HME Business caught up with WTWH Healthcare Executive Editor Bob Holly to discuss the FUTURE conference, taking place Aug. 21-23 in Nashville. Aug. 22, the first day of content, will feature an entire track focused on HME trends, challenges and opportunities.
Highlights from our conversation with Holly are below, edited for length and clarity.
HME Business: To start, what is the FUTURE conference?
Holly: Before we even get there, I’ll offer a little background on myself. I got into health-care journalism by starting as a reporter for Home Health Care News (HHCN) in 2018. Since then, my role has changed a bit, and now I work with several teams, including HME Business.
FUTURE is HHCN’s flagship event, bringing together home health, hospice and home care provider leaders, plus investors, payers, technology partners and others. Basically, we tried to build an event all about home-based care – and what’s needed to support health care’s ongoing shift into the home.
We have incredible speakers each and every year, from organizations such as Amedisys, LHC Group and Enhabit, to companies like Humana, CVS Health and Walgreens. After WTWH Media acquired HME Business in 2023, we saw an opportunity to add to that home-based care conversation by engaging home medical equipment (HME) professionals as well. HME is obviously a huge part of keeping people healthy and independent at home.
In a nutshell, FUTURE is a two-day conference all about home-based care, with insightful content and plenty of networking opportunities. We’re back in Nashville this August.
How is HME Business involved this year?
There will be an entire HME Business FUTURE component of the conference, with dedicated sessions focused on HME topics and trends.
Some of the panels we’re planning include “It Takes a Village: Advancing Hospital-at-Home Models in the U.S.,” and “HME Investment, Dealmaking Outlook.” We’ll also have a C-suite roundtable and a conversation focused on key regulatory developments.
What’s important to note, too, is that a ticket to HME Business FUTURE also unlocks the HHCN part of the conference. So if you’re looking to connect with home health, hospice and home care decision-makers, this event will be a great opportunity.
What are you hoping to accomplish by bringing these two publications and their audiences together?
First and foremost, it’s about engaging more types of home-based care professionals to move that conversation – shifting more care into the home – forward.
We hope that our home health, hospice and home care executives can find value in connecting with the HME Business audience and vice versa. We had more than 400 home-based care attendees at last year’s FUTURE conference in Nashville, and we’re looking to go above and beyond that in 2024.
Are there speaking opportunities left?
There are some speaking opportunities left, but not many. If you want to speak, reach out to me directly, and I can share further details.
Are there other opportunities for those looking to be a part of the event?
Definitely. We’ll have plenty of marketing and commercial opportunities in the form of sponsored talks, tabletop space and more. And again, being one of our partners at FUTURE means you’ll get in front of HME professionals, but also home health, hospice and home care leaders.
What else is important to know about HME FUTURE?
A ticket includes access to all sessions, breakfast, lunch, refreshments and our networking receptions.
Coming to these in-person events is also a great opportunity to connect with either HME Business or HHCN. Our editorial teams will be on site, and they’re always looking to highlight interesting stories and connect with new sources.
Our editorial teams will likewise be covering the panels on stage, sharing key takeaways on both HME Business and HHCN.
For more information on the HME FUTURE conference, click here. HME executives interested in speaking can email rholly@wtwhmedia.com, or lwatanabe@wtwhmedia.com.