by The VGM Group’s Daniel Fedor, compliance director, and Rhonda Buhrmester, reimbursement specialist. The workshop will discuss the recent reimbursement changes that have forced DMEPOS suppliers to change business models.
• Intro to the Certified Durable Medical Equipment Specialist (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), which will be presented by Jeff Hedges, president of R.J. Hedges & Associates, and Michelle Yoon, credentialing manager for the Board of Certification/Accreditation. The workshop will explore the CDME certification and how it demonstrates broad knowledge of the HME/DME industry.
• HME Sales Training & Certification (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), an exclusive event that will be presented by the well-known HME sales training expert Mike Sperduti, of Mike Sperduti Companies/EmergeSales.com, and Mike Strange, vice president of sales for Mike Sperduti Companies/EmergeSales.com. The
  session will discuss the pressures forcing providers to increase their sales game and the 7 Step Sales Process training program that can help providers improve their teams’ sales success.

In addition to the workshops, Medtrade has re-tooled its educational session to give them a new look and feel by reorganizing its educational structure to maximize the attendees’ to get the most benefit and exposure to useful, value-driven presentations and new ideas.

“The overall number of sessions has been cut down to allow for more focused sessions that boost networking, and help to avoid too many competing sessions,” Gaffney says. “The increased energy in the room will allow for even better collaboration. We are even pondering new seating arrangements in session rooms to foster better audience/speaker engagement and discussion.”

The first sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 27 and the conferences run until 5 p.m. on Feb. 28. There are 33 sessions lasting either 60 or 90 minutes that cover topics such as audits, business operations, competitive bidding, executive leadership, legal topics, Medicare updates, retail sales, and sales and marketing. A complete listing of all the sessions and speaker details is available at medtrade.com.

One key session that nearly all attendees will want to check out is the American Association for Homecare’s Washington Update, which runs from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 28. This is a key opportunity for providers to learn more about public policy issues, the industry’s legislative agenda, and regulatory issues impacting their businesses.

Networking Events

Of course, educational sessions aren’t the only place for Medtrade Spring attendees to get good ideas. The event also includes a number of networking opportunities for providers to meet and exchange business insights:

The Audit “Happy Hour” runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, and offers providers an opportunity to meet with the industry’s audit experts in a relaxed, cocktail setting to discuss a subject that most providers don’t find all that relaxing. A advance registration fee of $30 if required registration.

Medtrade Spring’s “Power Lunch” event runs from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 28 and gives providers a chance to grab some lunch and meet with a variety of experts and their peers up close and personal to have group discussion on a wide range of topics including, documentation, social media and online marketing, retail sales, home access, competitive bidding, leadership, audits and business operations. Visit medtrade.com to learn more about each of the Power Lunch opportunities.

The American Association for Homecare’s “Standup for Homecare” runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 28, and the networking event raises funds for AAHomecare’s efforts to promote a positive image of the home medical equipment industry and raise public awareness of the homecare industry’s many benefits. Individual tickets cost $150 and be purchased online at aahomecare.org/standup.

This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of HME Business.