News
ENLARGE
VAIL, Colorado — Ideas for new businesses sometimes come in ways you don't expect. Cindy Nelson was recovering from hip surgery when the idea for a “medical concierge” business came to her.
Nelson, a member of the U.S. Ski Team in the 1970s and ‘80s, winner of an Olympic medal in 1976 and a Vail resident since the 1980s, has more than a passing knowledge about surgery. She also knows how tough life can be in the days and weeks after surgery, especially for those who live alone.
After her hip surgery, Nelson and friend Juli Young got to work and came up with the idea of Here2Help. The idea, in a nutshell, is to provide help for all the non-medical necessities that come along with coming to Vail for surgery.
People who come to the Steadman Clinic are asked to stay for at least four days, sometimes longer, so those patients can get a good start on their rehabilitation. But most people don't stay in the hospital very long. That means a patient needs a place to stay, and a ride to and from physical therapy, sometimes twice a day.
Many people who have surgery can't leave the hospital unless they're in the care of a “responsible party.” For local residents, that's usually a friend or family member. For an out-of-town patient, that's just another question to answer in an unfamiliar place.
“We find a solution to those problems,” Young said.
The questions don't stop there. People have been known to book rooms in second-floor condos without elevators. That's a tough place to stay when you're on crutches or in a wheelchair.
What do you need?
To determine what a patient needs, Nelson or Young — who are usually referred to patients by the clinics — will spend a lot of time on the phone before that person's visit to set up a plan. After five years in business, the partners can come up with answers to most questions before they even come up.
Either Nelson or Young will often go with a patient straight from surgery to physical therapy, helping that person tote the various gear, gadgets and medications that come with a trip to the operating room. Here2Help will then get the patient and all the attendant stuff ensconced in a room for the evening.
Here2Help has arrangements with transportation companies, and with lodges up and down the valley. Nelson and Young claim to be able to find the best prices, but more important, they know what needs to be in a condo or hotel room in those first hours after surgery, from ice to reclining chairs to leg pumps that keep blood from clotting in the days after an operation.
But those answers can sometimes be tricky to find. It can be hard to find a hotel or condo bed that fits someone 7 feet tall. And if that person happens to be in a stiff, leg-length cast, the right car can be difficult to find, too.
But that's the sort of thing Nelson and Young figure out.
And Here2Help is the sort of business that crops up when something like a surgical center starts bringing hundreds of people a year to a community.
“That's expanding an economic driver,” Vail Town Council member Margaret Rogers said.
The more activity brought in by a surgical center, the more likely it is that businesses such as Here2Help will spring up, she added.
Rogers hadn't heard about Here2Help before she was asked about it, but said at first blush, it sounds like a business that will make sure a condo is ready for guests before they arrive.
Beyond the basics
That's true, but there's more personal service associated with Nelson and Young's business.
Beyond the basics, Young and Nelson have been known to take patients sightseeing, and they've been known to go skiing with people who return after they recover.
And that, ultimately, is the point of having a “medical concierge” company helping surgical patients.
No matter how successful a surgery might be, if the patient has a hard time getting back and forth to therapy, or can't get comfortable in a room, that's going to reflect badly on Vail.
“One of the great things about Vail is we make like simple for our guests,” Rogers said. “It sounds like (Here2Help) is doing that.
Nelson said a big part of her business is making Vail a place a patient wants to return to later. If someone had a great surgical outcome, and felt welcome and comfortable during their stay, that person will probably come back to Vail, she said
Last year, Here2Help provided service of some kind to about 500 people. That's 500 people who may become Vail's steady customers in the future, and that's why Rogers and other town officials are banging the drum to build the valley's medical tourism business.
“This is the kind of innovation that makes Vail a great place to live,” Rogers said.
As more people come to Vail for surgery , Young and Nelson say they're prepared for more business. Here2Help is full-time work for the partners and a part-time employee now, but will grow as needed.
“I can't imagine having a state-of-the-art medical facility without a state-of-the-art concierge service,” Young said.
