Thank you for joining me on September 17 for our virtual town hall sessions. In case you were unable to attend, please take a moment to review the recap and click here to read the post-event FAQs that were asked by employees before, during, and after each town hall.

Finally, a reminder: if you ever have a question or concern regarding a Human Relations topic, such as merit increases, your benefits, training, etc., please reach out to HR@nsm-seating.com directly, and they will be happy to discuss.

At NSM, we believe that continuously improving how we work, we can deliver better outcomes for our clients, create more efficient processes, and make NSM an even better place to work.

We also know that the best solutions often come from those closest to the work - you! That’s why we’re launching a company-wide innovation challenge called Spark Tank starting today through November 25. Up to five winners will win $2,000 each, so start submitting those great ideas now!

 How It Works:

We invite you to submit ideas that focus on:

- Improving client satisfaction

- Enhancing or streamlining internal processes or tools

- Saving time, reducing costs, eliminating waste, or removing non-value-added work

- Driving innovation and sparking new ways of working

When submitting, think about your daily work and pain points, and how you’d solve them. Don’t be afraid to think big. End-to-end process improvements, new tools, or innovative solutions are all welcome.

Submitting Ideas:

- Submissions will be collected through this form, in which you'll provide your name, email, improvement title, description, pain points, benefits, and category.

Recognition & Rewards:

- All submissions will be entered into a drawing for a free team lunch.

- The winner will be selected in January, and the selected 5 winners will receive $2,000.

- Winners will also be recognized company-wide and announced at the 2026 symposium.

Judging Criteria:

Ideas will be reviewed and selected based on:

- Impact to our business and clients (financial or experience)

- Ease and feasibility of implementation

- Cost savings or avoidance

Let’s work together to unlock new ideas, simplify how we work, and continue building a culture of excellence at NSM.

You hear a lot about bots and AI, and we’re using them at NSM, too. We’ve partnered with AGS to build robotic process automation (RPA) that takes repetitive tasks off our funding team’s plate.

Instead of manually checking payer portals for authorization status, bots now do the work faster and more often. Another bot, our fee schedule change bot, has also been running successful transactions. To date, we’ve completed five sprints covering nine payers, with more on the way.

And we’re not stopping there. The next bot will support Medicare Same & Similar, helping us continue to leverage technology and improve efficiency across the team.

We’re excited to share the launch of a new section on NSM-Seating.com, designed to improve the client experience by adding more education around getting a new wheelchair. The new 'Getting Your Chair' section of NSM-Seating.com provides greater transparency into the wheelchair order process, helping clients feel more informed and confident throughout their journey with us. This section is also a valuable resource for internal teams, supporting consistent messaging and setting clear expectations with clients.

What’s included:

- Visuals that clearly represent the order process

- Straightforward explanations and videos that are easy to understand

- Defined roles and timelines to set expectations and support timely service

We know communication matters; 1 in 5 dissatisfied clients have told us that better communication would have improved their experience with NSM. This initiative is a direct response to that feedback.

How you can help:

Please take time to familiarize yourself with this new resource so you can reference it when talking with clients about their orders.

Together, let’s continue to improve how we communicate and deliver on our commitment to a best-in-class client experience

I am pleased to introduce Niraj Patel, who will serve as the President of our Home Accessibility business. Niraj’s new role signifies our commitment to expanding market presence through both acquisitions and organic growth. The Home Accessibility segment continues to have great potential for NSM, being a natural adjacent business to serve our current clients and the growing aging-in-place population. 

To date, we have had various senior leaders who have developed strategies and operated our accessibility business as a component of their role, but it is time to have a dedicated executive leader working with me to develop and expand the business with more speed, just as we’ve done for our business in Canada. Many thanks to Matt Nelis, DVP of the West Division, for providing his leadership and support to the Home Accessibility team during this interim time period.

