Clinical Perspectives

For years, ear tubes meant anesthesia, a day of fasting, separation from parents and about two days off work for the family. David Carey, CEO of Preceptis Medical, explains how Hummingbird TTS moves the procedure into the office as a five minute topical procedure. He also shares how the company reached about 50 customers with a single salesperson and why reimbursement took longer than he expected.

In this episode

• Why ear tube procedures were done in the OR, and what that cost families in anesthesia exposure, fasting and roughly two days of missed work
• How surgeons who are boxed out of ASC block time by cardiac and complex spine cases are turning to office based procedures
• Why an ENT's first procedure with a family matters when patients may need an ENT six or seven times in their lives
• How a limited market release brought on about 50 customers with one well traveled salesperson before a US expansion with new sales leaders and distributors
• Why reimbursement was the biggest challenge, from state by state Medicaid decisions to securing a separate code that covers the medical device
• The three tier awareness effort across ENTs, referring pediatricians and parents
• How the upcoming Parent Resource Center will help parents compare office and operating room options and find a doctor

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introduction 00:00:35 From sales associate to CEO 00:02:03 What Hummingbird TTS does 00:03:15 The impact on parents and families 00:04:31 How surgeons are responding 00:06:18 Limited market release and 50 customers 00:07:07 The reimbursement challenge 00:08:08 The magic wand, parent awareness 00:09:29 Building the Parent Resource Center 00:10:49 Sites, users and growth 00:11:28 Where to follow Preceptis 00:11:51 Advice on joining a startup

About the guest

David Carey is the CEO of Preceptis Medical, whose lead product Hummingbird TTS allows ear tube procedures to be done in the office instead of the operating room. He has spent about 30 years in the medical device industry at companies including Stryker, Medtronic and startups, focusing on commercialization, sales and marketing leadership. He has worked in roles from sales associate to CEO.

Follow David Carey

• Preceptis Medical website: preceptismedical.com
• Hummingbird website: hummingbirdeartubes.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-carey-1a1223/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/preceptis-medical-inc-/

Would you rather see the conversation than hear it? Catch the full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MNnw9BCFGto

If you are a medical device founder asking clinicians to change how they work, book a discovery call with us: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Up to $1,500. That is what a single sedated MRI scan can cost a hospital in non-reimbursable dollars, according to a white paper study Zack Hinson of UX Platforms cites. His team sells an MRI video system priced from around $25,000 to $35,000 per scanner that lets anxious patients watch a movie instead, and top performing customers have recouped that cost in as little as two months. The harder problem, he says, is that most buyers do not know technology like his exists.

In this episode

• Why white paper studies put MRI anxiety at 30 to 40% of all patients, and why scans of up to an hour make it worse.
• The math behind sedation: up to $1,500 per scan in setup, monitoring, staffing and anesthesia the hospital cannot get reimbursed for.
• How the Cinemode attachment clips into the MRI bed rails with a flip down mirror, and how Cinemode Plus streams from a Fire Stick, iPad or DVD player.
• Why a patient contact free design beats goggles that need cleaning between patients and sometimes do not fit certain head coils.
• Installing in roughly three hours versus competitors that retrofit an entire MRI room.
• Traction from a team of about five: around 150 locations in the US, about 100 in Japan, and three to four systems sold a month, almost entirely through outbound sales.
• Why trade shows and reverse expos work in a relationship driven market, and the next goal of OEM partnerships with Canon and Fujifilm.

Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome and an introduction to UX Platforms 00:01:16 How common MRI anxiety really is 00:03:10 What the technologist and patient experience 00:05:25 Locations, monthly sales and outbound growth 00:07:01 The awareness bottleneck 00:07:33 Sedation cost versus system cost and payback 00:09:29 OEM partnership goals for the next year 00:10:00 Competitors and the patient contact free approach 00:11:28 Why grow now 00:12:12 Winning Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital 00:13:15 Feedback from technologists 00:14:13 Marketing on a small team 00:15:18 Trade shows and reverse expos 00:16:25 The magic wand wish 00:17:22 Where to find UX Platforms

About the guest Zack Hinson is Director of Business Development at UX Platforms, a company that makes MRI video systems designed to ease claustrophobia and anxiety and reduce avoidable sedation during scans. He started in the industry about three years ago and now leads sales for a team of about five that sells to hospitals and imaging centers.

