This is exactly what happened to me.  My very small pump business
disappeared when the nearby hospitals started renting.  I was right in the
geographical middle of two of them.  What I did think was funny is that
they would call me when they ran out of pumps and send people to me, but
they would sell them the kit first.  (Pretty much destroying my profit.)

Anecdotally, I did hear of an LC in my area who was fired because she
mainly referred hospital clients to her own business.  (This was before the
hospital started renting pumps.)  Don't know if its true. I have seen
certain people push heavily to get clients to rent from themselves when
they are on the list.  I also know of pump rental stations that were kept
off of the list distributed to clients because of personal conflicts with
hospital staff.  I think some of these problems might exist because there
is not a good living to be made here as a rental station due to market
saturation (which is a good thing for clients, not LCs!).  Many of the
people renting work at area hospitals, sometimes in the lactation clinic,
sometimes not.

From:    "Wendy Thomson, Rn,Bsn,Ibclc" <[log in to unmask]>
My depot went from 200 pumps to about 10 when the hospitals opened up their
lactation centers It has been a struggle at times when the local hospital
refuses to refer moms out to the community b/c they want the revenues for
themselves  The hospitals here walk into the moms room with the pump and
the contract

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