Editor's Comments

by Admin 1. July 2007 21:01
 

 

The challenge of change

As the July issue of On Target goes to press, Gordon Brown is still in his first week as Prime Minister – and already changes are taking place that impact on the world of healthcare. We have a new Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson – once a trade union leader, now a Blairite reformer. And while the importance of the NHS Connecting for Health programme for the medtech industry cannot be overestimated, the resignation of its Chief Executive, Richard Granger, casts another shadow on an already troubled project.

A week is a long time in politics, but it’s an even longer time in hospital. This issue contains the second article in our series ‘Reforming the NHS’, and this time we look at the way that supply-side reform is introducing new healthcare providers to widen the range of services beyond the traditional model of hospital-based care. We explain where the new players are coming from, what their priorities are and how the medtech industry can help them provide effective services for the new NHS.

We also look at the growing significance of Managed Equipment Services as a sales model, and report on a medtech sector – diagnostic imaging – that is undergoing profound change as the NHS rolls out the use of PACS across the UK. And our news section includes the stunning details of a breakthrough in skin graft technology by a UK healthcare company – as well as the recognition of two medtech leaders in the new Honours list. Change brings highs as well as headaches to an industry that remains at the cutting edge.

With so much going on, it’s easy to lose sight of the ground rules. Chris Freer’s article ‘Playing by the rules’ offers a guide to the complex landscape of medical device regulation. It’s complemented by Neil R. Armstrong’s article ‘The words that count’, which looks at how marketing messages can alter the status of a product and inadvertently breach regulations. Device regulation extends to the language of sales and marketing, and there’s no room in your product portfolio for snake-oil. The challenge of change doesn’t have to be stressful. Jan Lawrence’s article ‘Under pressure’ considers the difference between the positive challenges that bring out the best in a sales professional and the negative frustration and confusion that result in destructive stress. Her message is simple: in order to take care of business, you also need to take care of yourself.

Finally, our reviews page offers you the opportunity to explore some professional and leisure resources, win prizes and even write your own reviews. And while you’re at it, why not let us know what you’d like to see in On Target in the future? This is your trade journal, so tell us what you’re looking for.

We’ll be back in September with more features, reports and interviews to help you not just keep up to date with change, but stay ahead of the game. Have a great summer!


Chris Ross
Editor

 

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OnTarget Reviews

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:57

 





Touching the Void

by Joe Simpson (Vintage, pb, £7.99)
If you’ve seen the jaw-dropping film that was made from this book, it still won’t prepare you for reading this true account of two young mountaineers who paid a harsh price for taking risks. In 1985, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates climbed the Siula Grande in Peru. Their descent went wrong. Yates left the mountain on his own after Simpson had broken his leg and fallen into a crevasse. Simpson, with some comments from Yates, tells the story of how he made it back to the camp alone. For any reader familiar with the clinical issues of wound care or first aid, this book is a vivid reminder of people’s ability to survive physical trauma. But more than that, Touching the Void is an unforgettable insight into human courage, endurance, friendship and loneliness. Essential reading.


On Target special book offer

Vintage are offering a free copy of Touching the Void by Joe Simpson to the first 5 lucky On Target readers whose names are selected in our prize draw, and who have answered the following question accurately by the end of July: Name two other books by Joe Simpson. Send your answer to joel.lane@healthpublishing.co.uk.

Age-proof Your Brain

by Tony Busan (HarperThorsons, £12.99)
This book offers exercises and strategies to help readers achieve and maintain better mental sharpness, memory and thinking skills. Unlike most self-help books, it doesn’t patronise the reader with simplistic slogans or wacky new theories. Drawing on mainstream research, it presents evidence that “Just like your body, your brain needs exercise to stay fit.” What lifts this book out of the pile is the quality and variety of the mental exercises it offers. These are no Sudoko-style abstract puzzles. Busan offers guidance on short- and long-term memory, attention, logic, creativity and critical thinking, as well as physical exercise and relaxation. He emphasises the difference between the positive effects of challenge and the negative effects of stress on the mind. Busan’s message is that better memory and clear thinking can be achieved by avoiding habitual reactions – in other words, getting out of our mental ruts. We think best when we think for ourselves. That’s a thought worth remembering.

From healthcare to hardcore

The responses to our request for On Target readers’ favourite CDs for travelling were diverse, but a clear favourite emerged. Happy listening!

On Target Top 10 CDs

1. Amy Winehouse, Back To Black
2. The Rolling Stones, Forty Licks: the best of the Rolling Stones
3. Gorillaz, Demon Days
4. Adrenaline, Being This Side of Insane
5. Global Underground 16: Dave Seaman in Cape Town
6. Gym Class Heroes, As Cruel As Schoolchildren
7. Nina Simone, Nina Simone Sings the Blues
8. Unkle, Never Never Land
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greatest Hits
10. Dr Feelgood, Malpractice

On Target album of the year

Amy Winehouse, Back To Black

For the hard-working female sales rep, this album says everything about life on the road: the hard days, the cheating bars, the one-night stands, the drugs… OK, the reality is more likely just a half-bottle of Pinot Grigio and a copy of For Women, but one can dream. And this album is brilliant. Echoes of Billie Holliday and Gladys Knight float together with edgy arrangements and frank lyrics (these are not the radio edits) to add up to a memorable package. Buy a copy for your home stereo – and one more for the road.
On Target special offer winners: free copies of Guerrilla Negotiation Techniques were won by Tricia Rymer, James Rodger and Asif Anwar; free copies of Kiss Me Softly, Amy Turtle were won by Cristina McDowall, Tony Coleman and Andy Martin. Will it be you next time?

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Under pressure

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:55
 

 

Under pressure

Is stress at work damaging your health? It’s a popular notion that sales professionals thrive under pressure, but current legislation recognises the negative effects of excessive work demands on employees. Jan Lawrence offers some expert tips on how to build your resilience to stress.

Around one in five people experience high levels of stress at work, and 44% say that they feel under excessive pressure at least once a week. This is costing UK employers an estimated £9.6 billion per year. The Health and Safety Executive has recently created the Management Standards for Stress to help employers comply with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Act (1999), which puts a responsibility on all employers to assess the risk of stress for their staff.

The HSE defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them”. This definition demonstrates that stress has an objective component (it is caused by external factors) but is also subjective, as our experience of stress may depend on our perception of the situation we are in and whether we believe we can cope.

Healthcare sales can be a very pressured working environment, for a number of reasons:

• The job can start to take over your life.
• You are required to maintain a positive outlook in the face of rejection or refusal.
• There is constant pressure to meet targets.
• You are expected to perform at your best at all times.
• You spend a lot of time on the road.
• You have to be contactable 24/7.

