VENDOR PARTNER MEDIA KIT PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER

2021

With VGM & Associates, our vendor partners are an integral part of our family. We take great care in selecting only the best products and services available for our members and take seriously our efforts to advocate for our trusted partners. A key piece to our success is correlated to the engagement a vendor partner has with our contracting and marketing teams. When we work together, we have valuable credibility. The VGM & Associates marketing team has developed several platforms and tools to assist in the promotion of our vendor partners. In the following pages, you will learn more about these opportunities and how to take advantage of them.

Meet the teams you’ll work with: OUR CONTRACTING TEAM Scott Owen and Amy Juel are here to build a mutually beneficial relationship between us and our vendor partners. They understand the gravity of the goals our partners carry, and their jobs are to define those objectives and angle those for a win-win between your company and our members. Call on them for contracting questions, payment inquiries, or introductions to our internal teams.

Scott Owen

Amy Juel

Senior Vice President of Contracting

Director of Contracting and Vendor Relations

Lindy Tentinger

Krista McNurlen

Senior Vice President of Marketing

Director of Marketing, Key Accounts and Services

OUR MARKETING TEAM Lindy Tentinger is responsible for the strategic vision of all marketing functions within VGM & Associates, while Krista McNurlen directs all creative and projects related to vendor partners. These employee owners, along with their strategic and creative representatives, are very excited to help you reach and evolve your presence within the membership. All of us give a warm welcome as you join the VGM family. We cannot wait to work with you and are eager to see what this partnership brings!

Sponsorship Opportunities

Take advantage of VGM’s exclusive Heartland Conference and our VGM-sponsored events at Medtrade to get your company in front of our audience of industry professionals. Sponsoring creates brand awareness, visibility, and quality leads to bring the most value to your attendance.

MEDTRADE Medtrade and Medtrade Spring are the two largest home medical equipment trade events in North America, bringing together manufacturers, providers, and retailers from across the country and around the world. Established in 1979, the shows gather hundreds of HME-related brands, thousands of attendees, and are highly regarded industry events. • Average of 900 People Attended VGM’s Medtrade Party • 317 Exhibitors at the Show • Average of 6-10 VGM Speakers at the Show www.medtrade.com/home-2

HEARTLAND We believe we create opportunities for ourselves and others when we come together. That’s why each of our membership communities hosts its own educational and networking events with special peer-to-peer groups throughout the year. But nothing exemplifies this concept more than our annual Heartland Conference. This event brings members, vendor partners, and industry experts together in VGM’s hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, for educational sessions where attendees can earn CEUs or get involved with a host of networking events to learn from their peers. Stats: • Premier Educational Conference in HME Industry • Approximately 1,000 Guests (Includes Vendor Partners, Members and Speakers) • Member Attendance From 47 States and Two Countries • Vendor Partner Exhibition Opportunities Within Heavily Trafficked and High-Energy Exhibit Hall • 90 Educational Sessions Offering CEUs • Vendor Partner Attendance: 70-75 Companies With 250-300+ Exhibitor Attendees

See p. 11 for pricing opportunities

www.vgmheartland.com

Other Industry Connections VGM is ever-present at all industry events, state association meetings, and even takes experts on the road so vendor partners and members can take advantage of education and networking opportunities. Examples of other opportunities include, but are certainly not limited to: • Power and Manual Wheelchair Tech Training (U.S. Rehab) • Durable Medical Equipment Repair Training (DMERT) (U.S. Rehab) • Building Opportunities Summits (VGM Live at Home) • Focus Conference (Essentially Women) • Master Certified Environmental Access Consultant (C.E.A.C.) Certification (VGM Live at Home) • ABC and BOC Mastectomy Training (Essentially Women) • ABC and BOC Certified Courses (OPGA) • Health System Providers (HSP) Summits • Reimbursement Road Shows • Annual State Association Leader Gathering at VGM Headquarters

Promotional Channels and Reach WEBSITE - VGM.COM • Users: Average 5,900 monthly traffic • Sessions: 105,000 interactions annually • 25,000 page views monthly • Revamped site launched in 2019

