Live at Home Sees Spike in Interest

Published in Home Modifications on September 10, 2025

By Liz Beaulieu, originally featured in HME News

VGM Live at Home’s Cindi Petito is noticing increased interest in the home accessibility market in the wake of CMS’s decision to resurrect competitive bidding.

“It’s a bit of déjà vu,” she said. “We saw the same thing happen during the last round of bidding. They see home accessibility as an opportunity because it’s not tied to the program, and it also taps into aging-in-place trends.”

Petito, OTR/L, ATP, CEAC, CAPS, was named director of LAH earlier this year. She was previously director of clinical networks for VGM & Associates.

Pharmacy Crossover

Pharmacies are also starting to see home accessibility as a natural extension of their service, either leveraging their delivery drivers and training them to recognize home accessibility needs or even acquiring home access companies already in the space, Petito says.

“Pharmacies are thinking there’s an opportunity to help their homebound patients,” she said.

But with pharmacies, Petito says, it’s important that they know the extent of what it takes to provide quality home accessibility products and services.

"I make it clear that home accessibility isn’t just a retail vertical market you can just easily step into," she said. "It requires specialized training and understanding of the needs involved. You can’t simply drop off grab bars. Seniors need qualified professionals to ensure products are installed safely and correctly."

Amplified Education

With increased interest, Petito is working on a guide to help existing companies or startups step into the home accessibility market. She says she’s heard from complex rehab technology providers that have dabbled in selling and installing grab bars and ramps and want to diversify into home accessibility. She’s also heard from a home accessibility company that recently hired an ATP and wants to diversify into complex rehab technology.

“We’re seeing strong synergies emerge between the home accessibility and complex rehab technology industries,” said Petito. “Once the guide is published, Live at Home and U.S. Rehab members will be able to use it as a resource to evaluate their operational readiness and confidently expand their portfolio of products and services.”

Petito is also working on a new accessibility certification program in partnership with Cor Freedom located in Flushing, Michigan, that will include extensive video and photo content. Her goal is to launch the program by the end of this year.

Additionally, Petito has set her sights on Nov. 6-8, when LAH will host its Building Opportunities Summit in San Antonio. Registration went live on Aug. 4.

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