Finding Your Pulse

At the end of every year, we expect retail merchants to slash prices. We don’t, however, expect employers to slash jobs in record-breaking numbers. Unfortunately, the recession has ushered in layoffs totaling 2.59 million—with even more expected to follow in the coming months. But, as the majority of industries reduced payrolls effective January 1, the healthcare market managed to escape such a fate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The healthcare industry has been a newsmaker across the board, including in the printing industry. Are companies’ forms CMS-compliant? Are prescription pads secure enough? Are electronic forms the best solution for automation? And the questions go on. As more professionals begin to realize the opportunities of this market, competition will gain more ferocity. To help distributors cure any lingering recession ailments, Print Professional (PP) turned to two leading healthcare suppliers:

• Jim Magdaleno, healthcare compliance manager, TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., www.tfpdata.com.

• Jessica Wenz, product marketing specialist, Wilmer, Dayton, Ohio, www.4wilmer.com.

Find out what needs to be learned and accomplished in this particular market niche to avoid flatlining in 2009.

PP: What types of medical/healthcare products does your company produce?

Magdaleno: For non-institutional use, [we produce] the CMS-1500 Insurance Billing Claim Form (laser, one- to three-part continuous). For corresponding envelopes, [we supply] the number 101⁄2” 1500E gum-seal [and the] 1500ES self-seal, which accommodates 10 claims. [TFP also produces] the jumbo 1500LR 91⁄2x12”, which accommodates up to 50 unfolded claims. For institutional use, [we offer] the UB-04 Insurance Billing Claim Form (laser, one- to five-part continuous) along with the jumbo envelope (1492LL). We also offer CMS-1500 and UB-04 Form Filler software and a complete line of ADA Dental Claim Forms with corresponding envelopes.

Wenz: We have been in the healthcare market for a number of years and continue to serve our customers’ needs by offering new products. Wilmer produces prescription pads, claim forms, envelopes, HIPAA forms, filing folders and labels.