Follow Zack Hinson

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-hinson/
• Website: uxplatforms.com

Rather see the conversation than hear it? The full interview is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/APpFW-htRBA

If your medical device company has a strong product that buyers still do not know exists, book a discovery call with us here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Between 65 and 70% of oncology care happens in community practices, yet many medical device companies plan their launch around the hospital. Susan Weidner, Chief Strategy Officer at Innovation Partners, estimates this blind spot can cost companies 25 to 40% on the upfront. She walks through where the patient journey actually runs, who decides on adoption, and how early market access work needs to begin.

In this episode

• Community practices deliver most oncology care. Between 65 and 70% of it happens there, and many patients are first diagnosed in the ER or by a primary care doctor before being referred out.
• Clinical data alone will not prove value. Payers also want healthcare resource utilization: provider prep time, procedure time, aftercare, follow ups, plus medical and pharmacy claims.
• The timeline starts early. Begin communicating 12 to 18 months before approval, then spend the next 18 to 24 months sharing experience and evidence to protect coverage.
• Decision makers change by care setting. Hospitals lean on pharmacy and a separate technology committee. In community practices, it is often the CEO or medical director working with the pharmacy and quality directors.
• Some pre-approval communication is allowed. Under FDAMA 114, companies can share clinical components and rudimentary economic information with health system and payer decision makers, often through a pre-approval dossier.
• Payers need a short and long view. Show benefits at 12 months and at three to five years, because members change insurance plans regularly.
• Where to start. Educate your own team first, including on NCCN guidelines, then build an influence map to reach the top 40 or 50% of influential groups early.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introducing Susan Weidner 00:00:27 The origin story of Innovation Partners 00:01:29 The Chief Strategy Officer role and choosing partners 00:03:27 What medical device companies miss about oncology care 00:06:34 The data that proves product value 00:08:52 Why oncology is not just a hospital story 00:11:25 Missing the mark inside integrated delivery networks 00:14:17 When a care setting cannot use the product 00:15:07 How stakeholders change across care settings 00:16:46 The real sales cycle for manufacturers 00:17:46 Marketing and market access before approval 00:19:26 What FDAMA 114 allows pre-approval 00:20:32 How pre-approval work gets funded 00:21:46 Where manufacturers should start 00:24:17 The one thing every company should understand 00:25:29 What this blind spot costs in revenue 00:28:01 A knowledge problem, not a strategy problem 00:28:38 Where to find Susan and her final advice

About the guest

Susan Weidner is Chief Strategy Officer at Innovation Partners, which supports biopharma, medical device and med tech companies working in oncology, hematology and rare diseases. She brings together market access, medical affairs and market research to shape client strategy, while growing the team and finding complementary partners.

Follow Susan Weidner

• Company website: InnovationPartners.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-weidner-3b7653/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-partners/

Would you rather see this conversation than hear it? The full video is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UsK4m0CFyas

If you lead a medical device company heading toward an oncology launch and want a clearer picture of the patient journey, book a discovery call with us: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

MRI departments are running about 18 percent short on technologists, CT about 19 percent, and demand for those exams grows roughly 4 percent a year. Joshua Seyler, president of roclub Americas, explains why that gap will not close quickly and what remote scanning, hybrid work and AI can do about it.

In this episode

• The math behind the shortage: an 18 percent MRI tech gap, a 19 percent CT tech gap, and about 4 percent yearly growth in exam demand, which means complex exams like cardiac, prostate and breast are being dropped first.
• Why bonuses and higher wages do not retain techs, and how cross site support and a path to scanning from home keep them, including a tech who kept scanning from home after having a child.
• How equipment makers are using ceiling cameras and machine learning to position patients and set up exams, cutting table time from about 10 minutes to two or three, and why Joshua sees a two year window toward autonomous workflows.
• Why AI works best as a second read with an audit trail, since the radiologist's name still goes on the report.
• The 10,000 hour problem: advanced exams make up about 10 percent of a tech's day, so becoming expert in them can take 25 years. The answer is to stop hiring unicorn techs and give good people better tools.
• What turnover really costs: losing one tech can mean a $150,000 loss if it takes three months to recover, and why the goal is stable revenue, not cost cutting.
• Why process, not credentials, makes remote scanning safe. In Joshua's words, "It's safe because the process ensures safety and has enough checks and balances."

