For six years, ROLLETS has been providing interesting content in specialist seminars and intensive workshops regarding the complex topic of the provision of medical equipment. Further interesting content and comprehensive knowledge is set to be imparted in over 40 cities in 2017.
Thomas Hildenbrand founded ROLLETS with the motivation of providing resources in a goal-oriented and optimised way.

I am meeting with Thomas Hildebrand for an interview in the contemplative setting of Hochdorf, in a traditional inn a stone’s throw away from the medica Medizintechnik company headquarters. When I arrive, Tom is already there on his laptop. He tells me that he still has something to prepare for the next day’s workshop. For the third time, ROLLETS is organising a seminar in cooperation with THERA-Trainer. And having clocked up over 70,000 kilometres in the car and a total of 244 seminars and over 6,000 partner contacts to date, working between hotel rooms has long since become a routine for Tom.
This is not our first meeting. We have known each other for a few years thanks to the close collaboration. The openness and cheerfulness with which Tom greets people is quite special. His attitude to life is fascinating and undoubtedly one of the reasons behind the success of the ROLLETS rehabilitation network. Tom manages to bring together people in the industry and impress them. He makes sure that they get talking. What about? About the best possible provision of medical equipment. In the interview, he provides an interesting insight into the ROLLETS project and explains why it is so important not to lose sight of the people involved when it comes to dealing with treatment using medical equipment.

What is behind the company ROLLETS

ROLLETS is a rehabilitation network. The idea behind it arose from my previous work as an occupational therapist. Back then, I was already dealing extensively with the topic of provision of medical equipment and quickly established that there were severe deficiencies in the care structures. And not without reason. In many cases, therapists lack the time to ensure optimal care. Trained dealers are limited by the general conditions of the health system and are under a great deal of financial pressure. Family members are generally overburdened by the whole situation and do not have the requisite knowledge. One thing then quickly leads to another and, ultimately, the bottom line is that optimal care cannot be provided. I see ROLLETS as a sort of mediator between these two aspects. I bring the experts in individual fields together and promote communication and the transfer of knowledge.

ROLLETS has developed very rapidly in the last few years. Was everything planned in this way from the outset?

To be honest, no! [Laughs]. At first I just wanted to make pleasant, lively seminars. However, I then quickly noticed that I could make a difference with this. This provides me with fresh impetus every day. I am very honest about this: ROLLETS has become what it is today through actions and enthusiasm and this, and only this, has allowed it to reach this point.

Would you say that you are living a dream and ROLLETS is a kind of vision?

Yes! And I am not at all sure if one lifetime is enough to put it into practice. I still have so many ideas and plenty of motivation to make a difference.
What’s more, the demand for my workshops and seminars has increased enormously of late. Cooperation with manufacturers, who demonstrate their products and transfer knowledge as part of the events, is also steadily increasing. I have recently had to turn down interested parties as I would otherwise not have been able to cope. This is basically a luxury problem – I know – but it pains me to do this as I simply view every input as extremely important and I do not want to exclude anything. This is one of the underlying principles that have made the project what it is today.

What is different about ROLLETS and what makes the workshops so unique? Is there a secret recipe for success?

The key is and remains the wide-reaching interface work. There are also a few other seminars and events on the topic of provision of medical equipment. However, they are only ever intended for individual target groups. But what is exciting is precisely the idea of bringing those involved together, rather than considering them in isolation, and showing them that networking with each other is ultimately more effective. Everyone should be an expert in their field and know when they can rely on the expertise of others. I also believe that it is only through this coordinated interaction that actors in the health system can survive in the healthcare industry in the long term. In order to achieve this, I always consciously ensure that there is a mixed group in all seminars and workshops. I personally believe that this is the “secret recipe” and an important aspect that makes ROLLETS so unique.

What professional groups meet in the ROLLETS network?

