http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php en kevin.bird@abm360.com Copyright 2008 2008-08-05T12:12:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/publishers_pulpit_exciting_changes_at_hme_news/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/publishers_pulpit_exciting_changes_at_hme_news/#When:12:12:00Z August 5, 2008 Source: , HME News I want to fill you in on some exciting changes at HME News First, Liz Beaulieu has moved up from managing editor to editor.  Many of you know Liz, either through her stories or because you’ve spoken to her directly.She’s an experienced journalist and a five-year veteran at HME News. Beginning with the September issue, she’ll guide the newspaper’s day-to-day operations, continuing in the footsteps of her three top-notch predecessors (Mike Levins, Jim Sullivan and Mike Moran). As Liz moves from managing editor to editor, we’re fortunate to have Theresa Flaherty ready to assume the managing editor role. Theresa has been with HME News for three years and has proven herself a strong journalist with solid news instincts. We’re fortunate to have her ready to move up to this key position. Replacing Theresa as associate editor, is a new addition to the HME News staff, Amanda Estes. Amanda is already a seasoned journalist, with experience first as a reporter and then as editor of two weekly newspapers in the South Portland, Maine area. Amanda is looking forward to joining the HME News team, and I know she’ll work hard to quickly become familiar with the industry. Congratulations to all three on their new positions. Liz, Theresa and Amanda will continue the strong tradition of journalistic excellence that has been the hallmark of HME News over the years. Please let them or me know anytime you think we’re not living up to your highest expectations. By now you may be wondering, “What happened to Mike Moran?” Mike also is moving up to the newly created position of executive editor. In that role, he’ll continue to have some oversight responsibilities for HME News, but his primary focus will be on developing an exciting program for the HME Exposition and Conference next April in Baltimore. Mike is uniquely qualified for his new job. As the most experienced editor in the industry, Mike has spent 11 years observing and writing about all aspects of HME. He is well known and respected by both providers and manufacturers and isn’t shy about “calling ‘em as he sees ‘em.” In these days of business as un-usual, his experience, contacts and insight will provide the foundation for a unique conference program. Mike will be ably assisted in his programming by a Conference Advisory Council consisting of other highly experienced members of the HME industry. They’ll help Mike identify topics and concepts relevant to today’s business challenges. Mike and the Council will develop a program that’s new and different. The conference goal is to help you change the way you see the business and, most importantly, improve your bottom line. To make sure the HME Expo and Conference responds to your needs, we’re sending out an email questionnaire looking for your thoughts and ideas. Rather than the usual “call for papers,” think of this as a “call for ideas.” What do you want to know to help you succeed in today’s business environment? Your input will help us produce a truly useful educational program that will ensure you’re a successful part of the new era in HME. Attendee news, Conference news, Press News, Show news 2008-08-05T12:12:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/be_part_of_the_new_era_in_hme/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/be_part_of_the_new_era_in_hme/#When:13:09:00Z July 30, 2008 Source: , HME News We’re developing the ground-breaking HME Exposition & Conference for one reason: To help you position your company for growth and profitability in the ever-changing HME marketplace.Please take a few minutes and complete the following survey to tell us your key points of interest and concern; we’ll develop an educational program that meets them. Just click here to fill out the survey. You told us that business as usual no longer exists.  It’s now business as unusual.  That’s why we’re doing this.  We’re here to help you make the conncetions that will keep your business in the game. The market evolves.  People want more.  Be part of a new era in HME. Sincerely, Mike Moran Executive Editor, HME News Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Show news 2008-07-30T13:09:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/competitive_bidding_delay_is_final/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/competitive_bidding_delay_is_final/#When:00:40:00Z July 15, 2008 Source: VGM Late this afternoon, the Senate voted to override the president’s veto of H.R. 6331 - the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - by an overwhelming margin of 70-26. H.R. 6331 will stave off the 10.6 percent physician fee cut, as well as delay the competitive bidding program and repeal the title transfer of oxygen. For more information on how to continue to move this industry ahead, please click here. Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News, Show news 2008-07-16T00:40:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/the_votes_are_in_senate_delays_competitive_bidding/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/the_votes_are_in_senate_delays_competitive_bidding/#When:05:30:00Z July 11, 2008 Source: HME News The Senate late this afternoon voted 69-30--a veto-proof margin, industry sources say--to pass a Medicare bill that would delay national competitive bidding.Read more here Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News 2008-07-11T05:30:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/new_york_times_strikes_again/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/new_york_times_strikes_again/#When:16:26:00Z June 25, 2008 Source: HME News The New York Times published a column today, “High Medicare Costs, Courtesy of Congress,” that admonishes Congress for trying to delay national competitive bidding. The author, David Leonhardt, sends more than a few zingers the HME industry’s way.To read the full blog entry by Liz Beaulieu, please click here. Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News 2008-06-25T16:26:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/house_passes_hr_6331/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/house_passes_hr_6331/#When:15:32:00Z June 25, 2008 Source: American Assocation for Homecare H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, passed the House of Representatives by a veto-proof margin of 355 to 59. Thank you to everyone who contacted their Representative to urge support. The Senate is now working on the Medicare package.Call your Senators and tell them the homecare community strongly opposes ANY additional cuts to home medical equipment such as oxygen and power wheelchairs. For more details, please visit the American Association for Homecare website at http://www.aahomecare.org. Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News 2008-06-25T15:32:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/urgent_help_delay_competitive_bidding/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/urgent_help_delay_competitive_bidding/#When:14:01:00Z June 23, 2008 Source: HME Exposition & Conference Industry leaders and organizations have put out an urgent request that providers contact their legislators and encourage them to support a bill to delay competitive bidding. The “Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008” would delay implementation of the first round of competitive bidding.To find out more about the bill, click on the following links: The VGM Group AAHomecare HME Newswire Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News, Show news 2008-06-23T14:01:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/hme_news_to_co_produce_hme_exposition_conference/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/hme_news_to_co_produce_hme_exposition_conference/#When:14:03:00Z May 19, 2008 Source: HME News YARMOUTH, Maine - HME News, the leading source of information for the home medical equipment industry, has teamed up with Access Business Media to produce the HME Exposition & Conference. The event will be held April 21-23, 2009, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore. “We believe that our involvement in this event will help provide the leadership that’s necessary to bring the industry together--and move it forward--during these difficult times,” said HME News Publisher Rick Rector. In many ways, the Expo is a logical extension for HME News, he said. For the past 11 years, the publication has built a rock-solid reputation with providers and other industry stakeholders for reporting industry news and expressing opinions that “tell it like it is.” The HME Expo is also an extension of the HME Business Summit, a high-level conference for HME owners and executives. The Summit provides industry data on Medicare utilization and financial benchmarks. It also offers intense networking and original research that gives providers the information they need to run more successfully. “That’s our vision for the Expo, only on grander scale,” Rector said. “No one else is doing that. Just as HME News connects manufacturers to providers to consultants to lobbyist to member service organizations and to everyone else attached to the HME industry, the Expo will do the same. It will be a gathering spot for innovation on all fronts.” Read more here Conference news, Press News, Show news 2008-05-19T14:03:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/cory_smith_sits_down_with_mobility_management/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/cory_smith_sits_down_with_mobility_management/#When:11:33:00Z April 28, 2008 Source: Mobility Management Cory Smith—VP of marketing for the newly announced HME Exposition & Conference, set for April 21-23, 2009, at the Baltimore Convention Center—said in an April 28 interview that show management has contacted some potential exhibitors and that response so far to the idea of a new HME tradeshow has been “very positive.”The HME Exposition & Conference boasts considerable HME industry tradeshow experience, with Art Ellis (VP business development), Grayson Lutz (VP operations), Kevin Bird (VP sales) and Smith on board with the event’s newly formed parent company, Access Business Media. All four have worked for VNU Expositions, which is now known as Nielsen Business Media and which owns Medtrade and Medtrade Spring. In announcing the new event, a press release from Access Business Media said, “For years, there has only been one national tradeshow to service the $25 billion home medical equipment industry, but not anymore.” Read more here Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News, Show news 2008-04-30T11:33:00-05:00 http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/new_trade_show_addresses_25_billion_home_medical_equipment_industry/ http://www.hmeexpo.com/index.php/site/new_trade_show_addresses_25_billion_home_medical_equipment_industry/#When:15:21:00Z Atlanta, GA, April 28, 2008:  For years, there has been only one national tradeshow to service the $25 billion home medical equipment industry, but not anymore. A group of business media executives with combined experience of over 20 years in the HME tradeshow marketplace were recently hired by Access Business Media, and announced today their plans to launch an event tailored to the HME industry next spring. The HME Exposition & Conference will be held April 21-23, 2009, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. “National competitive bidding and dwindling reimbursement for power wheelchairs, oxygen and other core home medical products have put the industry at a crossroads,” said Cory Smith, a former show director in the HME Industry and now Vice President of Marketing for Access Business Media.  “We recognize the value of producing an event that will address the industry’s need to conduct business in a cost-contained environment, to have sessions that provide business strategies/solutions for a changing marketplace and to promote/influence industry change through advocacy.  An industry event is created by collaborating with the entire HME constituency, and we are excited about the opportunity to serve this industry.” Access Business Media will create advisory councils of industry professionals focused on all facets of the event to make decisions on issues such as event location and timing, show format, content and other important issues as they relate to the needs of HME providers, manufacturers and other stakeholders. “This will be a true industry event rather than just an industry tradeshow,” said Kevin Bird, Vice President of Sales for Access Business Media.  “Our mission is to serve the needs of the HME Industry by connecting buyers with sellers, creating networking opportunities, providing relevant business information in a well thought out conference program and promoting the HME Industry to decision makers in Washington, D.C.” Art Ellis, Vice President of Business Development for Access Business Media added, “The HME Industry has been an overlooked and misunderstood piece of the healthcare continuum for many years. We will have pre-events designed to promote advocacy on Capitol Hill, as well as, specialty forums at the event to attract and promote interaction between members of Congress, CMS and the HME Exposition & Conference attendees.” For information on this event, please visit: www.hmeexpo.com, e-mail us at: or contact via phone at: (678)767-2209. For information on exhibiting at the HME Exposition & Conference, please contact Kevin Bird at: or call: (678)361-6151.  Access Business Media is a business media company that specializes in event management, trade shows and business-to-business multi-media communications.  For more information on Access Business Media, please visit: www.abm360.com.  Access Business Media is built on the principle of delivering value to partners through a client-centric approach, sensitivity to industry dynamics and strategic/creative thinking to ultimately realize the goals and objectives of its clients. About Us: The Access Business Media Team Art Ellis Vice President, Business Development Art Ellis is a top-producing sales and marketing professional with 15 years of management experience in world-class organizations. Consistently successful in developing new markets, penetrating territories, identifying talent and managing large-scale events for Fortune 500 companies worldwide, Art is a goal-driven manager committed to developing outcomes mutually beneficial to the company and the client. Art holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Georgia. Grayson Lutz Vice President, Operations Grayson Lutz has over 10 years of operations, sales and marketing experience within the event industry. Grayson has proven expertise in managing all operational aspects of tradeshows, including site inspections, marketing, exhibitor booth sales, vendor selection and contract negotiations. Grayson has consistently demonstrated, not only the ability to effectively and efficiently manage event logistics, but the talent for developing and nurturing strong professional relationships. Prior to joining Access Business Media, Grayson was Operations Director for an international tradeshow production organization, overseeing tradeshows in a variety of industries. Grayson holds a BA in Psychology from Rollins College. Kevin Bird Vice President, Sales Kevin Bird has over ten years of sales and management experience in the business media industry. With a particular focus on the healthcare market, Kevin has a strong track record of developing profitable sales programs, strategic/budget planning, and operations management. Throughout his career, Kevin has been consistently recognized for his outstanding sales, leadership, relationship-building and management skills. Prior to joining Access Business Media, Kevin held a management position at an international tradeshow production organization. Cory Smith Vice President, Marketing Cory Smith has over 16 years experience in the business media industry with a history of creatively managing and growing business portfolios.  Cory has demonstrated the ability to develop and implement business strategies to achieve corporate objectives through his proven leadership skills, consensus, team-building abilities and his customer-focused approach. Cory is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BBA in Risk Management. Attendee news, Conference news, Exhibitor news, Press News, Show news 2008-04-28T15:21:00-05:00