DMEPOS Warriors: Steve Huntington, Director of Finance for HME Home Medical

Published in Member Communities on June 22, 2020

Meet Steve Huntington, Director of Finance for HME Home Medical, a VGM member since 1986! An employee of HME Home Medical for five years, Steve has found that the power of networking opportunities provided by VGM and his state association, MAMES, have helped him and HME Home Medical thrive. We asked Steve more questions about his experience with the industry below!

Please describe your role and responsibilities with HME Home Medical.

I am the Director of Finance and am responsible for all the financial functions, banking, budgets, and financial reporting. As part of my functions, I am part of the executive team involved in all aspects of the business. I have been with HME Home Medical for 5 years now.

Can you tell us more about your background and how you originally got connected to the industry?

I am a CPA and have an MBA degree in finance. Most of my career was spent in manufacturing, particularly food manufacturing in controllership and CFO positions. I also spent some time consulting on my own. I ended up at HME Home Medical because a friend of mine was a good friend of the executive director at that time who was looking for someone with my background.

What are some of the growing pains you’ve experienced in the industry and how have you overcome them?

Dealing with the regulatory side of the business is something that is challenging to me. Also, going through huge Medicare cuts was back-breaking. We went from making money to losing money in a few months. However, it forced us to learn how to be efficient. We made some changes to the structure of the company and found out that we could take advantage of third-party vendors to help us lower costs and increase revenue. The changes we made are helping us weather the coronavirus period we are dealing with now.

How does HME Home Medical value their customers?

Let’s face it, you need to take good care of your customers to thrive. Our people are here to help our customers, and they do a great job of it. Being part of a hospital system allows us to see our role in providing the circle of care.

What sets HME Home Medical apart?

Great colleagues, good locations, and well laid-out stores sets us apart. I like to think that there are better stores, maybe better locations, but nobody provides all of that better than us. We have made it a priority to hire really good people. It takes longer and requires more effort, but it makes for a really good team.

What is your “why” for working in this industry?

Serving our patients’ needs is a big part of why we are here. As a finance person, doing that and being financially stable is really important to me.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself or HME Home Medical?

I have really learned the power of networking in the last week. We were short on concentrators in the face of an outbreak locally, and I was able to work with my network of VGM and MAMES acquaintances and get the needed equipment. I can't emphasize enough the value of attending events such as Heartland, being part of the Hospital System Providers (HSP) network, and also being a MAMES member. People in this industry will really step up and help you. For that I am grateful.

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