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HME NEWS / APRIL 2012 / WWW.HMENEWS.COM CASE STUDY: BEDS 'They hold promise, but it isn't easy' BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor PORTLAND, Maine – The margins on specialty mattresses and adjust- able beds are attractive for cash- strapped HME providers, but Jim Greatorex says, for him, they haven't been "huge movers" yet. "They hold promise," said Greatorex, president of Black Bear Medical in Portland, Maine, which does a brisk retail busi- ness. "But it isn't easy to get con- sumers to look in an HME store for mattresses and beds." For just over a year, Greatorex has had in his showroom a line of specialty mattresses with adjustable bases made by Sleep & Wellness Centers. Sometimes, he also has adjustable beds by Flex-A-Bed. Greatorex has found that, when customers do look in his store for mattresses and beds, he has as good a chance as Mattress Giant to make a sale. "Even though we're compet- ing directly with furniture stores, we have competitive advantages, like better prices," he said. To increase the visibility of his mattresses and beds, Greatorex has tried to make it a point to let his referral sources know that he carries them. "The people who need these beds are the ones who complain to their doctor or their chiro- BEDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 Craftmatic. We don't want those people to go to Mattress Giant." Since it went into business in 1974, Craftmatic has spent $1 billion on advertising (adjusted for inflation), fielded more than 30 million phone calls for more information, and sold 1,300,000 beds, according to Kraftsow. Craftmatic will attend Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas in April for the first time, and it expects to be well-received by HME providers scrambling to increase their non-Medicare business, Kraftsow said. "It's a 100% cash sale," he said. "Our wholesale program allows them to purchase the product for about 45% off retail, so it allows them to make a nice profit." Craftmatic will go up against the likes of Flex-A-Bed and GoldenRest, two manufacturers of adjustable beds that already sell through HME providers. Kraftsow says that Craftmatic's branding efforts—it once had TV host Art Linkletter as a spokesman—make it stand out. "Our name means something to the consumer," he said. HME 61030 RN practor about their beds," he said. Greatorex is also working on his sales team (they're not always comfortable promoting and cross-selling mattresses and beds) and his layout (he's always kept the mattresses and beds in the back of his showroom, so customers can try them out in privacy, but he realizes that makes them harder to find). "It has a decent mark-up, and it's a retail transaction, so we want to stick with it," he said. HME FITSRIGHT Medline held a grand opening for its adult incontinence manufac- turing facility in Lithia Springs, Ga., just outside Atlanta, on March 8. Pictured: Medline's new adult brief, called FitRight, com- ing off the line at the new facility. Vendors 47 #1 Orthopedic Soft Goods Brand in Home Health •Full Range of Professional Orthopedic Products •High Quality Products Designed for Durability and Patient Comfort •Informative Product Guides to Simplify Product Selection and Fitting a brand of BSN medical MEDTRADE BOOTH 1634 For more information, please contact BSN medical Inc. at 1-800-327-4110 www.flaorthopedics.com ©2012 BSN medical Inc. REV 01/12