3 min reading time

Full disclosure: I do some medical device marketing consulting for ImaCor and think their innovation is impressive.

Primarily used in cardiac surgeries, a traditional transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) consists of a probe and ultrasound system. The images show heart function during the operation and special credentialing is required for us. Plus the system costs $250k.

The probe is typically removed after the operation. Then critical care teams typically use indirect parameters to estimate what the heart may be doing.

Until now.

Medical device innovator ImaCor created a TEE for critical care that requires only six hours to learn. It consists of an ultrasound system and miniaturized probe that’s placed indwelling for up to 72 hours to directly visualize cardiac filling and function over time.

Why is that significant?

According to prolific researcher, surgeon Shukri Khuri, postoperative ICU care is more important than pre- and inter-operative factors in determining survival after cardiac and trauma surgeries.

From a value-based care standpoint, ICUs are pure cost centers, so anything that can reduce the time, complications, and resources needed to resuscitate a hemodynamically unstable patient is a plus.

Dr. Nick Cavarocchi, Thomas Jefferson Univ. Hospital, says, “Our institution has experienced significant savings from use of this device.”

Recognizing clinician buy-in alone won’t win new accounts, ImaCor guarantees lower ICU costs with a $100,000 guarantee. See https://medgroup.biz/ImaCor.

What do you think of the cash offer to guarantee savings? Are other medical device companies doing similar programs and, to your knowledge, are they working?

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10x/MDTX is finally here, today, tomorrow, and Thursday.

I’m hosting today so email DWarfield@MedicalMarcom.com to squeeze in a visit for our keynote and reception tomorrow.

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Make it a great week.

Joe Hage
Medical Devices Group Leader

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Joe Hage
🔥 Find me at MedicalDevicesGroup.net 🔥
Kimberly, this is a case where I have to call on “smarter grown-ups.”

Gunter Wessels,Ph.D.,M.B.A., Jenn Kujawski, Jim Fidacaro, Elizabeth Brooks, Nicholas Anderson: Kim says, ‘Hospitals benefit from each day the insured patient is in ICU.’

I believe the opposite is true. ICU beds are the limiting factor to how many operations the hospital can perform and the profits on operations dwarf any reimbursement issue from an incremental day’s stay in ICU.

If I properly understand value-based care, the hospital is getting a fixed price for aiding a (let’s say) heart transplant patient whether the patient goes home same-day or stays in-patient for months.

Your expertise appreciated.

Joe Hage
🔥 Find me at MedicalDevicesGroup.net 🔥
Yes, Judy, that’s right. We autoplay it right up front on the homepage so everyone understands the technology at a glance.

Joe Hage
🔥 Find me at MedicalDevicesGroup.net 🔥
Kimberly Langdon wrote me, “The concern I have with offering up cost savings to hospitals is that they benefit from each day the patient is in ICU with their complications, etc–at least for the insured ones. Hospital administrators have a disincentive to cut those reimbursed costs.”

Furthermore, it’s sad but true that no one listens to the doctors except their patients and explains why you can’t get traction there.

Doctors do care about fast and safer discharges for their patients, but have scant reserve energy to fight the administration.

If you get the insurance companies on board for reimbursement and they give hospitals incentives to use the device, then you have a better chance. Good luck.”

Gunter Wessels,Ph.D.,M.B.A.
Practice General Manager at LiquidSMARTS
The economic model used by the client to support the acquisition is the key.
Create it and sell with it or have it used on your solution without your input.

Kimberly Langdon M. D.
VP R &D Physician Integrative Laboratories-“The Self-Health Company”​
Patients with complications stay longer and when coded properly, the insurance pays for those extra days. Only in uncomplicated cases is there a fixed fee. Furthermore, operating rooms take emergencies first regardless of whether there is an ICU bed. There are other solutions such as the SICU, Neuro-ICU, etc. Elective surgeries have no dependence on a bed in the ICU. The number of surgeries done in any given hospital is dependent on OR capacity, staffing, and anesthesia, not ICU beds.

Carmelo Zammitto
Owner At CZMITO Design
Hello Joe, Any requests on a rotational handle thumb ring scissors for the medical or surgery industries? allows better control and support than traditional tools. Kindly let me know. Regards Carmelo Zammitto.

Oliver Sedlacek
Contract Firmware Engineer at Keeler Instruments Inc
Interesting question regarding financial rewards. Many industry sectors are moving towards a ‘total cost of ownership’ concept, and I don’t see the ICU departments should be any different. As a taxpayer and healthcare user (although hopefully not cardiac in the near future) it seems like a good idea. What would be more concerning is a pitch directly to the patient, as that seems to have a very poor outcome.

Dr. Aynur Unal
Director, Member of the Executive Team, www.amteus.com, UK
I was thinking how we can reduce the cost..I agree with Dr. Shukri Huri that after operation monitoring is more critical but the cost of the system is too high..

Lisa Staffieri
IV Infusion Sales Specialist at AMERITA
Hi Joe- Anyone in Boston doing this? Interested for a family member…sounds very innovative.

Jody Bortner
Owner, 3fx,inc experienced executive, animator, and account manager
Hey Joe, looks like you may already have an animation showing off this technique. Is that true?