SILVER SPRING, MD – For many this time of year, Spring is a time for renewed optimism. The flowers are beginning to bloom, the birds are back and singing. Life feels good again.

Nowhere is this more apparent, this year, than in the hearts and minds of the HME community. The fact that we are finally going to have a forum (that is not contentious) to discuss and seek meaningful change for our issues with Medicare, is cause for great optimism.

Thanks to the hard work and leadership of Tom Ryan and the AAHomecare team, the industry has never been so aligned and so on message. If you haven’t made plans to join us at the AAHomecare Legislative Conference (May 24th and 25th in Washington, DC) , this is the year to do so (www.aahomecare.org).

This is the year when your presence can have a major impact on helping to right the wrongs that have burdened us for the past five years. This is the year when you can bring a message of hope and optimism to your congressional representatives; telling them that the “unintended consequences” of the competitive bidding program need to be corrected and that they need to support the dialog that has already started between our industry and the new leadership at CMS.

This the year that you need to come and hear, firsthand, what is happening in the industry and what you can do to become an industry leader. This is the year that Spring should be a renewal for the HME community.

Grassroots support is what has put the industry into position to bring about the changes that are so desperately needed for our businesses and the people we serve. Grassroots support is what it is going to take to finish the job. The opportunity for meaningful change that stands before us is unprecedented.

We all need to be supporting the industry advocates who have been doing the “heavy lifting.” They have positioned us where we are today. Please include a quick trip to Washington, DC, on your list of things to do this Spring. I look forward to seeing you there!

Steve Ackerman is the CEO of Spectrum Medical Inc. He has also served in various capacities for state and national trade associations. He is currently the vice–chairman of the Board of Directors at the American Association for Homecare. You can reach him at [email protected]