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introduction 00:00:39 How roclub grew out of 50 European imaging centers 00:02:04 What is driving the MRI and CT tech shortage 00:03:09 What happens to patients when imaging cannot staff 00:03:57 How the hybrid workforce model works 00:05:51 How close autonomous imaging workflows are 00:11:20 How precise AI reads are today 00:12:44 Why AI has to explain its conclusions 00:14:47 Imaging departments five to ten years out 00:16:37 The 10,000 hour rule and unicorn techs 00:19:01 The real ROI of a stable workforce 00:20:22 Industry challenges and new remote standards 00:24:30 Remote training and support 00:27:26 Growing across 15 countries 00:28:54 Why change management is the biggest obstacle 00:31:59 The magic wand answer 00:33:01 Advice for hospital administrators 00:35:06 Where to find Joshua 00:36:13 Final message on standardized AI

About the guest

Joshua Seyler is president of roclub Americas and has worked in medical imaging for 30 years. Before taking the president role, he led a team that wrote standard operating procedures, scanned remotely and managed installations for remote imaging. roclub was started by founders who ran 50 imaging centers across Europe and now operates in 15 countries.

Follow Joshua Seyler

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshseyler/
• Company website: roclub.com

You can also catch the whole episode on video over on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zKtcjQlZWEw

Medical device founders and commercial leads selling into short staffed imaging departments, grab time for a discovery call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Most medtech pitch decks boil down to this: we have a product, we need money. Investors care about one thing, which is rate of return, along with when it happens and how risky it is. Stan Glezer, Managing Director at Outcome Capital, explains how to close that gap and why the work starts with the patient, long before a single spec is written.

In this episode

• Reframe the pitch. Management teams talk about science, technology and operations. Investors want return, timing and risk. Translating operational work into value for a potential acquirer is one of the most common gaps Stan sees.
• The clinical filter comes first. Outcome Capital asks why your solution will be disproportionately more beneficial to the patient by the time you reach the market. Technological feasibility, regulatory strategy and commercial potential come after that.
• Write specs from the clinical situation, not from predicates. Stan describes a miniaturized respiratory medical device for mobile patients that still needed an oxygen tank. It has changed hands three times, and none of the owners have commercialized it.
• Design for patient, payer and provider at once. That means usability and emotional appeal for patients, pricing, codes and reimbursement for payers, and workflow, EMR and billing fit for providers. Stan treats COGS as a key design input.
• The market is the only party that is right. One client launched just before COVID, then saw no traction on relaunch because hospitals had moved into austerity. Commit limited resources, learn what sticks, then invest heavily where you see traction.
• Tariffs reshaped the exit path. Strategics face margin pressure and new spending on US manufacturing, so most medtech deals now happen after proof of commercial viability. VCs pulled back as well, and some CEOs report 100 to 150 outreaches to get one VC conversation.
• Where AI pays off and where it does not. Imaging, labs and tissue biology have rich datasets. Clinical outcome data is thin and concentrated with a couple of electronic health record providers, which makes Stan skeptical of claims that in silico trials will replace human clinical trials.

Chapters

00:00:00 The origin of Outcome Capital 00:02:24 The managing director role 00:06:04 The most common gap in client pitches 00:08:37 Advice before you start building 00:09:41 A respiratory medical device sold three times 00:10:31 Value to patient, payer and provider 00:12:59 When the product is already built 00:14:23 How to tell if a product is winnable 00:16:38 Tariffs, domestic manufacturing and exits 00:21:03 Communicating the no bankers positioning 00:22:58 The magic wand question 00:24:34 Funding as the biggest client problem 00:25:49 The ideal Outcome Capital client 00:27:44 Where AI works in medtech 00:31:08 Final advice for founders 00:33:03 Where to find Stan

About the guest

Stan Glezer is Managing Director at Outcome Capital, an investment bank and strategic advisory firm focused on human life sciences. He is a physician with 30 years in the life sciences industry, has worked in biotech and pharma, and has run R&D and medical affairs at medtech companies. He is also a licensed securities professional with FINRA.

Follow Stanislav Glezer

• Outcome Capital website: www.outcomecapital.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislavglezer/
• Outcome Capital publications and monthly newsletter, available on the company website

Would you rather see the conversation than hear it? Watch Stan and Stephanie on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mqbdYJvM9oU

If you lead a medical device company and want your product story to speak the language of investors and acquirers, book a discovery call with us: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Clay Johnson used to send every slide to legal 30 days early, then get them back redlined on day 29. That experience shaped how he leads now. In this conversation, the head of sales at New World Medical argues that regulation makes medical device innovation harder but does not have to stop it.

In this episode

Clay explains how medical device leaders can keep teams moving in a highly regulated environment without treating compliance as a barrier to innovation. He shares practical lessons on working with legal and quality teams, making decisions with incomplete information, using surgeon feedback to improve products, and creating a culture where accountability drives better performance.

