SURVIVAL

Surviving in this industry may often seem like a daily struggle.

It's not easy keeping up with regulatory changes, reimbursement guidelines and compliance issues. Add to that new product innovations, Medicare coding issues, competitive bidding projects on both the state and national levels, state licensure, inherent reasonableness, surety bonds and of course, HIPAA. It's enough to make anyone wonder - every once in awhile, anyway why we work in this industry 

The answers come to us everyday in the form of happy clients who achieve their maximum level of independence because of the custom equipment we provide for them. We're all m rehab because it feels great to do the right thing, and we love what we do. 

For the rehab provider today, the key to survival and prosperity is education. Many talk about ''raising the bar'' and taking rehab providers to a next level of sophistication. I agree this should be our number one goal this year, especially in light of what competitive bidding could do to the HME industry as a whole. We need to do all we can to separate rehab from the HME industry. 

The clinical nature of the rehab business alone demands we set ourselves apart and make our own mark. Achieving this goal does bring along with it a few more demands on our time and our minds. We need to keep in mind as we raise the bar, we also need to make the grade.

Making the grade is more than just education. It's continuing education. The rehab industry forces us to work on many different levels each day. We deal with clinical, funding and reimbursement, regulatory, technical and ethical issues. Rehab technology suppliers certainly need to have a mixed bag of knowledge in order to succeed and the opportunities to get continuing education have never been more easily accessible.

Quality educational programs are currently available from multiple sources: national shows, state associations, NRRTS, RESNA and member service organizations. For years now, rehab providers have been working toward rehab provider distinction. Many have joined and supported organizations such as NRRTS and RESNA in an effort to set themselves aside from the rest and be ,registered'' and ''credentialed.'' The founding and continued growth of these organizations is truly a milestone in our industry, and one that demands our continued support. 

The need for rehab-specific standards recognized by the Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Council (RATC) and awarded to RESNA for development is a natural progression in our efforts for distinction. These standards need all the support we can give them. Remember, the "standards of practice'' and "code of ethics'' that bind us together as a true rehab entity have changed only slightly, if at all, since their inception and still stand strong today.

Our foundation is here, and the time is right for building toward not only distinction, but also acceptance of that distinction by all payer sources and regulatory bodies on both the state and federal levels. Let's all make 2003 rehab's year of distinction!