Even small actions to change your situation can make you feel better. Here are a few suggestions to help you increase your resilience to stress and make you less vulnerable to stress-related symptoms.

1. Take control

‘Work/life balance’ – everybody’s talking about it, but have you got it right? Learning to take control of your life is one of the most important of all stress management techniques. The worst recipe for stress is when very high pressures are combined with a very low sense of control. When this occurs, we become progressively more run down, leaving us more at risk from many kinds of illness. Think about how you divide your time between work, home/family life, social/community life and yourself. If you want to devote more time to some areas of your life, plan how you will take control!

Mobile phones and other communication devices mean that being out of the office does not mean being out of contact. No-one can be available 24 hours a day and stay healthy, but often people find it difficult to be assertive and make the conscious decision to have some ‘me time’. This is where assertiveness skills can help.

2. Hydrate yourself

Make sure you drink enough water. Water makes up about 75% of the human body, and up to 85% of brain tissue. Even the smallest reduction in your body’s water concentration can reduce your energy and clarity of thought. Much of the stress you experience can be dealt with better if you drink 3–4 pints of good-quality water each day

3. Invest in your social support

If you are under pressure at work, it is important to balance this by building things into your life that help you relax. Thousands of studies in social psychology have shown that social support is the number one buffer against stress. The more pressure there is, the more important that support becomes.

Investment in human relationships is one of the most important things you can do to prevent and reduce stress, and to boost your health in the long term. Research has demonstrated that the most powerful influence technique is reciprocity: you have to give in order to get.

4. Sleep well

Good-quality sleep is essential for maximising your energy and performing at your best, both of which help in combating stress. Some tips for a good night’s rest are:

• Eat early. Are you eating and drinking less than two hours before you go to bed? It can take food that long to digest fully, so if you eat late you risk indigestion.
• Empty your mind. Are you thinking about tomorrow’s demands and challenges? Try writing down all your plans for the next day before you go to bed. Anxiety is always reduced when you increase your sense of control. Writing things down means that you don’t have to worry about forgetting them. It also helps you to slow down and de-clutter your mind.
• Acquire relaxation skills. You can’t make yourself go to sleep any more than you can make yourself remember things. A good way to drift off to sleep is to practise physical and mental relaxation. There are many books and other resources that teach you how to relax deeply.

5. Avoid the ‘sugar blues’

The ‘sugar blues’ is the roller-coaster effect you experience if you regularly eat sweets, chocolate biscuits or sweetened drinks. The consumption of high-sugar foods spikes your blood sugar level and gives you a burst of energy. However, the energy is short-lived:

your body senses that your blood sugar level is too high and reduces it, which makes you feel tired and lethargic. Too often the response is to boost your energy again with more chocolate or Coke, and so the cycle continues…

6. Gain a natural high

Regular physical activity brings many benefits, not least a noticeable reduction in stress.

Don’t be put off by thinking that regular exercise is a chore that needs self-discipline to maintain. To gain real benefits you don’t have to do that much, particularly if you were doing very little to start with. Also, the main benefits are not just physical but also mental and emotional. Regular exercise will:

• increase your physical and mental energy level
• release tension and lift your mood
• increase your self-esteem
• boost creativity.

These changes make you more confident and positive about your ability to cope with demands and rise to challenges.

7. Prevention is better than cure

In the current industry environment, where sales forces are being downsized and mergers and acquisitions are commonplace, there is increased pressure to perform well at all times. We perform best when we are getting enough sleep, good nutrition and exercise. You get out of your body what you put in; if that is mostly ready meals and coffee, the result may not be a pretty sight!

At the end of the day, stress is personal. Your core values, desired pace of life, longterm goals and ability to deal with pressure all play a part. There is also the reality of doing your job and the need to earn a living. Only you really know what is best for you. But if you feel you are suffering from stress-related symptoms, now is the time to deal with it.

These tips are expanded on the In Equilibrium website at www.in-equilibrium.co.uk/index/ stress-resources-on-target. Jan Lawrence is Director of In Equilibrium, which provides in-house training courses and consultancy to private and public sector organisations throughout the UK to help employees manage stress, enhance well-being and improve performance. For more details, call 0131 476 5027 or e-mail alastair@in-equilibrium.co.uk.

 

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UKRC Congress

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:49
 

 

 

 







E V E N T S    C A L E N D A R

UKRC Congress

The UK Radiological Congress (UKRC) is the largest medical imaging conference and exhibition in the UK. This year’s Congress at Manchester Central was illuminated by powerful new developments in medical technology within the NHS: the rollout of PACS across the UK and the growing relationship between the medical device industry and the electronic media.

There was a widespread sense, among the exhibitors that On Target spoke to, of both the medical imaging sector and its market being in a state of revolutionary change. The growing importance of major companies with the means and contacts to bring together a global portfolio of new technologies from different fields is one factor that explains the relatively low number of exhibitors compared to previous years. Another is the increasingly centralised, large-scale nature of NHS service commissioning, which may have led some companies to decide that the Congress delegates would not be buying.

Such concerns did not detract from the shared awareness that medical imaging is one of the fastest-growing and fastestchanging sectors of UK medtech. Major companies and specialist SMEs alike displayed eye-opening new medical imaging technologies, from ‘virtual endoscopies’ to mobile PACS solutions and remote video conferencing. New means of taking medical imaging to the community were much in evidence, with several companies displaying mobile diagnostic units.

While the exhibition showcased new technology and strategies for market access, the conference demonstrated the eagerness of the NHS to grasp the revolution in diagnostic imaging. In an outstanding lecture, Professor Stephen Horii described the evolution of PACS. He contrasted the film libraries of the past with the digital systems of the present, and looked to the electronic decision support of the future. His message was that technology alone does not drive change in medtech: the technology must be affordable, user-friendly and compatible with healthcare systems.

A fierce debate on whether new technology would make radiologists redundant highlighted some areas of potential misunderstanding between medtech and its customers. However, UKRC allowed both delegates and exhibitors a clear and penetrating X-ray of healthcare in the 21st century.

 

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The words that count

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:44

 







ZephyrTM A new brand of healing pacemakers speed up treatment

ST. JUDE MEDICAL has gained European CE Mark approval of its Zephyr pacemaker family, and the first implants of these devices in Europe have taken place. The Zephyr pacemaker saves clinic time by automatically performing all standard follow-up testing before the appointment. It can also tell physicians which device timing settings are optimal for the patient’s needs.