• Keeping momentum through legal review: once he began building broad slides with no product names and no claims, the 30 day review cycle stopped stalling his meetings.
• Small changes after a 510(k) clearance: surgeons reported that a finger blocked the view because the cannula was too short and that the button took too much pressure. Engineers fixed both without significant FDA filings, and surgeons now accept the medical device much more readily.
• The 65 percent rule: make the decision with 65 percent of the information and be ready to change it. Waiting for 95 percent gives you a conclusion, not a decision.
• Build committees by personality: put deliberate, analytical people alongside gut instinct decision makers so that each side checks the other.
• Striving errors and a write it right session: how Clay tells reps that honest, legal and ethical mistakes will be corrected, not punished, and how he coaches them to put customer correspondence in writing.
• Discretionary effort over forced compliance: why he replaces "I'm holding you accountable" with "I would love for you to demonstrate accountability," and why "I get to" works better than "I have to."
• Cutting busy work: how a year of conversations with the quality department removed about 75 percent of roughly 80 required lessons from the sales team's load.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introducing Clay Johnson 00:01:11 Working through legal review at large companies 00:02:49 Why people believe regulation slows innovation 00:04:47 Improving a medical device with surgeon feedback 00:05:43 Regulation versus restriction 00:06:51 Deciding with 65 percent of the information 00:09:08 Asking if a decision is worth making 00:10:21 Leading a sales team in a regulated market 00:12:23 Why discretionary effort matters 00:14:47 Advice for leaders stuck between compliance and growth 00:16:32 Breaking down silos and finger pointing 00:18:06 The mindset shift innovation needs 00:18:45 Learning what other departments do 00:20:59 Where to find Clay

About the guest

Clay Johnson is head of sales at New World Medical. He is an executive sales leader whose experience spans the military, pharmaceuticals and surgical medical device sales, and he has built large new teams and turned around underperforming ones. He joined the pharmaceutical industry in the early nineties and has worked at companies that went through DOJ investigations and settlements.

Clay Johnson is on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayrjohnson/

Prefer to watch the conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rg2PYG5389M

If your medical device team feels caught between compliance and growth, schedule a discovery call here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Aesthetic systems once sold for $200,000 to $300,000. Greg Kennebeck says 90 percent of the products his company offers now start under $10,000, and practitioners often assume that low price means low impact.

Greg walks through the per treatment numbers clinics actually see, the budget ceiling for estheticians, and why buying decisions have moved from trade show floors to Instagram, LinkedIn and referrals.

In this episode

Greg breaks down how the aesthetics market has shifted toward lower-cost technology, what clinic owners actually look at when deciding whether to invest, and why ROI, treatment fit, and a clear three-second message matter more than ever as buyers move away from trade shows and discover products online.

• The esthetician budget ceiling. Greg puts the typical esthetician budget at around $5,000 to $6,000 and estimates fewer than 20 percent can go above it. Raising the price raises the cost of the service, which skin care providers struggle to pass on.
• Per treatment ROI. Cool lifting brings in about $75 for three minutes. Cold plasma runs 10 to 20 minutes with no consumables and earns $150 to $225. The WishPro magnetic infusion treatment returns about $150 in profit.
• The trade show squeeze. His team once did about 10 trade shows a year. Each now costs $10,000 to $20,000, and clinic owners tell him they no longer attend. Instagram, LinkedIn and practitioner referrals are where buyers find new technology.
• What separates clinics that scale. Successful clinics analyze ROI and confirm they truly want to sell the service. Clinics that buy because the competitor down the street did, or under pressure from reps, tend to struggle.
• Fit the existing menu. Greg advises buying technology that slides into current services instead of creating a new line item. Many skin clinics now charge for a rejuvenation service and choose the tools inside it.
• A stack that surprised him. Cold plasma, then exfoliation, then microneedling, dermaplaning or a peel, then cool lifting, finishing with red light therapy.
• The three second problem. Explaining a new technology in under three seconds is his biggest marketing challenge, and the reason he says companies need marketing help to shape the message.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and guest introduction 00:00:49 From diagnostic imaging to aesthetics 00:01:31 The shift to noninvasive, low downtime treatments 00:03:33 What holds clinics back from buying 00:04:29 Patterns in clinics that scale 00:06:36 Staffing and buy in constraints 00:08:28 Trade shows versus social media 00:09:51 Why cold plasma is growing in the US 00:13:19 Typical ROI per treatment 00:14:15 How ProMed Beauty reaches new clinics 00:15:14 What clinic owners should prioritize 00:17:53 A treatment stack that works 00:18:33 Getting the message across in three seconds 00:20:12 The under $10,000 price point 00:22:06 Why not raise the price 00:24:33 Where to find ProMed Beauty

About the guest

Greg Kennebeck is Head of Sales and Marketing at ProMed Beauty, introduced on the show as ProMed Solutions. He started in diagnostic imaging capital equipment in the late 90s and moved into aesthetics as microdermabrasion and laser technology grew. His company has distributed the cool lifting system exclusively in the US for four years.