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE DISCUSSION BOARD • Members can post questions and have conversations based on industry trends, questions, vendor partners, etc. Vendor partners may have opportunity to have direct audience intel. • Discussion board visits – 10,500

VGM SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS LinkedIn • Total Followers – 3,327 • Average Organic Impressions – 700 • 8-12% Average Engagement Rate

Facebook • Total Likes on Page – 3,228

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE WEBSITE PORTAL • Member portals include vendor partner spotlight, individual pages, and rich discussion boards. • Vendor partners have the opportunity to run banner ads, limited-time alerts, and promotions. • Portal vendor page views 2020 – 16,000 • Portal landing page views – 9,500 • See pricing opportunities on p. 11

• Total Follows of Page – 3,446

Twitter • Average Organic Impressions: 35,000–45,000K (month) • Followers – 1,960

WEBINARS • Number of webinars a year – 116 • Top number of registrants – 400+ • Average registrants – 67 • Average actual attendance – 60% • We welcome vendor partner participation!

BLOGS The following communities offer a blog for industry thought leadership: VGM & Associates (HME) www.vgm.com/news Complex Rehab (U.S. Rehab) www.vgm.com/communities/ us-rehab/news Home Modifications (Live at Home) www.vgmliveathome.com/blog

• Contribution opportunities for VGM vendor partners

INDUSTRY MATTERS PODCASTS • Total podcast downloads since launch (April 2018) – 110,437 • Industry Matters Podcast website

EPISODE SAMPLING

Women’s Health (Essentially Women) www.essentiallywomen.com/blog

• Accessible through all mainstream podcast outlets

Government Relations vgmgov.com

• Billing and Reimbursement Chat With the Experts

Wound Care www.vgm.com/communities/hme/woundcare/news

• HME News Business Summit 2020

Respiratory www.vgm.com/communities/hme/respiratory/ news

MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTERS • VGM & Associates Connect Newsletter (HME) • Complex Rehab (U.S. Rehab) • Home Modifications (Live at Home) • Women’s Health (Essentially Women) • Government Relations

PLAYBOOKS • Our series of playbooks offer industry insights, trends, challenges, as well as leadership and strategic business topics for members and vendor partners. • 600-1000 annual downloads

• The New World: Seizing Opportunity in a World of Disruption

BUYER’S GUIDE Each issue will be released in the first month of each new quarter, January, April, July, and October. • Each release will include seasonal products and services available to our VGM members from contracted vendor partners and internal VGM Group services. • The content in each guide will be for one quarter in advance, January’s release will have products and services curated for April, May and June.

Media Buy Opportunities

HME NEWS

Below are a few stats that indicate their reach:

VGM is the sole owner of United Publications which HME News falls under. This partnership allows us to expand the reach of vendor partners like you within the marketplace. United Publications takes great pride in producing material that commands the readership of customers and prospects. For this reason, material showcases a broad representation related to the HME industry. VGM vendor partners receive special pricing on media buys.

• HME News is the leading news source in the industry. The print and digital editions reach more than 16,100 qualified professionals. • Reader Audience Consists of: • Enews – 12,868 • Print – 16,100 • Webcasts – 1,112 • Conferences – 887 • Total Readership • 27,348 Unique HME Professionals

■ Industry veteran Wayne Grau lands at MK Battery. See page 20.

• Providers – 15,052

HME

■ Product Spotlight: Check out the latest in bariatric equipment like Invacare’s Aquatec Ocean Ergo XL Self Propel Shower and Commode Chair. See page 17.

NEWS

POLL

■ Do you currently use an e-prescribing solution? See results on page 23.

VOLUME 26 — NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 2020 $7.00

T H E

B U S I N E S S

NEWS ■ Clock ticks on bid relief. PAGE 3 ■ Is e-prescribing at a stalemate? PAGE 3 ■ Newspoll: Providers tighten belts,

scrutinize payer mix. PAGE 3

MEDTRADE ■ Providers who are

looking for answers come to Medtrade Spring, says Show Director Mark Lind, with educational sessions geared toward various levels of expertise. PAGE 18