There is a diverse mix! The entire health sector is represented: therapists, caregivers, manufacturers and medical suppliers. From time to time, we also get interested patients, family members seeking advice, and many more. The exchange that this leads to often brings about a deeper understanding of the problems and challenges faced by others. Therapists understand why it may not be possible to fulfil treatment requests, as perhaps they are too expensive or not practical. And they also find out what alternatives and possibilities they still have.
The right reason for treatment is also hugely important. Generally, the whole formal process of dealing with health insurance companies is a major issue. Here, many seminar participants learn that individual treatments must also be justified accordingly. This is because health insurance companies can ultimately only make decisions on the basis of available information. And if the key information is missing, this will result in a rejection even if the medical equipment is basically essential. In these cases, it is important to know, in turn, what rights insured persons have and how to fight for them. This topic is also the subject of some of my seminars. To better organise the thematic issues addressed, ROLLETS now offers basic and advanced seminars. Individual focus topics can be set in this way.

Is ROLLETS neutral despite the intensive consultancy activities?

Yes and no. Yes, because ROLLETS seminars are not advertising events. There is a transfer of knowledge. However, manufacturers are also on board, along with medical suppliers and other actors in the health system. And they naturally also have a legitimate interest in presenting and explaining their products – particularly if they require an explanation. However, I take great care to ensure it does not become a bazaar. If that were to happen, I would only end up damaging myself, since the health market certainly does not need promotional excursions. However, they would never have been met with such a high level of demand. I am therefore relaxed about this. But we do keep checks on quality. I regularly visit the workshops myself and we gauge the satisfaction of participants through our quality management. Objectivity is the first priority. But we have never had a problem here either. ROLLETS stands for quality and only works with serious partners who understand and do not misappropriate my idea.

How did the cooperation with THERA-Trainer come about and why do you think device-based therapy, in particular, is an important aspect of care?

The cooperation came about through my personal network. This goes back to a first encounter at a trade fair. As ROLLETS then really took off, cooperation made perfect sense to me and the partnership immediately blossomed.
Precisely the ability to stand and the possibility of therapy with a dynamic standing frame have won me over completely. I find it simply ingenious how devices can be used in a therapeutic environment and am regularly amazed at the tremendous effects that this has had on therapy. I also always allow for a lot of things to be tried out in the workshops. People must actually feel and experience this.
At the same time, I always say this will not make the role of the therapist redundant. Some of those participating in the seminars are initially against therapy devices and feel that their credibility as therapists has been damaged. I believe they are worried that a therapy device can replace therapeutic work. But let’s be honest: that’s rubbish. Therapists will not become redundant. On the contrary, they can expand the scope of their capabilities. It is always fascinating to see how the impressions of individual participants change over a seminar day. The THERA-Trainer team makes an important contribution to this. This is because they manage to transfer the knowledge required for this in a scientifically sound way and with a great deal of experience.

Would you also welcome employees of health insurance companies and from the medical profession to the seminars?

We have already done this! And why not? After all, this is the aim and it would even be good if they, precisely as the most important actors, participated much more often. I think that there is often a lack of understanding here too regarding the opportunities and challenges.

In your personal view, what should “optimal care” look like?

It is based on honest, fair and neutral advice and a focused implementation of all necessary measures. Sometimes this is not an achievable goal, as much as I wish it were. And it is not uncommon for the wrong decisions to prove very costly and be exasperating. Let me give you an example of this. I personally experienced this in the course of treatment in a clinic back when I was still active as a therapist. I had a patient who was initially approved for a complete home conversion. He then came to me and we established that providing him with a stand-up wheelchair would be much more suitable and would make the conversion unnecessary. The patient would be able to access all parts of his home as before thanks to the stand-up function of the wheelchair – even the wall units in the kitchen. The health insurance provider repeatedly rejected the use of the wheelchair and finally approved the conversion. That was twice as expensive and ultimately did not optimally solve the problem. I would call that rather “sub-optimal”. In many cases, however, it works out well. It would be incorrect to paint an entirely negative image of this. What is needed above all else is knowledge, expertise and the necessary perseverance. In the end we still managed to get the patient a stand-up wheelchair.

And now the final question for you, Thomas: What do you wish for in the future, for yourself and ROLLETS?

To be cloned three times please, so I do not have to travel 70,000 km per year on Germany’s congested motorways in, at times, seemingly endless traffic jams, but instead only travel 20,000 km and therefore have time for more seminars.

All the best for the future and thank you for this
interesting interview!