When a Zephyr device is interrogated during a follow-up visit, the stored diagnostics, trends and measurements from the automatic tests are displayed for evaluation. Physicians can program the device’s AV timing in about 90 seconds to deliver optimal therapy.

“Zephyr pacemakers offer built-in disease management options that result in better patient care in less time,” said Professor Tiziano Moccetti, M.D., chief of the Cardiocentro Ticino in Lugano, Switzerland, who performed the first implant of the Zephyr DR pacemaker in Europe. “Zephyr pacemakers allow me to quickly optimise therapy for all of my patients individually.”

“Clinic time is a valuable commodity,” said Michael J. Coyle, President of St. Jude Medical’s Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. “Zephyr pacemakers eliminate some of the waiting and ‘down time’ during followups, without compromising care.” For more information, visit www.sjm.com.

A new brand of healing

A UK COMPANY HAS produced the first artificial skin graft replacement to achieve full, consistent wound integration and persistence. This represents a major landmark in regenerative medicine.

Cambridge-based Intercytex Group plc, a tissue repair specialist, has completed a clinical trial in which the laboratory-made skin product ICX-SKN was fully and consistently integrated into the human body. All other living skin graft replacements currently available biodegrade within weeks.

In the trial, a sample was excised from the upper arm of six volunteers and replaced with ICX-SKN. After 28 days, all the grafts were vascularised and overgrown with the hosts’ own cells, healing the wound site.

Living skin grafts are the optimal treatment to obtain wound closure for certain types of wounds and burns. However, skin grafting is a traumatic process that creates an additional wound. ICX-SKN represents a potential alternative. Dr Stephen L. Minger of King’s College, London, an acknowledged world expert in regenerative medicine, commented: “I think these results are a real breakthrough in the field of wound healing and regenerative medicine. To have an off-the-shelf skin replacement product will revolutionise the treatment of burned and skin-damaged patients.”

For more information, visit www.intercytex.com.

Eizo to supply BUPA with monitors

DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SPECIALIST Eizo Nanao Corporation has been chosen by leading private healthcare provider BUPA to provide monitors for all diagnostic and clinical review requirements across its UK network of hospitals. The decision was announced at UKRC (see page 7).

“We are delighted to be given this opportunity to work with BUPA,” said Rob Musson, Business Director for Eizo in the UK. “We believe we are the only company able to provide such a broad-ranging solution that suits the needs of users across all major departments.”

Fiona Maclachlan, BUPA Hospitals Head of Diagnostic Imaging, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Eizo, who is going to supply all of our diagnostic and clinical review monitors for the hospital network. We were impressed with the comprehensive range of monitors that Eizo offers, enabling us to provide a flexible solution for image review across all areas within our hospitals.” BUPA will connect its Eizo monitors to the Eizo RadiNET Pro quality control system, which enables unified management of multiple monitors used in the PACS environment. The new system will enable BUPA Hospitals to develop PACS across its national structure, in line with the NHS Connecting For Health programme.

For further information, visit www.radiforce.co.uk.

 

 

What claims can you validly make for a product? Neil R. Armstrong of MeddiQuest looks at what the regulatory environment means for medical device marketing, and how changing your message can impact on the status of your product.

Forgive me if I start with a short tale from a bygone era...

Developing a medical device

For some years now, I have concentrated almost exclusively on new medical devices and new technologies. Frequently I visit a new potential customer who shows me their prototype product and asks me: “How will this be regulated?”

I always have to give the same answer: “Show me the whole product, including the labelling. Show me the indications for use. Show me the claims you intend to make. Then I’ll be able to tell you.” How a medical device will be regulated is not based simply on the physical device, but also on the words we put around it:

• What procedure(s) is it meant to be used in?
• What patient population (e.g. adults, children) should it be used on?
• How invasively should it be used?
• How long should it be used for?

The blacksmith in the story let his enthusiasm run away with him when he was in ‘sales mode’, and needed the apprentice to point out to him that his words had fundamentally changed the nature of the product. Listen to a modern hospital sales representative, let alone the owner of a business describing his new product, and you will discover that the same mistake persists to this day.

When we are designing and developing a medical product, we need to take a holistic stance and develop the ‘whole product’ together, including the promotional materials, the website, the instructions for use and the packs, boxes and labels. Only then can we be sure that we understand ‘what the product is’.

Following the label

Once we have determined the product and sought regulatory sanction to market it, we have essentially fixed the allowable use and claims. Many salespeople forget this, start promoting off-label uses in their enthusiasm to get a sale, and cause major problems for their organisations as a result.

Imagine an inexperienced sales representative confronted with a famous senior surgeon praising the product and keen to demonstrate exactly how he uses it. On his next call, the representative is keen to drop the surgeon’s name and endorsement into the conversation… and by accident the company has started endorsing an off-label use.

Another common problem is a lack of internal communication. Frequently the manufacturer goes for a limited (use or claims) approval in order to get the product onto the market quickly, expecting to follow up later with a more complex regulatory submission – but this is not communicated effectively to the sales force. Then there’s the over-zealous creator.

Frequently I deal with a product’s inventor who believes passionately in it. He is convinced that the product has another use or that he can make another claim for it, and he is determined to include this in the regulatory submission. However, the marketing team know this claim will be of no interest to a clinician, particularly if it is technological in nature and not outcomebased – and the regulatory team know it will be a nightmare to prove.

Approval and value

It is increasingly important to demonstrate the health economics advantage of a new device or new technology. However, this is separate from the performance and safety issues that need to be demonstrated to gain regulatory sanction for a product.

If clinical trials are required to gain regulatory approval, it is common sense to structure these in such a way that they also provide health economic evidence. However, if this means additional patient trials, it will be better to seek regulatory sanction without any health economic justification and then to demonstrate the latter with legally market product, at a fraction of the cost and complexity of a clinical trial.

The global market

Today, due in large part to the Internet, even the smallest single-product companies tend to think of themselves as players on a global stage. But there are many pitfalls for the unwary in international trade. Commercial laws, particularly those concerning the advertising of healthcare products, vary markedly from one country to the next; and increasingly, governments are assuming extra-territorial positions when it comes to Internet marketing.

The lure of export sales can seduce a business into international trade, but for the medical technology company it is essential always to check the basics:

• Are the translations really accurate?
• Does the clinical practice differ?
• Will a local partner take as much care of your legal and regulatory duties as they do of their own?

There is a great temptation to rely on a local partner to translate literature, develop contracts or terms and conditions of sale, train and manage their own sales force, and even manage regulatory submissions – but many organisations have paid a high price for such abdication of responsibility.

