Katie Stevens Named 2021 HME Woman of the Year

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Jan 11, 2022

Katie Stevens, the CEO of Reliable Medical Supply, was named the 2021 Home Medical Equipment (HME) Woman of the Year in a program sponsored by VGM & Associates.

In a December announcement, VGM noted that Stevens has more than 15 years’ experience in healthcare “and has demonstrated expertise in business development and healthcare operations throughout her career.”

That career started at National Seating & Mobility (NSM), where Stevens began as a customer service rep in 2006. She held multiple positions at NSM, including Regional VP of Operations. In January 2020, Stevens became the VP of Operations at Reliable Medical, a Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) and HME supplier headquartered in Minneapolis.

In January 2021 and in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stevens became Reliable Medical’s CEO.

Mike Mallaro, CEO of VGM Group, said in a news announcement, “On behalf of our entire VGM team, I am honored to present Katie Stevens with this award, which she has earned for her dedicated service to the HME industry. Katie has displayed exemplary service and has helped raise the bar in standards across the industry. I am excited to watch Katie lead this business into the future.”

“I’m absolutely honored,” Stevens said in the announcement. “This is an incredible group, and it’s an absolute honor to be recognized for dedication to the industry and the people that I am passionate about.”

The HME Woman of the Year award, in its sixth year in 2021, “recognizes one woman in the industry who has made significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community, and the HME industry,” the VGM announcement said. The award was presented during a virtual ceremony on Dec. 16.

In 2021, 64 nominees across the HME, CRT, respiratory, and women’s health industries were submitted, with four finalists chosen “based on criteria including implementing new business processes, industry advocacy, improving patients’ lives, and community involvement,” VGM said.

The other three finalists were Dr. Trisha Bailey, CEO, Medical Hotspots Inc./Bailey’s Medical; Neidi Mack, VP for Ancillary Services, Prism Health Care Services/The Alden Network; and Victoria Peterson, Administrator, RespMed.

Read more about Katie Stevens in a December 2021 Mobility Management story, in which Stevens discusses her goals for Reliable Medical.