DEPARTMENTS PROVIDERS ■ Allcare prioritizes volunteering. PAGE 10

N E W S P A P E R

F O R

H O M E

M E D I C A L

E Q U I P M E N T

CMS executes new order

COMPLEX REHAB

‘We’re seeing a wiser CMS,’ says consultant Andrea Stark

Relief on the way

CMS stepping into the 21st century,” said Andrea Stark, a reimbursement consultant for MiraVista. “The industry supports lookAndrea Stark ing to the medical record to determine medical necessity and not using administrative processes to logjam cash flow. That is what the order is and

BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor WASHINGTON – Industry stakeholders are cautiously optimistic that CMS’s new standard written order will streamline documentation and reduce denials for HME. Noridian, a DME MAC, posted an update to its website in January saying that the SWO would be the only type of order needed for DMEPOS claims starting with dates of service Jan. 1, 2020. “I think we’re seeing a wiser

has become—a nitpicky way to deny payments.” The SWO, which was included in the final ESRD rule published in November, replaces four other types of orders: the preliminary/ dispensing order; the detailed written order; the five element order/written order prior to delivery; and the seven element order and detailed product description. Stakeholders are now waiting for “the dust to settle,” Stark says. STAN DARD WR ITTEN O R D ER SEE PAGE 22

■ USA Medical Supply: CPAP influencer. PAGE 10

MOBILITY ■ Separate benefit takes top priority. PAGE

THIS IS 40

12

■ ISS event: Mission educate. PAGE 12

RX & SPECIALTY PROVIDERS ■ EW keeps it fresh. PAGE 14 ■ NCPA jumps on CBD bandwagon. PAGE 14

2020 is all about technology for Invacare, whether it’s the company’s new e-commerce portal or new product launches

VENDORS ■ Software trends: Is this the year of

automation? PAGE 20 ■ OxyGo hosts first EXP02. PAGE 20

WWW.HMENEWS.COM

WWW.HMENEWS.COM

P R O V I D E R S

BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare, which marks 40 years in business in 2020, is not the company it used to be—and, in many ways, that’s a good thing, company officials say. Invacare is operating in an HME industry that looks nothing like it did in 1979, when Mal Mixon and a small group of investors purchased the company. Medicare’s competitive bidding program, first rolled out in 2011, has sent shockwaves through the industry in the past decade, and Invacare was not spared. A. Goodwin “Before competitive bidding, we were billing to addresses exceeding 10,000—there were that many strong suppliers,” said Matt Monaghan, chairman, president and CEO. “When reimbursement went down 50%, they shifted to cheaper products. They liked the convenience of dealing with Invacare M. Monaghan and they liked our premium products, but with the reduction, they had to look elsewhere. They found other sources for products IN VACARE SEE PAGE 21

House to home CareLinc Medical Equipment installed a ceiling lift for Lizzie, a resident of David’s House, which provides care and services for adults with disabilities. Such lifts offer a feeling of safety, employees of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based CareLinc told Wood TV8 during a filmed segment, “David’s House On Set.”

BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor WASHINGTON – In a hard-fought win, industry stakeholders have succeeded in getting Congress to suspend competitive bidding pricing for accessories for complex manual wheelchairs. Both the House of R e p re s e n tatives and the Senate Seth Johnson the week of Dec. 16 passed H.R. 1865, a year-end spending bill that includes language requiring CMS to stop applying bid pricing to these accessories for 18 months starting Jan. 1, 2020. “This really has been a fouryear battle that involved getting resolutions for complex power and complex manual wheelchairs,” said Don Clayback, executive director of NCART. “Thanks to everyone’s hard work, including the hard work of our champions in Congress, this protection for complex manual wheelchairs ACCESSORIES SEE PAGE 21

M&A: Active start, then uncertainty BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor

B

UILDING ON a handful of notable deals in late 2019, M&A analysts say they expect a strong 2020—at least to start. Among the most active in 2019 was AdaptHealth, which in the fourth quarter bought several sizable companies, including McKesson’s Patient Care Solutions business, and became a public company.

