ST. PETERSBURGH, Florida – Lifestyle Mobility Aids is expanding its presence beyond Florida and its product portfolio beyond mobility aids with longtime industry manager Doug Francis as the new market leader.
The company recently opened a 40,000 square foot distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee, and launched a portable oxygen concentrator in December.
“Memphis is opening sales to much of the country,” said Francis, President and CEO. “From there we can serve around 80% of the country in two to three days.”
Francis was a former director and co-founder of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare. He left the company in 2018, took a few years off, founded Rhythm Healthcare, and then merged it with Lifestyle Mobility Aids.
The POC is the first of a product family that Lifestyle Mobility Aids will bring to market in the area of COPD disease management. Next up: a 5-liter stationary oxygen concentrator in February and a number of aerosol therapy devices in the first quarter, Francis says.
“We’re expanding into more clinically complex areas,” he said.
Lifestyle Mobility Aids has also “recalibrated” its existing product portfolio, expanded its range of rollators and updated its range of wheelchairs, says Francis.
“We wanted the portfolio to be less retail focused and better suited to Medicare and reimbursements,” he said.
However, what really sets Lifestyle Mobility Aids apart from its competitors is the company’s commitment to HME providers, Francis says. Instead of selling directly to consumers or retailers, the company will instead focus on developing programs to help vendors with their sales growth, cash flow, and other parts of their business.
“We’re drawing a line in the sand about who our customer is – the provider,” he said. “There’s big business with Amazon and Walmart, but that’s not our customer. We will align with the providers and create programs for them. ”
Francis believes that HME vendors can beat an Amazon or a Walmart most days – if they redefine their self-image.
“We made transactions. We were ready to deliver the recipes, ”he said. “But we didn’t think of recording anything else. There are still great opportunities for growth if we get this right and seize the opportunity in its entirety. ”
