Sara Sack, Director Assistive Technology for Kansans Atlanta, GA September 15, 2009

New Evidence to Support Reuse ( 1/2 ) Data from FREE Foundation, MEND, ParaQuad, and others showing: Greater independence Increased safety in home without premature Nursing Home Admittance Decrease in falls, ER visits, and hospital stays $2.2 M in cost savings to Virginia communities (2007) $724,888 cost savings in San Antonio (2008)

New Evidence to Support Reuse (2/2) Medicaid Transformation Process (May, 2009) Reutilization identified as a “Best Practice” Kansas Reutilization program saved state $1.3 M since 2004 Kansas Reutilization program saved approximately $2 for every $1 spent AT decreases overall support costs (Italian study) Plus evidence that each of you have shared in our meetings this week

Trends in AT Reutilization Global issue (Data from US and EU) In the US calls and inquiries regarding possible collaboration on reutilization of AT are coming from many sectors simultaneously Interest is coming from high levels of management and program operation Acceptance of the concept, and a “wish we had started yesterday” tone

Factors Contributing to Increased Interest in Reutilization (1/3) Economy Stressed state budgets Concern over rising healthcare costs Aging population By /3 of citizens in the European Union are years old In Finland by % of the population will be over 65 Increased need for technology and home modifications

Factors Contributing to Increased Interest in Reutilization (2/3) Focus on increased productivity Focus shifting from usability, adaptability to being productive in community, employment, learning environments Concern for environment and recycling in general Increased attention to e-waste In the Czech Republic, one of the newer EU countries, 13 M SIM cards, 10.5 M people

Factors Contributing to Increased Interest in Reutilization (3/3) Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Use of used equipment in shelter and as replacement technology Inclusion of reutilization programs in state emergency preparedness plans

Opportunities for Increased Collaboration (1/3) Sessions at this workshop and the focus on lessons learned regarding program operation and expansion Many more tools exist to help with starting and expanding reutilization programs Programs are becoming much more skilled in determining which services they might offer to collaborators (tracking, inventory control, follow-up, customer satisfaction, equipment recovery and reassignment, etc.)

Opportunities for Increased Collaboration (2/3) PIOC materials are being developed to support programs in reaching out to potential collaborators PIOC staff can help programs approach and work with collaborators In 2008 AT Act Programs from 10 states and 2 territories secured $629,227 from collaborative partners Round table discussions about funding and collaborative partners

Opportunities for Increased Collaboration (3/3) Looking in new directions for collaborators Health and Wellness Short Term Rehabilitation Centers State Insurance Commission, Private Insurance Vocational Rehabilitation Aging (Departments and Organizations) Local government

Pitfalls and Perils? (1/3) Work smart—let the data guide us Create a balance between requests and equipment Conduct targeted efforts to locate specific equipment Keep an eye on Return on Investment (ROI)

Pitfalls and Perils? (2/3) Be careful—don’t over commit or commit to the wrong effort Know how much it costs your program to provide a service Make sure your collaborative partners goals and mission are in sync with your program’s goals

Pitfalls and Perils? (3/3) Attend a full range of sessions at the conference and learn from your peers—listen to their “lessons learned” Keep in contact with the folks you’ve met here in Atlanta Contact PIOC for assistance—they have a wealth of information and are ready to help

Suggestion for the future? Develop a range of collaborative partnerships across the areas of health care, senior services, and emergency management and include DME suppliers and consumers at every step of operation. QUESTIONS?