Top tips for marketing in the regulatory environment

1. Decide what you want to say about your product as you design it.
2. Make sure that any revisions to your marketing message are well communicated within your organisation.
3. Train your employees on the use of the product, the claims that can be made for it and the need to limit themselves to these.
4. Do not make unnecessary claims that will give no commercial or clinical advantage.
5. Do not rely on local partners to be as ‘law-abiding’ as you are!

Keep it real

The spoken and written words that a company puts around its medical device are frequently a larger part of the whole product than the physical device itself. We need to control the evolution of the words just as much as that of the physical product.
Neil R. Armstrong is Principal Consultant and CEO of MeddiQuest Limited, a UK-based Regulatory Affairs Management Company. Neil has over 25 years’ experience in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality and Regulatory Affairs roles with leading medical technology companies such as Smiths Medical, Teleflex Inc.
and The Automation Partnership. He is currently a Director of The Organisation of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) and Chair of the Institute of Quality Assurance’s Medical Device Quality Group.
MeddiQuest works in partnership with ‘hi-tech’ and ‘start-up’ organisations to help them introduce products rapidly to new markets while maintaining regulatory compliance. For more information, visit www.meddiquest.com.

 

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News Products

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:33
 







ZephyrTM A new brand of healing pacemakers speed up treatment

ST. JUDE MEDICAL has gained European CE Mark approval of its Zephyr pacemaker family, and the first implants of these devices in Europe have taken place. The Zephyr pacemaker saves clinic time by automatically performing all standard follow-up testing before the appointment. It can also tell physicians which device timing settings are optimal for the patient’s needs.

When a Zephyr device is interrogated during a follow-up visit, the stored diagnostics, trends and measurements from the automatic tests are displayed for evaluation. Physicians can program the device’s AV timing in about 90 seconds to deliver optimal therapy.

“Zephyr pacemakers offer built-in disease management options that result in better patient care in less time,” said Professor Tiziano Moccetti, M.D., chief of the Cardiocentro Ticino in Lugano, Switzerland, who performed the first implant of the Zephyr DR pacemaker in Europe. “Zephyr pacemakers allow me to quickly optimise therapy for all of my patients individually.”

“Clinic time is a valuable commodity,” said Michael J. Coyle, President of St. Jude Medical’s Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. “Zephyr pacemakers eliminate some of the waiting and ‘down time’ during followups, without compromising care.” For more information, visit www.sjm.com.

A new brand of healing

A UK COMPANY HAS produced the first artificial skin graft replacement to achieve full, consistent wound integration and persistence. This represents a major landmark in regenerative medicine.

Cambridge-based Intercytex Group plc, a tissue repair specialist, has completed a clinical trial in which the laboratory-made skin product ICX-SKN was fully and consistently integrated into the human body. All other living skin graft replacements currently available biodegrade within weeks.

In the trial, a sample was excised from the upper arm of six volunteers and replaced with ICX-SKN. After 28 days, all the grafts were vascularised and overgrown with the hosts’ own cells, healing the wound site.

Living skin grafts are the optimal treatment to obtain wound closure for certain types of wounds and burns. However, skin grafting is a traumatic process that creates an additional wound. ICX-SKN represents a potential alternative. Dr Stephen L. Minger of King’s College, London, an acknowledged world expert in regenerative medicine, commented: “I think these results are a real breakthrough in the field of wound healing and regenerative medicine. To have an off-the-shelf skin replacement product will revolutionise the treatment of burned and skin-damaged patients.”

For more information, visit www.intercytex.com.

Eizo to supply BUPA with monitors

DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SPECIALIST Eizo Nanao Corporation has been chosen by leading private healthcare provider BUPA to provide monitors for all diagnostic and clinical review requirements across its UK network of hospitals. The decision was announced at UKRC (see page 7).

“We are delighted to be given this opportunity to work with BUPA,” said Rob Musson, Business Director for Eizo in the UK. “We believe we are the only company able to provide such a broad-ranging solution that suits the needs of users across all major departments.”

Fiona Maclachlan, BUPA Hospitals Head of Diagnostic Imaging, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Eizo, who is going to supply all of our diagnostic and clinical review monitors for the hospital network. We were impressed with the comprehensive range of monitors that Eizo offers, enabling us to provide a flexible solution for image review across all areas within our hospitals.” BUPA will connect its Eizo monitors to the Eizo RadiNET Pro quality control system, which enables unified management of multiple monitors used in the PACS environment. The new system will enable BUPA Hospitals to develop PACS across its national structure, in line with the NHS Connecting For Health programme.

For further information, visit www.radiforce.co.uk.

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Playing by the rules

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:32
 

 

Regulation imposes consistency on the rapidly-changing world of medtech. But regulation itself is diverse and changeable. Where should the sales or marketing professional start? Chris Freer of Pharmalink Consulting offers a rough guide to the regulatory environment.

For any company working in the highly competitive and innovative field of medical technologies, knowledge of the regulatory environment is a gateway to customer access and commercial opportunity. But for many start-up companies entering this field, the regulatory environment can appear difficult and confusing.

One particularly complex area is the promotion and sale of medical devices and technologies. However, the Eucomed guidelines on this topic are intended to protect the medtech industry, as well as safeguarding the interests of customers and patients, by establishing standards in product performance and business practice. Eucomed (see www.eucomed.be) is an association representing the interests of European medical technology manufacturers.

A wave of red tape

The healthcare industry is a complex and diverse miscellany of products and services, swimming in a sea of regulation that is just waiting to form a tidal wave and sink the finest entrepreneurs endeavouring to break into the market. In the fast-moving, innovative world in which we live, the need to regulate has overtaken more basic principles in more or less all aspects of our lives. It should come as no great surprise, therefore, that the medtech industry has followed suit.

In recent years the healthcare industry, and in particular the medical technologies sector, has seen a surge in directto- consumer advertising (DCTA) and promotional campaigns. The fact that DCTA has been largely effective and lucrative for the pharmaceutical industry has spurred on medtech companies to try their hand at this marketing approach. By the same token, the medtech industry has been forewarned by the regulatory ‘red flags’ that have been raised over some pharma companies’ direct-toconsumer tactics.

The devil in the detail

There are no specific laws or codes relating to the advertising and promotion of medical devices and technologies. Promotion is, however, subject to the general laws on advertising and promotion – including the EU Directive on Misleading and Comparative Advertising (84/450/EEC), which has been amended several times and is currently in the process of being codified. In addition, advertisements in the UK must comply with the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1994, the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and the Television and Radio Advertising Standards Codes (where appropriate).

