HME Excellence Awards

MIAMI - PediStat President Grizzy Miller, RN, says she knew that when she founded the company in 1990 that providing healthcare services to children would become more than a job—it would become her life.

Miller understood that being available all the time is just the nature of taking care of young patients, and 27 years later she still embraces that role. “We are emotionally involved—we're not a business, we are here to serve our patients with whatever they need,” said Miller, whose Miami-based company earned second runner-up honors in the HME Excellence Awards. “We've been around since 1990 and some of our patients have been with us all that time. Some of our employees have been here for 20 years. We're still here, doing the same thing that we've always done.” One of those employees, Alison Garfinkel, RN, says Miller's passion is palpable and a big reason why the staff has shown so much loyalty over the years. “She's incredibly knowledgeable, compassionate and empathetic,” she said. “We are incredibly fortunate to work for her. We try to interact with our patients and referral sources by following her example.” Serving a pediatric population not only means earning the young ones' trust, but also forging strong relationships with their families. It requires honesty and clear communications with them, even if it involves telling them what they don't want to hear, Miller says. “We convey to them what is possible and don't give them false expectations,” she said. “Sometimes we can't give them what they want, but we maximize what they can get.” PediStat's payer mix is 95% Medicaid and though the program has been under federal scrutiny, the rates are fairly stable, which gives Miller a reliable revenue expectation. Over the past year, the company's revenues rose 12%, which strengthened its financial health considerably. The key to generating positive margins in such a labor-intensive, hard-scrabble market isn't complicated, Miller said. It's merely a matter of “being reliable to referral sources, earning the trust of your patients and do things the smart way, which means keeping one eye on the bottom line while keeping the other on servicing patients the same way you would want to be treated,” she said.

MIAMI – PediStat serves a client base desperately in need of happiness: vulnerable children.

The mental, emotional and physical challenges these children endure on a daily basis would be formidable for adults. That is why the company, the second place winner in this year’s HME Excellence Awards, does everything in its power to bring smiles to their faces. PediStat’s website proclaims, “There is nothing as beautiful as a smiling child,” and that statement serves as a foundation for everything Grizzy Miller, RN, and her 12-member crew do for their pediatric population. Entering its 25th year, PediStat specializes in respiratory services for medically fragile children, including oxygen, ventilation, CPAP, pulse oximetry, tracheostomy and enteral nutrition. As a full-line supplier, the company also provides mobility equipment, aids to daily living and disposable supplies. Despite offering comprehensive products and services, Miller dispels the notion that her goal is for PediStat to grow beyond its current size. “We are a boutique, not a department store,” she says. Although it is insulated from Medicare headaches, PediStat must deal with Medicaid and the myriad regulatory and financial challenges of that program, including the rollout of a managed care program for Medicaid in Florida. Miller acknowledges that Medicaid is fraught with difficult nuances and red tape, but she says years of experience have taught her how to navigate around the obstacles. “We had a good year financially,” she says. “We don’t spend money excessively, but we don’t deny our patients anything, either. We are well established and some of our patients have been with us a long time. They grow up with us.” As part of its corporate culture, PediStat is actively involved in charity work and community-based activities, including hosting a camp for ventilator-assisted patients and donating equipment where it is needed. But its biggest project is PediSmiles, a partnership with other south Florida providers to entertain children in the hospital by dressing up as their favorite superheroes and taking them on fun field trips, such as to baseball games. “This is a major part of what we do,” Miller says. “The employees feel a great sense of loyalty to our patients because that is at the heart of our philosophy. It is unbelievably rewarding when your staff believes in what they are doing.”