When I think of the federal government 'fixing' health care, this is the sort of thing I think they can fix. Not single payer, not mandatory coverage, just good enforcement of anti-competitive practices, ways to enable innovation with patient consent Etc.
How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
11–20 of 157 posts
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#12This caught my eye:
Kaiser spokesman Jim Anderson argues that if Shaw’s products didn’t make their way to hospitals it was because of “significant supply issues” on Retractable’s end. He also says they were prone to malfunction and that, in several cases, needles detached and were left “stuck in the arms of patients.”
I'm doubtful that a Kaiser spokesman would fabricate these problems, which leads me to believe that perhaps this reporting isn't as balanced as it could be. Maybe these needles are great, but perhaps there are two problems here, one being a competitor with a lot of control over the customers, and a second being problems with supply chain and quality control.
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#13"Or he sold his wares to systems so small and poor that they weren’t on the GPOs’ radar—prisons, nursing homes, Indian reservations, and the like."
So to minimize my risk of line contamination, I'd be better off getting my medical care in a prison. (Assuming this guys product really does work).
What will change this is how hospitals etc. are reimbursed - the trend is that reimbursements will be based on outcomes, especially with changes introduced by the ACA that go into effect in 10/2012. http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/full.html
So what matters then, are actual outcomes. If in fact there is an increase in infections from line contamination, or poor surgical outcomes (from a towel being left behind or what have you) - this will be measured and monitored, and believe me hospitals will address them, especially the for-profits, which seem to be surging again.
There was a interesting company out of Blueprint Health that addressed hospital procurement, allowing price comparisons. I don't have the details on how the GPO's are dealt with though.
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#14I'm glad that our startup isn't dealing with medical devices, only with software. Still, I've been working with some medical device makers and it is a wild and crazy world they work in. The whole GPO system is clearly broken, but I've met some people - at device makers no less - that are passionate about ending it.
We're doing our part to help that along.
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#15The movie EDIT "puncture" (thanks diek!) is a reasonably entertaining account off the retractable needle.
US healthcare (and thus, US patients) may miss out on improved syringes, but I hope they're able to sell many of these to the developing world where needle re-use is a serious problem. Re-using needles when 10% of the population has HIV/AIDS is awful. Not just because you risk transmitting HIV to other people, but because people with HIV are not able to resist any infection you pass onto them.
I'm surprised that the practices are legal - I'd have thought that the US would have had good law to ensure free and fair competition.
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#16"Or he sold his wares to systems so small and poor that they weren’t on the GPOs’ radar—prisons, nursing homes, Indian reservations, and the like." So to minimize my risk of line contamination, I'd be better off getting my medical care in a prison. (Assuming this guys product really does work). What will change this is how hospitals etc. are reimbursed - the trend is that reimbursements will be based on outcomes, esp…
Yeah, the reimbursements look like a good measure. We're a fan of some of the outcome criteria, especially the opportunities we've found to streamline things.
dr_, are you in the health tech field?
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#17I experienced this somewhat when consulting for a medical device startup. They'd developed a modular system supporting Laparoscopic procedures, reducing hands during surgery, which equated to significant safety increases as well as cost reductions. However, their big issue continues to be navigating the procurement process at hospitals, which is akin to requiring a full time lobbyist per hospital for the duration of…
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Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#18This caught my eye: Kaiser spokesman Jim Anderson argues that if Shaw’s products didn’t make their way to hospitals it was because of “significant supply issues” on Retractable’s end. He also says they were prone to malfunction and that, in several cases, needles detached and were left “stuck in the arms of patients.” I'm doubtful that a Kaiser spokesman would fabricate these problems, which leads me to believe that…
> I'm doubtful that a Kaiser spokesman would fabricate these problems,
Why?
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#19This caught my eye: Kaiser spokesman Jim Anderson argues that if Shaw’s products didn’t make their way to hospitals it was because of “significant supply issues” on Retractable’s end. He also says they were prone to malfunction and that, in several cases, needles detached and were left “stuck in the arms of patients.” I'm doubtful that a Kaiser spokesman would fabricate these problems, which leads me to believe that…
> leads me to believe that perhaps this reporting isn't as balanced as it could be.
That's probably a valid point. Media loves a little guy against huge industry story.
> in several cases, needles detached and were left “stuck in the arms of patients.”
More data needed to make any assessment. We need to compare failure rates of the retractable device with existing devices. We also need to adjust for the skill level of the people using the devices. There's probably an adjustment needed for the patients too.
Re: How the medical supply industry blocks device startups from selling to hospitals
#20This caught my eye: Kaiser spokesman Jim Anderson argues that if Shaw’s products didn’t make their way to hospitals it was because of “significant supply issues” on Retractable’s end. He also says they were prone to malfunction and that, in several cases, needles detached and were left “stuck in the arms of patients.” I'm doubtful that a Kaiser spokesman would fabricate these problems, which leads me to believe that…
"BD had released its own safety syringes some years earlier. But the ECRI Institute, the Consumer Reports of the health care industry, had rated its best-selling model 'unacceptable' (it was later upgraded to 'not recommended'), whereas Shaw’s product received the top rating."
I have a doctor and a nurse in my extended family that deal with Kaiser on a daily basis and I've heard horror stories that would make a battle hardened marine cringe. One that immediately comes to mind was a patient that literally died while waiting for some kind of approval (it's been a while since I've visited) from Kaiser for a kidney transplant.