“There is money flowing and deals— good deals—are getting done,” said Don Davis, president of Duckridge Advisors. “I think the buyers are going to be more aggressive, chasing deals and getting people motivated to sell in the first half of the year.” AdaptHealth also bought the HME business of Advanced Home Care in December. AdaptHealth’s activity underscores a M & A SEE PAGE 22

• Management – 16,344 • Website Influence • Average Monthly Visits – 30,052 • Average Unique Monthly Visits – 16,497 • Average Monthly Page Views – 53,276

VGM highly recommends HME News for industry marketing. Providers turn to HME News to get real reporting and the latest news that is vital to their success. HME News will connect you with your target audience through many different channels—email newsletters, the HME News Business Summit, their print edition, webcasts, podcasts, and much more. They will customize a marketing program for you based on your specific goals and budget. Contact Sarah Flanagan, publisher, at sflanagan@hmenews.com to find out more! www.hmenews.com

HOMECARE MAGAZINE & HME BUSINESS Our team members also hold deep relationships with these publications. If you are looking to connect or need help with a media buy, contact our team.

Pricing CALLING CAMPAIGN - $10,000 2-3 staff placing individual calls to a targeted group of members. • Register members for an event, promote a new product

PODCAST SPONSORSHIPS - $1,000 • Includes name and short intro at beginning of the podcast read by the moderator • No more than 36 vendor paid sponsorships per year; 3 per month

PODCAST COMMERCIALS - $2,000 TO $3,500 • Provide a 15-second commercial played during the podcast • Provide a 30-second commercial played during the podcast

PODCAST INTERVIEW - $2,500 • 15-20 minute interview on VGM Podcast, Industry Insights • Limit to no more than 12 vendor paid podcasts per year, one per month

WEBINAR SPONSORSHIPS - $1,000

• Provide metrics and reporting on all calls

EVENT SPONSORSHIPS - $1,000 TO $15,000 VGM events are known for their camaraderie and networking opportunities as well as education and thought leadership. This is your chance to show support and attach your logo as the sponsor helping to allow for these crucial conversations and learning to happen. • Logo included in all promotions • Short paragraph in one joint email for event promotion • Possible event sponsorships include, but not limited to: • HME State Association Fall and Spring Events • VGM Government Relations Business Forums • VGM HSP, VGM Retail, and Billing/ Reimbursement Road Shows

• Provide a promotional slide to be included at the beginning and end of the webinar slide deck

• EEC

GUEST BLOGS - $1,000

• LAH Business Summits

• Provide a blog post for vgm.com, and other community websites as applicable, which includes social media promotion on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

• U.S. Rehab Tech Trainings

• AOPA • Focus

• Medtrade Spring and Fall • Heartland Conference

To discuss one of these opportunities, please reach out to Krista McNurlen, Marketing Director, Key Accounts and Services, at krista.mcnurlen@vgm.com.

PLAYBOOK ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS AND ADS - $5,000 ARTICLE & AD; $3,500 AD ONLY The VGM & Associates playbooks are a collection of thought leadership articles and paid ads distributed quarterly to the VGM & Associates membership. Each quarterly issue follows a theme. The themes for 2021 are: Q1 Forecasting/HME 2021, Q2 Business Development, Q3 Customer-centric, and Q4 Marketing. • Four playbooks released each year; one/quarter • Playbook topics follow annual content calendar • Submit 500-1500 word thought leadership article in one of the four playbooks • Limit to four ads per playbook • Ad submission includes your bio, headshot, logo, and url

ONE-OFF EMAIL CAMPAIGNS - $5,000 • Limited to a targeted list of members (no membership blasts) • Available once a quarter, 2x/year maximum • Limited to new product or service release that has a VGM exclusive offer deadline that won’t fit into the quarterly vendor publication

VGM.COM PORTAL FEATURED VENDOR LISTING - $2,500

VGM.COM PORTAL SIDE-BANNER AD - $2,000

• Listing in the vgm.com member only portal as a featured vendor (see below)

• Provide graphics and URL link for sidebanner ad on vgm.com

• This listing highlights vendors at the top of the vendor listings page

• Banner runs monthly • Can be featured 4x a year

• Can be featured 2x a year

To discuss one of these opportunities, please reach out to Krista McNurlen, Marketing Director, Key Accounts and Services krista.mcnurlen@vgm.com