Follow Greg Kennebeck on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-kennebeck-5bb20911/

* Website: promedbeauty.com * Instagram: @promedbeautyusa * Phone or text (Southern California, 8 to 5): 5623265720

Prefer to watch the conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zXR0u7lgqA0

If your medical device go to market plan still leans on trade shows, schedule a discovery call here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

A 30 percent failure rate, explained the moment someone drew the stack tolerances on a whiteboard. Paul Landesman, President at Consult Wing, finds that in a fair number of cases the product was fine and the process was broken. He explains how to trace field problems back to decisions made years earlier in development, and how to build a process that prevents them.

In this episode

Paul breaks down how medical device teams can distinguish between a product failure and a process failure, trace problems back to decisions made during development, and build stronger systems across design, regulatory, quality, manufacturing, and postmarket.

• Start at the beginning. Paul's first question on any engagement is whether the process was broken or the product was broken, and he traces issues back to user requirements and the risk tolerances set for each specification.
• Stack tolerances. Specifications that each look fine can add up to failure. One company finally saw why it had a 30 percent failure rate once the stack was mapped out, and the goal became a 99.9 percent success rate.
• Combination products. For a prefilled syringe or auto injector, drug stability is not enough. Syringe coating, glide and stiction affect injection pressure and timing, which makes supplier quality part of the design.
• The most expensive early mistake. A disconnect between marketing strategy, product design and regulatory submissions. In a home ECG example, laypeople placing leads is a foreseeable misuse that the user interface has to catch before a test runs.
• Why quick fixes backfire. Paul has seen recalls patched with a band aid, then two weeks later the real failure turns out to be a subcomponent shared by six or seven other products.
• Bickering is a signal. When engineers and manufacturing start arguing over a mind map, the handoffs are undefined. Paul trains everyone from marketing to postmarket vigilance on the same development process.
• Who owns the process. A project manager checking boxes is not enough. Quality or regulatory should shepherd the process from womb to tomb, since they sit in the hot seat during an inspection.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introduction 00:00:52 Finding the real problem on a new engagement 00:06:14 Root cause without documentation 00:08:04 Stack tolerances explained simply 00:10:31 The most expensive early development mistakes 00:13:35 The most surprising root cause 00:15:31 We don't know what the problem is 00:19:56 Structuring teams to avoid blind spots 00:25:19 Who should own the development process 00:27:31 Advice for building a new medical device from scratch 00:30:11 Where to find Paul

About the guest

Paul Landesman is President at Consult Wing and a med tech regulatory and quality expert with decades of experience across global medical device organizations. He has a pathology and laboratory medicine background and has worked at large medical device companies and startup companies. He helps clients with product strategy, FDA submissions, field issues and combination products such as prefilled syringes and auto injectors.

Follow Paul Landesman on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paullandesman/

* Consult Wing website: www.consultwing.com * Consult Wing blog: occasional, somewhat humorous posts published on the Consult Wing website

Prefer to watch the conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zpxdmaNoowE

Building a new medical device or chasing a stubborn field issue? Book a discovery call with our team at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Acteon sells cone beam machines that cost between $60,000 and $75,000, and dentists take six to nine months to decide. David Teter, who leads marketing for Acteon in North America, explains how key opinion leaders keep the brand in front of buyers across that whole cycle, from early R&D input to launch to the webinar survey that qualifies a lead.

In this episode

David breaks down how Acteon works with KOLs throughout the entire sales and product lifecycle, from early R&D and product launches to lead generation, sales validation, and long-term demand.

