This week is the Medtrade show in Atlanta. And I'm not there.
The only consolation I can find in your immediate presence is your ultimate absence. (Shelagh Delaney)
I used to go to Medtrade. At first I would attend some of the educational sessions, walk the floor, see and be seen, and go to the parties. As the years passed, I'd walk the floor, see and be seen, and go to the parties. The last time I went to Medtrade I walked the floor not caring if I was seen or who I saw, and then go to the parties.
And though I could write off the trip as a business expense, I decide that it was a costly investment to make considering the lack of return.
My own fault? To a degree, yes. I suppose that a show like Medtrade is what you make of it. But Medtrade got smaller and smaller, and the content of some of the education sessions got less relevant and less timely.
Part of the reason for the "slip" in content quality is, I think, technology. State and regional associations used to have to fax information to members, and because sending faxes involved long-distance phone charges, information sent out to members was somewhat measured.
Along came E-mail, and associations got more technologically savvy, which resulted in information being sent to members more frequently, in more detail, and at very little cost.
It's also far less expensive for me to attend my association's events than it is to attend a show like Medtrade. My association offers me excellent speakers, relevant topics, and timely information at a good price.
Why pay more?
Medtrade is a great place for DME providers to look at and compare products, and they might get some bargains from vendors along the way.
Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this - no dog exchanges bones with another. (Adam Smith)
Even the trade show portion of Medtrade was rapidly shrinking during the many years that I attended. Fewer and fewer vendors were willing (or able) to spend the money on exhibiting at the show; there was little or no return on the investment. And that I can well understand.
More and more DMEs are needing to find less expensive equipment, especially those in the first round of competitive bidding.
There are very honest people who do not think that they have had a bargain unless they have cheated a merchant. (Anatole France)
At the bid reimbursement rates, the manufacturers and distributors are probably going to end up feeling like they've been cheated if they have to cut their rates to move their equipment. The thing is that there are costs associated with manufacturing and distributing, and a company is in business to make money, not give their merchandise away.
But providers are also in business to make money, and with reimbursements slashed, they can't afford what they were once able to buy. It's a real conundrum.
To Go or Not To Go?
I did consider going this year. I'd been told that at last year's show, and at Medtrade Spring, the state associations were finally given space at the event (free of charge!), and this is a good thing. Most of the state or regional associations (with a few sadly obvious exceptions) are the workhorses of the industry, and they deserve the recognition and the break.
I'm a bit puzzled, though, about why some of the associations attend the Medtrades that they do. I'll explain:
NCAMES and VADMEC were at Medtrade Spring this year; they're also at the Atlanta show now. I can understand being in Atlanta, but I'm mystified about those two east-coast organizations being at the Vegas show.
Medtrade Spring is a smaller event, and I can't imagine that the NCAMES and VADMEC members (and potential members) go to Vegas in droves. Unless east-coast associations (we'll throw NEMED and FAMES into the mix too) are signing up bunches of members in Vegas, I don't understand why they're paying money to be there.
I know people who attended Medtrade Spring this year, and I know that FAMES was very loosely represented there (and by loosely I mean an unmanned table in the association area; tossing some literature on the table and being gone 90% of the time isn't exactly representing the organization or being available to existing and potential members). Funny thing is that FAMES has no table in the association area of the Atlanta show. It seems to me that the Atlanta Medtrade is far more relevant to that organization than the Vegas event could ever be.
MAMES, MESA, and other associations central in the country attending both makes more sense, though I suspect that there are greater gains for those organizations in Atlanta than in Vegas.
As for CAMPS, I'm just not sure how profitable it is for a California association to be at an Atlanta show, but they're there.
And where is OAMES?
The thing that I can say, even if I don't understand why some of them go where they go, is that the representatives of NCAMES and VADMEC (Beth Bowen), NEMED (Karyn Estrella), MAMES (Rose Schafhauser), and MESA (Elizabeth Moran) actively connect with their members.
And maybe that's the point of them attending both Medtrade events. I'm looking at it from a financial perspective.
I don't think going to the events is about ego, because none of the Executive Directors, with the exception of one, highlights himself or herself on their respective web sites or in other promotional literature that I've ever seen (the exception being FAMES where, if you click on "about us" you get a personal bio, complete with mention of that E.D.'s consulting firm, but no information about FAMES, which is what I'd expect and hope to find; even AMEPA, FAHCS and TAHCS don't do that).
Okay, the PAMS site has a blurb about John Shirvinsky, but as side-bar, not as the the sum and total. That's appropriate, and the blurb is very well done.
Don't get excited, AMEPA, FAHCS and TAHCS. I haven't changed my opinion of you, and I'm not softening up. I'd expect class-less, personal self-promotion from your bunch; I'm merely disappointed to see something like that from an organization that should know better.
Anyhow, back to the point: It's not about them, the individuals; it's about them as representatives of and advocates for their members. That's my guess. Maybe they see their participation in both Medtrades as a worthwhile investment from an interaction point of view.
But I'm a dollars-and-cents person, and if I'm going to spend my time and money on an industry event, I'm going to invest in my state (or regional) association's production. They need the money and I'm going to see more of a return both in the long and short runs. Am I telling you, dear reader, to not attend Medtrade? No. It's up to you to determine how your own interests are best served, and if the Medtrades work for you, then that's where you should go.
Just don't forget how hard your associations work (most of them, anyhow); please support them.
Speaking of Shows ...
Are you paying attention to what's going on in D.C. after elections? So far we still have the same squabbling and the same power-plays; I don't think legislators got the message sent to them by the angry electorate.
Are you surprised by that? I'm not.
For those of you who live in districts sending new faces to Washington, make plans to open dialogues and get to know them and their staffs. Tell them about what you do and how it benefits the beneficiary community. Don't wait to begin your efforts; do it now. Get the jump on CMS by educating them; start a proactive and productive conversation instead of the rushed, angry, and reactive relationships the DME community is typically forced to have.
Arm them at the beginning with your side of the story. It may help down the road when the industry needs it.
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