Company Profile
Ancillary Advantage, Inc.
Company Overview
Ancillary Advantage is a practice management company specializing in DME (durable medical equipment). We provide programs that enable orthopaedic and sports medicine practices to purchase and dispense orthopaedic braces, supports, and other ancillary products. We are not a manufacturer steering our customers to a limited selection of products. We are not a consultant that earns a fee regardless of whether or not our customer’s program is successful. We earn our fees only when the customer profitably dispenses and collects the products that are provided to the patients.
Since 1999, we have been in business of providing DME practice management services to healthcare practices. Today, with over 50 practices and 500 physicians using our services, we are one of the largest independent orthopaedic DME providers in the country.
The Ancillary Advantage team has over 30 combined years of experience in the orthopaedic industry and understands what it takes to implement and operate a successful ancillary revenue program. Each member of our senior management team has ten or more years of experience in the orthopaedic industry. Each of our Account Managers began their careers with us as DME Coordinators so they intimately understand the clinical operations of a DME program. And, most of our DME Coordinators are Certified Athletic Trainers with experience working in a clinical environment.
We are with the customer every step of the way to ensure their DME Program is operating at the highest level possible, both clinically and financially. How we support our customers is the key to our success. This support includes an HR and Regional Management team, all of whom have previously worked in a clinical environment. We recruit, hire, train, and manage DME Coordinators on-site at our customers’ locations. With an on-site, dedicated DME Coordinator, we ensure the success of the program.
Ancillary Advantage is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is a Drug-Free Workforce.
Company History
In 1997, Smith & Winchester, Inc. was founded in Birmingham, Alabama. The Company accepted referrals of orthopaedic DME products from orthopaedic practices, and billed the insurance carriers under its own provider number. James Andrews, MD, the nationally renowned orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist was the cornerstone referring physician. This DME service became later known as the Legacy Model and was very similar to the stock-and-bill programs that many DME manufacturers operate today.
Smith & Winchester expanded its geographic footprint to include Illinois, Missouri, and New Hampshire by the end of 1999. In 1999, Orthofix, Inc. acquired Smith & Winchester, changed the name to OrthoRx, and continued the Legacy Model market expansion into Louisiana. In late 2001, HealthSouth Corporation became an investing partner with Orthofix, Inc. As a result, OrthoRx, Inc. (“OrthoRx”) was created and become a stand-alone company.
From January 2002 to June 2003, three additional Legacy Model markets were added: Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas. In June 2003, HealthSouth sold its interests to Ferrer Freeman & Company (“FFC”), a private equity firm located in Greenwich, CT that invests exclusively in healthcare and healthcare-related companies. A new CEO and CFO joined OrthoRx and, in May 2004, the OrthoRx corporate office was established in Plano, Texas.
In December 2005, OrthoRx, acquired the DME business from a Canton, Ohio based company, Marquis Management Group, LLC (“Marquis”). This DME business provided products, leased employees and reimbursement management services to orthopaedic practices. This business is known as Practice Management Account, or PMA, Model. Under the PMA Model, the insurance carriers were billed with the practice’s provider number which generated income for the practice. With the ability to offer both the Legacy and PMA Models to orthopaedic practices, OrthoRx experienced significant growth in 2006 and 2007.
In February 2010, the OrthoRx Legacy Model, including the store employees and reimbursement services, were acquired by Viscent Orthopedic Solutions. The remaining OrthoRx business became Ancillary Advantage, Inc., exclusively offering the PMA Model. With the formation of Ancillary Advantage, Charles Bavier joined the company as CEO and FFC remained the principal shareholder of the company. Today, the company continues to sell the PMA Model, and with the introduction of the MyAncillary DME Management Software, is beginning to explore new business directions for the future.
Benefits
Ancillary Advantage offers the following benefits to our regular full-time employees:
• Medical with prescription drug coverage
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible Spending Account for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Short Term Disability (paid by company)
• Basic Life Insurance (paid by company)
• Long Term Disability
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Vacation time accrual each pay period and carryover up to 40 hours to the next calendar year
• Sick time leave
• Paid major holidays
• Retirement 401(k) Plan which has the following features:
o Auto-enrollment after 6 months of employment
o Auto-increase of 1% in January
o Employer Quarterly Match of 50% of the first 4% of each employee’s contributions made into the 401(k) Plan after 1 year of employment