2021 VGM & Associates Media Kit Calendar

Q1

January

February

March

Q2

April

May

June

Quarter/ Playbook Themes

FORECASTING Playbook Launch Content deadline: Dec 16

FORECASTING

FORECASTING

Quarter/ Playbook Themes

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Playbook Launch Content deadline: March 17

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Buyer's Guide (content for April, May & June)

Q1 Buyer's Guide Launch Content deadline: Dec 16 Themes: Seasonal Disease State, Industry Events

Allergy season, Stress Awareness, National High Blood Pressure Awareness, Arthritis Awareness Month, Older American's Month, Women's Health, Father's Day, Mother's Day, National Safety Month, Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse's Week, Tax Prep, Heartland Tech Training, Memorial Day - U.S. Men & Women with Disabilities

Allergy season, Stress Awareness, National High Blood Pressure Awareness, Arthritis Awareness Month, Older American's Month, Women's Health, Father's Day, Mother's Day, National Safety Month, Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse's Week, Tax Prep, Heartland Tech Training, Memorial Day - U.S. Men & Women with Disabilities

Buyer's Guide (Content for July, Aug & Sept)

Q2 Buyer's Guide Launch Content deadline: March 17 Themes: Seasonal Disease State, Industry Events

Asthma and Allergy, National Breast Feeding Month, Pain Awareness, Healthy Aging and National Assisted Living Week, National Falls Prevention Day, CRT Awareness Week (Aug), Anniversary of the American's with Disabilities Act (July), Nat'l Disability Independence Day (July) Spinal Cord Injury (Sept)

Asthma and Allergy, National Breast Feeding Month, Pain Awareness, Healthy Aging and National Assisted Living Week, National Falls Prevention Day, CRT Awareness Week (Aug), Anniversary of the American's with Disabilities Act (July), Nat'l Disability Independence Day (July) Spinal Cord Injury (Sept)

Industry Matters Podcast

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Industry Matters Podcast

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Event Sponsorships

Essentially Women Focus Conference

Event Sponsorships

Medtrade West

O&P Academy

Heartland

Other Promotional Opportunties

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Other Promotional Opportunties

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Q3

July

August

September

Q4

October

November

December

Quarter/ Playbook Themes

CUSTOMER CENTRIC Playbook Launch Content deadline: June 16

CUSTOMER CENTRIC

CUSTOMER CENTRIC

Quarter/ Playbook Themes

MARKETING Playbook Launch Content deadline: Sept 15

MARKETING

MARKETING

Buyer's Guide (Content for Oct, Nov & Dec)

Q3 Buyer's Guide Launch Content Deadline: June 16 Themes: Seasonal Disease States and Industry Events

Cold & Flu, Breast Cancer Awareness, Respiratory Care Week, COPD, Diabetic National Pediatric Health Month, Facilities: Snow Removal and Holiday Parties, Veteran's Day (Nov)

Cold & Flu, Breast Cancer Awareness, Respiratory Care Week, COPD, Diabetic National Pediatric Health Month, Facilities: Snow Removal and Holiday Parties, Veteran's Day (Nov)

Buyer's Guide (Content for Jan, Feb, March)

Q4 Buyer's Guide Launch Content Deadline: Sept 15 Themes: Seasonal Disease States and Industry Events

First Aid Kits - restock, Operations/Office prep for the New Year, Sleep Apnea Awareness, Heart Month, Bath Safety, Brain Injury, New Year's Resolutions, ISS (March), MS Awareness, Cerebral Palsy Awareness, Brain Injury Month (March)

First Aid Kits - restock, Operations/Office prep for the New Year, Sleep Apnea Awareness, Heart Month, Bath Safety, Brain Injury, New Year's Resolutions, ISS (March), MS Awareness, Cerebral Palsy Awareness, Brain Injury Month (March)

Industry Matters Podcast

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Industry Matters Podcast

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Episode Sponsor (3 available) Episode Interview (1 available) Episode Commercial (:15 or :30)

Event Sponsorships

Medtrade East International Seating Symposium

Other Promotional Opportunties

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Event Sponsorships

Other Promotional Opportunties

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

Email campaign Calling campaign vgm.com Featured Vendor (3 available) vgm.com Site Banner (1 available) Guest Blog Webinar Sponsor

VGM.com