• Bring KOLs into R&D early. Dental products can take a year or two to develop, and building them in a vacuum is risky. KOLs review progress and feature sets alongside the R&D team.
• Use CE webinars as lead qualifiers. To earn clinical education credits, dentists answer a survey that asks if they are in the market for a CBCT, when they plan to buy and which features matter most.
• Measure every KOL event. David tracks registrations, attendance, how many people stay to the end and how many complete the CE survey. For creator style KOLs, he relies on social insights instead.
• Brief before any peer reference call. Sales reps lean on regional advocates, but they should share the buyer's concerns first so there are no gotchas.
• Find KOLs where clinicians learn. Acteon's 10 year relationship with Implant Pathway in Phoenix surfaces standout educators, and its 23 field reps refer strong candidates.
• Skip forced exclusivity. Watch how many brands a KOL represents, but let them compare products. Honest comparisons build more trust than a hard pitch.
• Put the product in their hands. Test drives with portable products like the surgical cube and the ultrasonic scaler turn a good first experience into a sale.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:03 The Acteon story 00:02:08 Top pain points for dentists 00:03:14 KOLs for credibility versus revenue 00:06:33 KPIs for KOL programs 00:08:31 Social platforms and two customers 00:09:55 The magic wand and test drives 00:11:51 Sales team mistakes with KOL validation 00:13:07 Finding and evaluating KOLs 00:14:58 Where to start building a KOL system 00:17:34 What to watch out for 00:19:09 The pitfalls of exclusivity 00:20:39 KOLs as co creators 00:21:52 Where to find Acteon

About the guest

David Teter leads marketing for Acteon in North America, covering the US and Canada. Acteon is a French company with more than 75 years of history that makes imaging and clinical products for the dental industry and operates in 120 countries. He is based just outside Raleigh, North Carolina.

Follow David Teter:

David Teter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcteter/

* Acteon website: acteongroup.com * Acteon North America on Instagram * Acteon North America on Facebook * Acteon North America on LinkedIn

Prefer to watch the conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/COm_TnFgT_c

If you lead a medical device company and want help turning clinical champions into demand, schedule your discovery call here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery

Many clinicians see a medical device rep walk in and assume they are only there to sell. Jayren Stokes, Associate Territory Manager at BD, explains why the sales process for medical devices gets easier when you focus on the human perspective first. He also explains why nurses shape more of the order than most commercial teams realize.

In this episode Jayren breaks down what medical device sales looks like from the rep's perspective, including the role nurses play in purchasing decisions, how he grows existing and specialty accounts, and why understanding the people behind the process matters just as much as understanding the product.

• Nurses drive the order. Jayren calls nurses the backbone of the healthcare system and says they largely dictate which prescriptions go out and which catheter gets used.
• Volume adds up fast. A patient with urinary retention can need 6 to 7 catheters a day, up to 30 days a month, and one clinic can see about 30 or more patients on a single catheter.
• Growth comes from two places. He educates new MAs and RNs at existing accounts and goes after specialty accounts, including pediatric programs at Stanford Healthcare, UCSF, Shriners Hospital and Children's Hospital of Madera.
• Not every product fits every clinic. During PureWick inservices he weighs fit. A cancer urology center might benefit, while a pediatrics practice probably will not benefit as much.
• Insurance changes break the chain. Updates pass from the company to reps to clinics, chart notes need specific verbiage, and a single Medicare change can affect a patient's order.
• The no value myth. His answer to clinicians who see reps as a nuisance: if there are no screws and no hardware, there is no surgery.
• The magic wand. He wants real time updates on canceled, delayed or postponed operating room cases. That would stop wasted company cars, stipends and nurse time.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome and introducing Jayren Stokes 00:00:30 The origin story of BD 00:01:40 Covering Northern and Central California clinics 00:04:34 Recurring clients versus new accounts 00:05:46 Growing specialty accounts 00:06:56 From nursing school to medical sales 00:09:13 The entrepreneurial side 00:10:35 Why nurses are the backbone 00:12:25 Career goals in management 00:13:22 Insurance and Medicare challenges in DME 00:15:21 Back and forth with the supplier line 00:16:16 The myth that reps add no value 00:19:57 A magic wand for operating room delays 00:22:48 Advice for breaking into the industry 00:24:56 Where to find Jayren

About the guest

Jayren Stokes is an Associate Territory Manager at BD, covering Northern and Central California and servicing 30 to 50 clinics from Chico to Fresno and along the Central Coast. He attended nursing school in Charlotte, North Carolina, before moving into medical sales, and he has worked in the operating room on spine cases. He hopes to move into a management role, such as regional sales manager or training.

Follow Jayren Stokes

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayrenstokes/ - BD: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/

Prefer to watch the conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m_v9g2MEvrk

Leading a medical device company and want to talk through how your product reaches clinicians? Book a discovery call with our team here: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/md-pm-discovery