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First Tuesday Leadership Profile; The Pan-Mass Challenge and Billy Starr

Published on 08/04/09 11:56AM by Gary Sheehan

This past weekend I rode in the annual Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a 192 mile bike ride from Sturbridge, MA to Provincetown, MA that raises money to help fund cancer research. Given the timing, I thought it would be interesting to share some more information about the event; the below article is taken from the PMC website and discusses the...

Third Tuesday Profile: The History of Cape Medical Supply

Published on 07/21/09 03:35PM by Gary Sheehan

In uncertain times it's important to understand the history and legacy of the company you choose to partner with, which is why I take a moment to share our corporate history, which is defined by hard work, success, and most recently numerous accolades for our tradition of caring, sharing, and excellence.

Cape Medical Supply, Inc. ...

Healthcare Experts? Suddenly Everyone is...

Published on 07/17/09 10:14AM by Gary Sheehan

Healthcare used to be a boring topic

Before all the discussion and debate in Washington about healthcare reform I could never find a taker to discuss the business side of our domestic healthcare system. When people asked me questions about how we were reimbursed or how the insurance industry and Medic...

First Tuesday Leadership Profile; Alisa Galazzi, Alzheimer's Services of Cape Cod and the Islands

Published on 07/14/09 08:17AM by Gary Sheehan

This month we profile Alisa Galazzi, the Executive Director of Alzheimer's Services of Cape Cod and the Islands.  The organization has numerous opportunities for volunteerism and great needs for additional funding, primarily because the need and impact of the disease is particularly acute here on the Cape and Islands.  Alisa took ti...

Competition and Reimbursement Negotiation in Medicare

Published on 07/01/09 01:04PM by Gary Sheehan

There has been an awful lot of rhetoric about “normal markets” in the healthcare debate; how they work, how the healthcare market should work and how “competition” will solve all of our problems. (SIDEBAR: I’ve also seen plenty of uninformed commentary about how making the whole system non-profit would solve the...

Healthcare Reform? They're Just Messing it All Up Again...

Published on 06/23/09 09:39AM by Gary Sheehan

I had high hopes for healthcare reform; it appeared to be a once in a generation opportunity for our politicians to deconstruct a costly, broken system and build it up again in a manner that was sustainable and economical.
Those hopes are fading fast.
What I have seen thus far is a lack of political will to address the truly dif...

Third Tuesday Employee Profile: Ellen Burke, General Manager

Published on 06/16/09 08:31AM by Gary Sheehan

This month's "Third Tuesday" profile features Ellen Burke, our General Manager.  Ellen has been with Cape Medical Supply since 1989 and performed a variety of functions over the course of her exemplary tenure here.  In her current role she wears many hats, depending on the day of the week and the current challenge, but she...

Healthcare Forum with HHS Sec Sebelius and MA Gov Patrick

Published on 06/08/09 11:02AM by Gary Sheehan

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to a healthcare reform forum featuring Governor Deval Patrick and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. The forum featured comments by several area healthcare experts, mostly pertaining to what has worked in the MA healt...

...And Another trip to DC is in the books!

Published on 06/04/09 10:28AM by Gary Sheehan

Another trip to DC is in the books, and we remain as afraid as ever that the current legislative priorities will cause substantial damage to the industry, decreasing the quality of care, eliminating thousands of jobs, and creating a massive cost shift from Medicare Part B (where the DME benefit is) to Medicare Part A (where the more expensive...

First Tuesday Leadership Profile; Senator Max Baucus (D, MT)

Published on 06/04/09 09:41AM by Gary Sheehan

The “First Tuesday Leadership Profile” typically highlights a local leader that I have had the good fortune of working with or being exposed to; this month I take a break from that to offer a brief highlight of Montana Senator Max Baucus, one of the healthcare champions in Washington DC who is working hard to strengthen and reshap...

Going back to DC - Again...

Published on 05/29/09 09:36AM by Gary Sheehan

Monday afternoon I will be flying to Washington DC for the annual AAHomecare Legislative Fly-In – an opportunity to meet with the offices of our elected officials and continue a strong dialogue about the role of homecare in the healthcare continuum and the impact of pending le...

First CPAP Clinic a Success!

Published on 05/26/09 12:38PM by Gary Sheehan

Last week we held our first CPAP Clinic at our Sandwich Headquarters and it was a great success! We had several existing Cape Medical Supply patients come in, but the real interest and attendance seemed to come from patients of other local suppliers who were not happy with the response they have been getting or the education they are receivi...

Happy Memorial Day

Published on 05/22/09 10:26AM by Gary Sheehan

Memorial Day is a special holiday for the region, as thousands of visitors flock to Cape Cod to enjoy time with friends and family in beautiful surroundings.  It's important to remember that this holiday is designed to honor those American's who died while serving their country in the line of duty; we provide services to many individuals...

Third Tuesday Employee Profile: Denise Litz-Walters, Director of Clinical Respiratory Services

Published on 05/19/09 12:32PM by Gary Sheehan

This “Third Tuesday” feature highlights Denise Litz-Walters, our Director of Clinical Respiratory Programs. In this role Denise oversees our entire respiratory patient base and works with a team of professionals to coordinate care and ensure patients are receiving timely follow-up and high quality care based off the recommendatio...

Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act (HR 2373) Introduced by Rep Price, MD (R-GA) and Shuler (D-NC)

Published on 05/13/09 11:18AM by Gary Sheehan

This is important legislation for our patients and for the entire healthcare system; we are reaching out to our elected officials and fully expect them to continue their strong track record of support for initiatives affecting seniors at home.