Comparative claims are allowed, provided that they are objective and do not mislead. Brand names of competitors may be used. If an advertiser fails to comply with the regulations, the Director General of Fair Trading may obtain an injunction to prevent the further publication of a misleading advertisement. In addition, the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 makes it a criminal offence to issue a false or misleading trade description.

In the case of an advertisement referring to the merits of a medical device used to administer medicines (such as an inhaler or a pre-filled syringe), even if no particular medicine is mentioned, Clause 4.1 of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code states that the advertisement must include prescribing information relating to at least one medicine.

Where to look

Information about the Trade Descriptions Act and the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations can be found at the Office of Public Sector Information (see www.opsi.gov.uk/index.htm). The Advertising Standards Authority regulates the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK, and is a very good source for information regarding television and radio advertising standards (see www.asa.org.uk/asa).

Reaching the public

The Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC does not give any guidance on the marketing and sales of medical devices. It concentrates on the registration and responsibilities of people responsible for placing devices on the market in terms of labelling and instructions for use, thus ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of the product. This allows individual countries the freedom to impose their own regulations on marketing and sales.

The regulation of direct-to-consumer advertising is different all over Europe. Some countries (such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy) prohibit DCTA of medical technologies, which can be administered only under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

These would include most Class III medical devices. Other countries (such as France and Hungary) prohibit DCTA of reimbursed products. Finally, in some countries (such as Germany, the UK and Greece) it is legal to advertise to the consumer as long as the advertisement is balanced and objective.

The use of disease awareness campaigns is allowed throughout Europe, as long as the campaign does not focus on a particular product or group of products. It is therefore possible to distribute educational material about a disease, and this may carry the name of the company as a promoter of the campaign. This might give the patient the subliminal message that the company has a product that can help them with their disease, and is thus advertising ‘by the back door’.

Opening doors

There are no uniform regulations across Europe that can be accessed to help the small manufacturer ensure it is acting within the law when advertising to the general public. Many of the European Health Authorities have websites with regulations – but these tend to be in the local language only, so for a small manufacturer without the benefit of local offices, finding out can be difficult and/or expensive.

Often, help from specialist consultants can offer a way forward; but sometimes a phone call to the local health authority will tell you everything you need to know. A good starting point for finding such information is the Heads of Medicines Agencies website www.hma.eu. The European Commission home page at www.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm also has excellent links to a vast website of EU policies, guidelines and other information on many topics.

One final website that may be worth consulting is the European Public Health Alliance or EPHS (see www.epha.org/), which represents over 100 non-governmental and other not-for-profit organisations working within the public health industry across Europe.

The fact that DCTA has been largely effective and lucrative for the pharmaceutical industry has spurred on medtech companies to try their hand at this marketing approach. By the same token, the medtech industry has been forewarned by the regulatory ‘red flags’ that have been raised over some pharma companies’ direct-to-consumer tactics.

Chris Freer works for Pharmalink Consulting as a Regulatory Affairs Executive. He held positions in Regulatory Affairs Management with global medical device manufacturing companies. Chris is also the Chairman of the TOPRA Medical Device Technologies special interest group. TOPRA is the global organisation for regulatory affairs professionals and for those with an interest in regulatory affairs in the healthcare sector.

Pharmalink Consulting is the world’s largest independent pharmaceutical regulatory affairs consultancy, with offices in the UK, USA and India. They assist the world’s leading companies with regulatory affairs functions, and are experts in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotech, clinical, consumer healthcare, medical devices, nutraceuticals and veterinary regulatory affairs.

 

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News Companies & careers

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:30
 







Royal honours for medtech

Geoff Morris TWO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY LEADERS were among the recipients of the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Geoff Morris of Medtronic and Malcolm Carlisle of Eschmann Holdings received awards in a list including such famous names as Ian Botham, Salman Rushdie, Joe Cocker and Peter Sallis.

Geoff Morris, Medtronic’s regional director for the UK and Ireland and former chair of the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI), received an OBE. Morris was also a member of the Healthcare Industries Task Force’s (HITF) strategic implementation group. “The award is certainly an appropriate reflection of Geoff’s contribution to the HITF and liaison with the Department of Health while chair of the ABHI,” a spokesperson for Medtronic said. “This group developed and has since sustained a process for ensuring constructive dialogue between industry and government, ultimately improving the access patients have to effective technology.”

Morris responded: “I’m deeply honoured. Given this opportunity, however, I need to recognise the contribution of so many others that enabled HITF to be a success, especially John Wilkinson and the team at the ABHI. Also many of my Medtronic colleagues played a significant role, providing unstinting support and inspiration during my ABHI chairmanship.”

Malcolm Carlisle, Group Managing Director of Eschmann Holdings, received a CBE for his services to the medical device industry. Carlisle took part in the HITF process as a member of the regulatory committee. Eschmann Holdings is a market leader in the design and manufacture of operating theatre and decontamination equipment, including operating tables and benchtop autoclaves.

The spirit of British technological innovation was also recognised by the award of an OBE to actor Peter Sallis, the voice of inventor Wallace in the Aardman Animations cartoon films.

New Chief Executive for Gyrus Group

UK MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY Gyrus Group Plc has promoted its Chief Operating Officer Roy Davis to Chief Executive. Based in Reading, Gyrus is a leading supplier of medical devices to reduce trauma and complications in surgery. Roy Davis As COO, Roy Davis has driven the ongoing process of improving operating margins while overseeing the integration of ACMI, which Gyrus acquired in 2005. Roy has over 25 years of line management and strategic consulting experience, and was a Non-Executive Director of Gyrus from its flotation in 1997 to 2003, when he became COO.

Former Chairman Brian Steer has become Non-Executive Chairman. Brian Steer commented: “Gyrus has grown from a small loss-making technology company into a profitable FTSE 250 medical device business with revenues of over £200 million and a market capitalisation of over £700 million. This has been achieved through both organic growth and acquisitions. Roy has led the integration of these acquisitions, and has driven a complete Operations and R&D restructuring programme.”

Roy Davis, Chief Executive of Gyrus, said: “I am delighted and honoured to become CEO of Gyrus. The Company is well positioned for the future with strong management, great people and world-class technologies. I look forward to leading the company to further success.”

20:20 Selection celebrates 5th birthday

JUNE 2007 SEES SPECIALIST recruitment consultancy 20:20 Selection Ltd mark its 5th birthday with plenty to celebrate, having recently moved to a new office suite, recruited two new team members and gained new clients.

Director Karen Forshaw commented: “The journey so far has been a real roller-coaster, with many lessons learnt along the way. Most importantly, we have achieved our initial goal of delivering quality levels of service to all our customers and remaining specialist in approach. The industry’s evolution continues as does 20:20 Selection’s, looking forward to the next five years!”

