Mary Zappone of RecoverCare

OWM: Please describe the education, training, and work experiences that have prepared you for your current position as CEO of RecoverCare.   Before becoming CEO of RecoverCare, I spent much of my 20-year career focused on understanding operations and finding ways to improve them at diverse global companies, including Tyco, General Electric, McKinsey & Company, and Exxon. Just before joining RecoverCare, I served as President of the Alcoa Oil & Gas unit, where I fast-tracked its market entry with five interdependent global contracts and commercialized seven new products. I’m finding my experience working in technology-based and technical product industries particularly valuable in my role at RecoverCare. Also, this post combines my dual interests in healthcare and management. Starting out as a biomedical engineer, I earned a BS in chemical engineering from John Hopkins University and volunteered at the John Hopkins Hospital as an undergraduate. I also hold an MBA in Finance/Marketing from Columbia Business School. OWM: What should our readers know first and foremost about RecoverCare.   
RecoverCare serves acute care hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation facilities, hospice centers, and home care patients. RecoverCare’s primary product lines include therapeutic support surface mattresses for wound care, bariatric equipment for care of obese patients, specialty beds, patient transfer equipment for safe patient handling, and negative pressure wound therapy equipment. The Company also manufactures bariatric and “high-low” bed frames, safe enclosure bed systems, and various other safe patient handling and bariatric equipment under its wholly owned Camtec division. RecoverCare utilizes leading-edge technology and services to enhance patient outcomes and drive supply chain savings. The Company provides superior service through a network of more than 130 service centers nationwide and 24/7 customer and clinical support. RecoverCare currently has more than 850 employees across the country and more than 500 delivery vehicles.

OWM: How you were first introduced to wound care arena and why you enjoy working in this niche?   
I have had an almost lifelong interest in healthcare. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in hospitals; my mother was a director of nursing for various hospitals in the Washington, DC area. I also volunteered in hospitals throughout high school and college. Since coming to RecoverCare last year, I’ve focused on deepening my understanding of the wound care industry. I’ve met with many of our customers and visited their facilities across the country to hear and see how our products and operations affect patient care and our customers’ businesses. At the same, I’ve been working closely with RecoverCare clinicians, our sales team, and operations team to help enhance customer service. I also enjoyed interacting with industry partners at trade shows including the American Health Care Association Conference and the Acute Long Term Hospital Association Conference, where RecoverCare is a major sponsor.   Much of my career has been in the energy industry, and I see many parallels with healthcare. They are both global industries that need technical products, and they are probably the two most important industries in our economy.

OWM: What are some of the company’s biggest accomplishments thus far? What are some of your key products and/or functions that clearly distinguish your brand?   
RecoverCare now serves more than 4,000 customers across the US. We have established a national supply chain footprint that enables us to access more than 90% of all long-term care, acute care, and hospital customers within 2 to 4 hours.   RecoverCare offers comprehensive clinical support capabilities backed by its team of industry thought leaders. The Company also is committed to maintaining its leadership in developing new clinical programs and services that support positive patient outcomes.   RecoverCare is at the forefront in bringing innovative products focused on wound care, bariatric care, and safe patient handling to the marketplace. Most recently, RecoverCare introduced the Total Lift Bed™, a unique solution that enhances patient mobility while protecting employees from injuries that can occur while trying to reposition and care for challenging patients.

OWM: Please describe the mission/vision of your company and how your personal vision fits with the company’s goals.   
RecoverCare is dedicated to providing acute and long-term care facilities with the innovative equipment, superior customer service, and leading-edge technological solutions that result in enhanced patient care, while delivering supply chain savings to its customers. RecoverCare’s strategic vision focuses on innovative product development, continual operational enhancements, and employee development.   My personal vision for RecoverCare is linked to three major goals. The first involves the people of RecoverCare. I want this company to be the employer of choice so we can attract, develop, and retain the most caring, professional, and diligent professionals in our industry. We will strive to be the supplier of choice by ensuring we understand the voice of our customers and meet and exceed their needs by providing the right equipment at the right time, delivered and serviced by well trained, caring employees. Finally, RecoverCare will achieve profitable growth by providing products and services that delight our customers.

OWM: Please explain what must take place on a daily basis at RecoverCare in order to accommodate patients, clinicians, and healthcare facilities.   
As a national medical products supplier, RecoverCare boasts more than 75,000 pieces of equipment for the use of our customers across the country. In addition to our extensive inventory of equipment, some 400 operations personnel are available 24/7 to make sure our customers get the equipment they need rapidly. Our more than 500 vehicles serve as mobile warehouses and use a sophisticated GPS tracking system to map out the quickest way to deliver orders. RecoverCare delivery technicians prepare and double-check equipment before its arrival, and then show customer personnel how to properly operate the equipment.

OWM: Looking ahead, what are some incentives or products the company is working on?   
RecoverCare has some very exciting developments on the horizon. For example, we will be utilizing negative pressure technology to introduce unique product alternatives that provide economic value while offering enhanced ease of use in all patient settings. We also will offer extensions to our current product portfolio such as a Total Lift Bed™ with new bariatric configurations. Our customers also can look forward to new products and services that enhance caregiver and patient safety, reduce falls, and prevent caregiver injuries.