From the VGM Legislative Update - 5/13/09 - 10:48am

Medicare Solvency

Published on 05/13/09 10:44AM by Gary Sheehan

News outlets are splashing around stories about the Medicare trust funds solvency the last few days; it is a very serious problem and must be addressed quickly for our country to sustain this critical program. As someone who does business with Med...

Medicare Fraud in South Florida

Published on 05/07/09 08:40AM by Gary Sheehan

Fraud, waste and abuse continue to cause problems and headaches for honest providers across the country.

This story from ABC World News Tonight illustrates how big the problem is in South Florida, where it is particularly blatant and egregious.

First Tuesday Leadership Profile; Richard Brothers, President, Cape and Islands United Way

Published on 05/05/09 01:26PM by Gary Sheehan

The Cape and Islands United Way is the largest non-governmental supporter of social service programs in the region. Under the guidance and leadership of Richard Brothers and a superbly dedicated board of directors (of which I am a member) the Cape and Islands United Way continues to grow both donations and community impact.
I found so...

Homecare and the Swine Flu

Published on 04/28/09 01:44PM by Gary Sheehan

Concern about the spread of the Swine Flu has reached a fever pitch in recent days; just this morning I fielded my first phone call from a public official about readiness and supplies in the event this went to pandemic status and began spreading faster.  That call was illumating to me, it demonstrated the critical value homecare companie...

Work Travel v. Fun Travel

Published on 04/24/09 09:16AM by Gary Sheehan

Corporate travel has come under some pretty intense scrutiny lately...the word boondoggle has been tossed around more than once by media pundits sneering at business travel (mostly the egregious examples of large companies and their excessive travel budgets and expenses, but it got me thinking).
I love to travel, I love to relax&hell...

Third Tuesday Employee Profile: Susan Christiano, Director of Special Projects

Published on 04/21/09 07:11AM by Gary Sheehan

This week debuts our staff spotlight feature, with our longest serving staff member starting things off.  Susan Christiano has been with CMS since 1985 and currently works in-house from April - November and remotely from FL for the winter.  She utilizes her extensive industry background, attention to detail, and dedication to improv...

Growth Panel

Published on 04/17/09 08:23AM by Gary Sheehan

I have been asked to sit on a panel at the HME Business Summit next Monday in Baltimore, MD. The Summit is an intimate gathering (100-150 attendees) of home medical equipment company owners and senior executives; emphasis is on idea sharing, best practices and networking for folks who are constantly trying to realign their business and drive...

Hyannis Location is Open!

Published on 04/14/09 01:36PM by Gary Sheehan

Our fourth retail location is up and running! We opened our Hyannis store yesterday morning and we are very excited about the potential for this store and our ability to grow our retail footprint in the coming years. Feedback so far has been tremendous; with many of our existing customers and professional partners thrilled we decided to ope...

Looking South

Published on 04/10/09 09:16AM by Gary Sheehan

Healthcare is a tricky business these days…I am increasingly finding myself looking and thinking to the South. Not the Islands – 465 miles South to be exact, right to Washington DC, where the American healthcare system is being reshaped, refined, and re-imagined as we speak. The reform efforts are bold and sweeping and they pro...

First Tuesday Leadership Profile; Martha Knapp, Founder and Executive Director, Angel's Hope

Published on 04/07/09 09:54AM by Gary Sheehan

This week I debut my “First Tuesday Leadership Profile” series, with a profile of Martha Knapp, the founder and executive director of Angel’s Hope.


1. Tell me about the work Angel's Hope does.
Angel’s Hope was founded in 2001 to help bridge the gap between the healthcare sys...

Customer Compliments

Published on 04/03/09 04:56PM by Gary Sheehan

We live to impress our customers with our unique brand of service, attention to their needs, and the sense of urgency we operate with. Nothing gives us greater pride than recognition of that fact; letters, phone calls, emails, notes – we get them quite frequently as our customers express their appreciation for the way we handled their ...

In times like these...

Published on 03/30/09 04:19PM by Gary Sheehan

The global economy has been a disaster for the last 8 months, with far too many stories and too much coverage about the trials and tribulations of the domestic economy, and enough hair-brained theses about the cause to make your head spin. One idea that has gained some traction is the idea that healthcare is insulated from the overall slowdo...

The Vermont Experience: On the Front Lines of Healthcare Reform

Published on 03/23/09 08:23AM by Gary Sheehan

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the White House Regional Forum on Healthcare Reform, this week in Burlington, VT at UVM. I attended the forum along with Bob Simmons, President of Boston Home Infusion and a NEMED Board Member, and Karyn Estrella, the Executive Director of NEMED. I had high hopes for the forum and was very ...

Healthcare Reform

Published on 03/12/09 05:53PM by Gary Sheehan

Any major reform of the United States healthcare system should have major incentives for enhanced homecare services; it remains the slowest growing sub-sector of Medicare, the most efficient pricing environment for care delivery, and the most desired place for patients to receive their care. 

The initial White House Forum on Heal...

Service and Complaints

Published on 02/27/09 04:29PM by Gary Sheehan

We are a completely service driven organization; the message starts at the top and the directive is to do everything we can to service our customers in a remarkable fashion...that means operating with speed, a sense of urgency, striving to be mistake free, and generally working much harder than any of our competitors to solve problems and pro...

This blog is written and maintained by Cape Medical Supply Chief Executive Officer, Gary Sheehan.  We hope it serves as an entertaining and educational look at the home medical equipment and respiratory care industry...some good information, a few laughs and a sharp look inside a fast growing company that is wholly dedicated to improving the customer experience.

 

 

 

  

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