To discuss your needs as a client or candidate, contact the team on 0845 026 2020 or visit www.2020selection.co.uk.

Report shows UK business failing to develop talent

51% OF UK BUSINESSES are failing to implement talent development programmes, according to a landmark report from recruitment outsourcing specialist Capital Consulting and Cranfield School of Management. The report shows that lack of financial investment and senior management support are holding back talent.

While 60% of the businesses surveyed said that talent management – the strategies and practices needed to define, identify, develop, attract and retain those with skills valuable to the organisation – is essential to their bottom line, only 41% are strategically managing their star talent. Many companies are failing to ‘walk the talk’ on this crucial issue. The factors identified as blocking implementation of talent management strategies include lack of financial investment (51%) and insufficient senior management support (40%).

Jeremy Tipper, Group Managing Director of Capital Consulting, said: “Businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the growing importance of attracting the best available talent from the marketplace, but often fall short when it comes to following through on development, retention and allowing talented people to reach their potential. “The changing nature of UK and global economies and the demographics that lead to a shrinking talent pool entering the workforce will really begin to bite over the next three to five years. How good you are at managing talent will become a crucial factor in whether you are a winner or a loser in terms of competitive advantage.”

Dr Emma Parry, research fellow at Cranfield School of Management, said the report should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ to employers. “The ‘disconnect’ between what senior managers are saying and what they are doing is very worrying. It’s clear that, in the main, their actions have not caught up with their rhetoric when it comes to talent management.”

Midlands medtech COG keeps turning

Mike Lord KINGSWINFORD MEDTECH LEADER Mike Lord has been voted to the Chair of the Medical Technologies Cluster Opportunity Group (COG), which drives medtech industry growth in the West Midlands. Mike Lord is Managing Director of Minivator, the world’s second largest manufacturer of stairlifts.

Outgoing chairman Warren Gray of MCS Medical Ltd said: “Mike Lord is the perfect choice to be my successor, and his decision to take on this important and time-consuming role has been warmly welcomed by the current group. The next few years will be very exciting for the industry, and I look forward to seeing the West Midlands leading the rest of the country in innovation and successful commercialisation.”

Mike Lord commented: “I’m a great believer in working together to drive both commercial success and investment in healthcare. The West Midlands has a great track record for technical and medical innovation and the COG will be instrumental in steering this forward in the future.”

For more information, contact Lisa Ridgway on 07890 609933 or e-mail lisa.ridgway@reevesgreen.co.uk.

Randox is new corporate member of EDMA

THE EUROPEAN DIAGNOSTIC MANUFACTURERS Association (EDMA) welcomes Randox Laboratories as a new corporate affiliate, bringing its overall membership up to 30 major IVD companies and 21 National Associations.

Founded in 1982, Randox Laboratories (www.randox.com) is a Northern Ireland-based reagent and equipment manufacturer, providing a wide range of clinical diagnostic products. The company’s core products and services include Biochip Array Technology and environmental diagnostics. Randox Laboratories employs over 600 people, with sales and distribution agreements in 130 countries.

EDMA represents National Associations and major companies engaged in the research, development, manufacture or distribution of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices in Europe. The Association represents in total more than 500 companies across Europe.

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Meet the new players

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:20

 
 

 

 

Meet the new players

With new healthcare providers ready to enter the market, the NHS hospital will not be the only game in town. On Target takes a look at the new service providers and the opportunities they represent.

NHS healthcare service provision has always been a game of solitaire, with the local hospital the only card table. Now competition is being introduced to the market, and the emergence of new players is very much on the cards.

The Government has made the provision of choice for patients a central plank in its radical reform of the NHS. Patients will, according to the DH, be afforded greater choice in how and where they receive their healthcare. In addition, through practicebased commissioning, patients are being encouraged to play a leading role in identifying the types of healthcare services that local communities need.

The Government is building a ‘patient-led’ NHS, driven by choice and responding to demand. These demand-side reforms, which were explored in June’s On Target, are indeed radical. Their playing partners, the supply-side reforms, are revolutionary.

Full house

The Government’s reform programme sets out to build a market economy from the wreckage of the old NHS. Traditional supply and demand-style economics are being introduced, with the aim of bringing competition to a market that has previously provided only one option – the NHS hospital. The old model is a busted flush, so supply-side reforms are promising a new twist: the NHS service provision of the future will no longer be a single-player game. New players are in town to deliver services that were previously the sole preserve of local hospitals. In the process, services will be moved closer to patients’ homes and waiting times for treatment will (it is claimed) plummet.

What are supply-side reforms? For a start, they are controversial: communities the length and breadth of the land are currently fighting a wave of plans to shut down hospitals and A&E departments. These anticipated closures are a natural product of the supply-side agenda, which has been founded on the principle that the continued reliance on the NHS as a ‘National Hospital Service’ is not sustainable. Radical restructuring and ‘modernisation’ of local health services are currently in vogue, and the creation of a ‘plurality of providers’ is already taking place.

The White Paper Our health, our care, our say earmarks supply-side reform as an essential component in the aim to create more flexible and responsive service providers. It will give providers more freedom to be innovative and to deliver improved services that respond to patient need. It is the mechanism through which the Government can deliver the promise of demand-side reform: choice.

In reality, supply-side reform is even more than that. It is designed to introduce the language of market economics to the NHS, and thus to:

• eradicate the perception of the ‘National Hospital Service’
• encourage new healthcare providers
• increase competition
• stimulate innovation
• improve the quality of healthcare delivery
• drive down costs.

Shuffling the pack

Who are the new service providers? The new reforms are encouraging service provision from a wide range of players. National retailers such as Boots, Lloyds and Capio are natural entrants to the market, while private healthcare providers such as BUPA and BMI Healthcare are obvious candidates. Beyond these, the Government has already introduced two key supply-side initiatives – Foundation Trusts and Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) – to underpin the strategy.

NHS Foundation Trusts are independent, not-for-profit organisations that are accountable to local communities rather than the Department of Health. Despite this, they remain part of the NHS and follow its core principle of being free at the point of need. Foundation Trusts are set up to be more responsive and innovative than traditional NHS hospitals. Due to their autonomy from central control, they enjoy greater freedom to respond to local needs. They are able to decide what capital investment is required to improve their services, and are free to retain any surpluses they generate in order to support this investment. 65 NHS Foundation Trusts have so far been established since 2004. Monitor, a statutory body set up to regulate Foundation Trusts, says that they generated a £12 million surplus for reinvestment in patient care in 2005/6.