Niraj joins us from Sarnova, a national provider of healthcare products and services in Acute care, Fire, EMS, and Public Access emergency preparedness. Niraj served as the President and General Manager of Cardio Partners, a division of Sarnova, leading this $250M business in profitable growth. Niraj brings strong experience in strategy development, supplier relationships, building culture, and driving acquisitions/integrations. Prior to that, Niraj has held various roles leading commercial, product development, and supply chain teams. He previously provided leadership in product development at Livanova, a $1.25B global medical device company focused on products and therapies for the head and heart. He also spent five years at Invacare Corporation, a provider of home health and long-term care products such as rehab technology, beds, and patient transport products. While at Invacare, he served as the Director of Respiratory Business and Director of Strategy/Program Management. Niraj brings a breadth of skills that will enable growth in home access.

Niraj received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Institute of Technology, and his MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He also holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Change Management, and Strategy Deployment.

Please join me in welcoming Niraj to our team!

The Supplies division is now leveraging Parachute Health for both new referrals and our resupply program. This platform streamlines the prescription process by guiding providers through documentation requirements and ensuring accuracy before submission, which allows us to onboard clients more quickly and efficiently.

Our sales team is prioritizing outreach to providers already using Parachute, helping us strengthen relationships while reducing delays caused by incomplete paperwork. By simplifying the process for providers, we’re making it easier for clients to access the supplies they need without unnecessary back-and-forth.

Parachute’s AI-powered review also acts as a second set of eyes, catching documentation errors early and improving compliance. The result is faster onboarding, cleaner workflows, and an improved experience for both providers and clients, benefits that our team is already seeing in action.

Through expanded service programs, stronger sales support, and deeper connections with the branches, the Home Access team has been working hard to lay the groundwork for continued growth going into 2026. Specific focus areas include:

Preventive Maintenance Expansion

We launched service and maintenance programs in Indianapolis, South Bend, and Philadelphia, replicating Albany’s proven success in boosting sales and customer satisfaction. Kudos to Adam Pender and Sharbrina Hughes for leading the efforts.

Inside Access Consultant (IAC) Growth

The IAC team welcomed two new members, Wendy Dutilly and Brittany Stephens, to help manage our increasing volume of inbound leads, qualify prospects, and schedule in-person evaluations effectively. Training and team-building are underway for the team with leadership from Josh Banner, Adam Pender, and Jason Miele.

Leadership Branch Visits

Our Access leadership team spent time visiting branches in the Northeast and Midwest. These visits are helping our new Home Access President, Niraj Patel, get acclimated to the business while surfacing new growth opportunities. We’ll continue this road engagement in the coming months as we shape our 2026 plans.

The Healthcare Equipment team in Durham, NC has officially joined the NSM Family! This experienced team of eleven brings more than 30 years of service to the Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill communities and a deep commitment to exceptional client care.

Flu season is approaching, and NSM wants to keep everyone healthy. Influenza can lead to serious complications—especially for young children, older adults, and the medically fragile populations we serve.

NSM strongly encourages you to get the flu vaccine. While the cost is your responsibility, it is likely covered by your benefits and every NSM employee will be allowed to get the vaccine during working hours to make it as easy as possible. The vaccine is readily available at a very low to no cost at your local drugstores – Walgreens, CVS, and many other chain and grocery pharmacies, often with a free gift card or other bonus – as well as at your doctor’s office or other clinics. If you can’t locate a provider, let us know and we’ll help.

Who shouldn't get a flu shot:

- Anyone younger than six months of age

- Anyone with life-threatening allergies to the flu vaccine or its ingredients

- Anyone with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome should first consult with their doctor

For everyone else, the flu vaccine is safe, low-risk, and far safer than getting the flu.

While we don’t require you to be vaccinated, NSM policy does require that you submit the “Influenza Vaccine Acceptance/Waiver” form each year. To make this very easy, the form is electronic. Instead of printing and signing a form, simply click here to submit your response.

Please click the Mission Moment image to enlarge.