Business Editor Scott N. Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930 or smiller@vaildaily.com.
Nelson, a member of the U.S. Ski Team in the 1970s and ‘80s, winner of an Olympic medal in 1976 and a Vail resident since the 1980s, has more than a passing knowledge about surgery. She also knows how tough life can be in the days and weeks after surgery, especially for those who live alone.
After her hip surgery, Nelson and friend Juli Young got to work and came up with the idea of Here2Help. The idea, in a nutshell, is to provide help for all the non-medical necessities that come along with coming to Vail for surgery.
People who come to the Steadman Clinic are asked to stay for at least four days, sometimes longer, so those patients can get a good start on their rehabilitation. But most people don't stay in the hospital very long. That means a patient needs a place to stay, and a ride to and from physical therapy, sometimes twice a day.
Many people who have surgery can't leave the hospital unless they're in the care of a “responsible party.” For local residents, that's usually a friend or family member. For an out-of-town patient, that's just another question to answer in an unfamiliar place.
“We find a solution to those problems,” Young said.
The questions don't stop there. People have been known to book rooms in second-floor condos without elevators. That's a tough place to stay when you're on crutches or in a wheelchair.
What do you need?
To determine what a patient needs, Nelson or Young — who are usually referred to patients by the clinics — will spend a lot of time on the phone before that person's visit to set up a plan. After five years in business, the partners can come up with answers to most questions before they even come up.
Either Nelson or Young will often go with a patient straight from surgery to physical therapy, helping that person tote the various gear, gadgets and medications that come with a trip to the operating room. Here2Help will then get the patient and all the attendant stuff ensconced in a room for the evening.
Here2Help has arrangements with transportation companies, and with lodges up and down the valley. Nelson and Young claim to be able to find the best prices, but more important, they know what needs to be in a condo or hotel room in those first hours after surgery, from ice to reclining chairs to leg pumps that keep blood from clotting in the days after an operation.
But those answers can sometimes be tricky to find. It can be hard to find a hotel or condo bed that fits someone 7 feet tall. And if that person happens to be in a stiff, leg-length cast, the right car can be difficult to find, too.
But that's the sort of thing Nelson and Young figure out.
And Here2Help is the sort of business that crops up when something like a surgical center starts bringing hundreds of people a year to a community.
“That's expanding an economic driver,” Vail Town Council member Margaret Rogers said.
The more activity brought in by a surgical center, the more likely it is that businesses such as Here2Help will spring up, she added.
Rogers hadn't heard about Here2Help before she was asked about it, but said at first blush, it sounds like a business that will make sure a condo is ready for guests before they arrive.
Beyond the basics
That's true, but there's more personal service associated with Nelson and Young's business.
Beyond the basics, Young and Nelson have been known to take patients sightseeing, and they've been known to go skiing with people who return after they recover.
And that, ultimately, is the point of having a “medical concierge” company helping surgical patients.
No matter how successful a surgery might be, if the patient has a hard time getting back and forth to therapy, or can't get comfortable in a room, that's going to reflect badly on Vail.
“One of the great things about Vail is we make like simple for our guests,” Rogers said. “It sounds like (Here2Help) is doing that.
Nelson said a big part of her business is making Vail a place a patient wants to return to later. If someone had a great surgical outcome, and felt welcome and comfortable during their stay, that person will probably come back to Vail, she said
Last year, Here2Help provided service of some kind to about 500 people. That's 500 people who may become Vail's steady customers in the future, and that's why Rogers and other town officials are banging the drum to build the valley's medical tourism business.
“This is the kind of innovation that makes Vail a great place to live,” Rogers said.
As more people come to Vail for surgery , Young and Nelson say they're prepared for more business. Here2Help is full-time work for the partners and a part-time employee now, but will grow as needed.
“I can't imagine having a state-of-the-art medical facility without a state-of-the-art concierge service,” Young said.
Business Editor Scott N. Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930 or smiller@vaildaily.com.