ISTCs are generally private sector companies that provide contracted clinical services for the NHS. They receive ‘National Tariff’ payments from the DH and/or NHS Commissioners, depending on the specific services they provide. The Government encourages ISTCs to make cost savings in the delivery of their services:

they will receive a percentage for these savings. Outside of Foundation Hospitals, it is anticipated that ISTCs will provide the lion’s share of the new patient choice. In addition, it is hoped that these providers will help to reduce waiting times and encourage innovation.

The Government claims that ISTCs, which have been operating in the NHS since 2003, have had a positive impact on healthcare delivery.

Stick, twist or bust for medtech?

What does all this mean for the healthcare industry? Supply-side reforms promise to end the long-standing era of the NHS monolith, so medtech needs to find a new approach to its sales and marketing. As the delivery of healthcare changes, the industry’s customer base changes with it. This provides a huge opportunity for proactive healthcare companies to partner (at last) with the NHS. Moreover, it could enable companies to offer value for the NHS beyond the simple provision of products.

The question remains: how? The key is first to develop an understanding of the role of NHS Commissioners, and then to build relationships with them.

The widespread encouragement of new service providers means that (in theory at least) healthcare companies could become providers and bid for NHS contracts. This appears unlikely at present; however, healthcare companies do possess many of the qualities that attract NHS Commissioners. Medtech will be able to offer support and skills to the less experienced organisations that are gearing up to become NHS providers.

For example, GP-led groups are forming companies to deliver services in their communities. Such companies are familiar with their local health economies and have a wealth of knowledge regarding patient bases and local needs, as well as clinical expertise. However, they lack some of the essential skills and resources required to develop and deliver new services.

This provides a powerful opportunity for healthcare companies to add value to their longstanding relationships with clinicians by partnering with them to provide support. This represents a shift from the traditional relationships that medtech has cultivated with clinicans, moving beyond clinical messaging and product marketing to offer management skills, resources and innovation.

In the process, medtech companies will be well positioned to help redesign services in tandem with the new providers. This will unlock opportunities to place individual products within a package of care to deliver the health outcomes NHS Commissioners are seeking. The new wave of businessfocused Commissioners are looking for services that deliver quality, improve care and provide demonstrable health outcomes.

In many cases, they will not be looking at the product alone but at the patient benefits the whole service will bring.

A strong hand

It’s important to note that while NHS Commissioners may be able to award ‘provider status’ to companies, that will not guarantee them a volume of business. In the era of patient choice, service providers are competing for patients and trying to persuade Commissioners that their service is worth considering as an option. This leads to two challenges: what are Commissioners looking for, and how will patients know that different service options exist?

First and foremost, Commissioners will be looking for services that are patient-centred. Providers will need to demonstrate that their services are easy to access and provide true benefits for patients. Commissioners will also want to be assured that a service is clinically efficient and delivers measurable health outcomes. Finally, they will need convincing that the provider shares their desire to improve quality. The most attractive services will offer all of these benefits while achieving cost savings.

Ensuring that patients are aware of available services is crucial: it is self-defeating to build a premier service that addresses a major local health need if the community is oblivious to it. If patients do not use a new service, the objective of reducing waiting lists and improving efficiency will not be achieved and the reliance on the ‘National Hospital Service’ will continue.

This provides a great opportunity for healthcare companies to help inexperienced providers market their services to patients.
The healthcare industry has strong marketing prowess, whereas the NHS has never needed to market its services to patients. In the new environment, the local hospital will be competing for patients. After decades of trying to sell products to the local hospital, medtech can now support it through partnership.

What’s the deal?

How can medtech sales professionals adapt to the new NHS culture? In tandem with the marketing function, medtech will need to develop wide-reaching and varied messages to take to the new enlarged market. With a potential array of new service providers in town, companies will need to tailor their messages. They will need to identify where their products sit on the patient pathway – i.e.

where they are used and how they are administered – and determine whether these products can fit within any prospective new service to help deliver healthcare. Furthermore, they will need to identify all the service providers in their locality and develop a business case for each one.

Whether it’s a Foundation Trust, an ISTC, a GP-led consortium or even an NHS hospital, each provider will require a different approach. Sales professionals will need to be flexible with their messages.

The key to success will be to understand your local health economy and all its stakeholders. Clinicians will remain a significant part of your customer base, and traditional clinical messages will still form an essential promotional ingredient. But the growing influence of NHS Commissioners, responding to the needs of local communities, means that understanding how your product can fit into a wider service, and the means of delivering that service, is fast becoming a vital skill for sales and marketing professionals.

CARD SCHOOL:
TOP TIPS FOR SUPPLY-SIDE SUCCESS

• Understand how your product is currently used, and how it could be used differently to help meet local and national objectives in the future.
• Identify the main stakeholders in your local health economy and talk to them about how your product can help them meet their objectives.
• Understand the role of NHS Commissioners and build relationships with them.
• Identify new and potential service providers.
• Understand each service provider. What are the threats? Where are the opportunities?
• Prepare a business case for each service provider.
• Remember that when you communicate with providers you are discussing a model of care, not pushing a product.

 




Bullshit Bingo

by Graham Edmonds (Southbank Publishing, £6.99 pb) www.southbankpublishing.com

Are you a results-driven team player who thinks outside the box? Do you go the extra mile to help your customers identify the win-win in pushing the envelope? Are you committed to blue sky thinking in order to benchmark the bottom line going forward? If so, your colleagues are probably already playing Bullshit Bingo.

Graham Edmonds’ guide to vacuous business jargon is essential reading for sales professionals who are expected to be fluent in bullshit when talking with those for whom it is a mother tongue. Edmonds breaks his subject down into categories – HR, marketing, finance, consulting, IT – and concludes each chapter with a Bullshit Bingo card to help you survive meetings.

Edmonds’ explanations of office bullshit are often hilarious, but with a serious point: he’s not just talking about garbled language but about manipulation, spin and plain deceit. For example, he describes benchmarking as: “A classic bullshit term as it can be used to demonstrate breadth of experience and ability to see the wider view. Used by consultants to extend their contracts. ‘We’ll have to benchmark extensively so we can get a holistic view of the market in all its guises.’” This book will not only save your sanity at conference (you’ll need two copies of each BB card), it will help you to improve the clarity and sense of your own language. You might even become a different team in the second half.

On Target special book offer

Southbank Publishing are offering a free copy of Bullshit Bingo by Graham Edmonds to the first 5 On Target readers who answer this question convincingly: What is blue sky thinking? Send your answer to joel.lane@healthpublishing.co.uk.

You can order Bullshit Bingo for the special price of £3.99 including free p&p in the UK (normally £6.99 + p&p) by phoning Turnaround Publishers Services on 0208 8293002 and quoting ‘Health publishing offer’.

Death by Meeting

by Patrick Lencioni (Wiley, £14.95 hb) www.eu.wiley.com

Patrick Lencioni has been round the track a few times, and should certainly know what he’s talking about: the company he founded has groomed some of the best organisations in the States to work more profitably, from start-ups to Microsoft. In Death by Meeting he’s on home ground, instructing meeting-averse managers how to get the best out of these weekly/monthly ordeals by redesigning them from the neck down.

Why, Lencioni asks, would we prefer to spend 96 minutes watching When Harry Met Sally when there’s more drama and excitement to be had from spending the same time with the other line managers? The answer is, because we don’t expect meetings to provide drama and excitement. How do we remedy this situation? Ensure that someone pulls out a gun? No, just get involved. All the excitement you need will be there for the taking. As he says: Imagine hearing a surgeon saying to a nurse before surgery: “If I didn’t have to operate on people, I might actually like this job.” Lencioni comes up with four styles of meeting to encourage the most apathetic attendees: from the five-minute stand-up to the offsite quarterly two-day event. They all have their inner dynamics, and each one should leave us planning for the future rather than regretting the past.

Whether you’re selling analysers or analgesics, you get involved in meetings. They’re not to be avoided, says Lencioni, they’re to be embraced. And he’s right. His style may be a spot folksy and all-American, but he writes in bite-sized chunks that are easy to swallow and even easier to comprehend and utilise.

Highly recommended: you could even take it to your next meeting.

David Learner is Business Development and Resourcing Manager at Delta Consultants. On Target special offer winners: free copies of Touching the Void by Joe Simpson were won by Chris Czyrko and Ron Smith. Will it be you next time?

 

 

The Reformation

It was 60 years ago last month that national independence was declared in India. Sixty long years, but the words of Mahatma Gandhi, like those of many of the world’s most inspirational leaders, still resonate today: “It is the reformer who is anxious for reform, and not society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution.” He could well have been describing the current plans to modernise the NHS.

The UK Government, as we know, has endured much criticism of its attempts at NHS reform. In fact, on occasions it seems that it would have been easier to find a Chelsea supporter in the days before the Russian invested his millions than it is to find a fan of New Labour’s NHS reform agenda today. Clinicians don’t like it, the media doesn’t understand it and the public just sees it as an excuse to close hospitals. The Tories see the same thing, but can’t seem to agree on which hospitals are most under threat.

So the question remains: is this all rhetoric or reality? The answer is probably a little of both, but perhaps the latter is outweighing the former. Like it or not, NHS reform is actually happening, and slowly but surely the healthcare landscape is changing. A quick glance at our news coverage this month shows how the independent sector is emerging as a key customer for the industry.

Likewise, there is a rumour that Foundation Hospitals, once a controversial political hot potato that threatened to bring down Blair, are becoming more dominant players in the healthcare market. If a Surrey Foundation Trust does indeed follow the Heart of England Foundation Trust’s lead and take over neighbouring NHS hospitals, then the face of the health service will be changed in an instant. As we have shown in the first two parts of On Target’s series on NHS reform, demand-side and supply-side reform are aimed at delivering greater choice for patients and, in the process, cutting waiting lists, creating competition and driving down costs. But how will all this work? This month, we look at Transaction Reform and the mechanisms designed to enable the promises of reform to be delivered.

The central policy of Transaction Reform is Payment by Results – through which money ‘follows the patient’. This allows us the privilege of choosing where we wish to take our healthcare from the array of choices enabled by a ‘plurality of providers’.

Will it work? Who knows. One Labour MP has recently predicted that the policy will soon be scrapped. The latest wave of national tariffs has been delayed, while healthcare analysts remain critical of its future prospects. And so it seems Gandhi was right. Everyone is a critic. But the reformers hold the key, and while they do, it’s as well to be prepared. After all, it’s already happening.

As a footnote, perhaps we should consider the wise words of another great leader, George Bush senior: “You do not reform a world by ignoring it.” Perhaps he should have mentioned that to his son. For the healthcare sales professional, however, therein lies a twisted grain of truth: ignore reform at your peril.


Chris Ross
Editor

 

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Interview with a Consultant Radiologist

by Admin 1. July 2007 20:00
 

 

The Other Side: 12

Interview with a Consultant Radiologist

Dr David Grant is Clinical Director of Diagnostics & Therapies and Consultant Radiologist at the Whittington Hospital in North London. On Target talked to him about the Managed Equipment Service scheme that the Whittington Hospital has developed with vendor-independent MES supplier Asteral. The success of this partnership has led Asteral to be shortlisted as one of three finalists in the ‘Partnership Working Deal’ category of the Health Investor Awards.

1. What led the Whittington Hospital to develop the first standalone MES contract in the UK, and to select Asteral as the supplier?

The need to offer an appropriate standard of diagnostic assessment, and hence clinical care, within the increasing financial constraints of the modern NHS. Asteral showed a genuine desire to work collaboratively to realise the goals and clinical aspirations of our hospital.

2. Is the Whittington’s new digital Imaging Department (which opened in November 2006) unique in the NHS?

It is not that the Hospital’s department is unique (although it is one of the best teams I have been fortunate enough to work with), but rather that it has achieved the infrastructure to deliver care in a pleasant environment and with an installed equipment base that is appropriate to modern medical practice.

3. What key aspects of the scheme demonstrate good practice and innovation?

Good communication, flexibility of planning and the provision of independent advice not affiliated to any single manufacturer. The potential purchasing power of an MES supplier is far greater than that of an individual hospital, and as such prices are cheaper, specifications more comprehensive and maintenance more responsive than those obtained by individual sites.

4. What challenges do MES schemes need to overcome?

MES schemes need to be seen as partners in delivering healthcare, rather than just as providers of equipment. This is a 15-year relationship, and one that needs to be flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the local population and the provider.

5. How do you see the role of diagnostic imaging in healthcare changing in the future?

Diagnostic imaging is one of the fastest-evolving branches of medical care. It is pivotal in delivering safe and effective treatment, largely replacing clinical examination. Like it or not, the reality of modern medicine is that it is testbased. I think that individual diagnostic modalities will continue to develop in terms of speed, resolution and patient acceptability, but perhaps the greatest challenges are in the fields of data management and computeraided diagnosis.
Current clinical data sets are huge and are likely to get bigger. There is a need for userfriendly display algorithms, rather than just more complex and larger data sets.

 

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