Robots represent a vision of the future, a vision that inspires two parts amazement and one part fear of being replaced by superior machines. In manufacturing, robots have been deployed since the 1960’s to exceed human precision and productivity. This same potential exists in the provision of healthcare, but to date robots have barely made a dent.
While Europe may still provide a faster route to regulatory approval for such devices, post-market requirements are creeping in like an expensive final cheese course served by European regulators and health systems just when companies are feeling most broke and tired. So regulatory approvals may come, but actual, meaningful revenues? Not so fast.
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Many attribute Obama victory to his formidable ground game, a painstakingly built and vast support network that got people excited and out to vote. This seemingly old-fashioned tactic, combined with some high-tech media and math, is a winning one in politics, and works for emerging medical technology companies, too.??
As an advisor to emerging med tech companies, I am always on the lookout for attractive niche markets where new technologies might get a foothold and demonstrate their value before taking on the (often mythical) billion-dollar opportunity. To this end, for years I have instinctively gravitated toward the transplant market (the solid organ kind, e.g. kidneys, livers, hearts, pancreases, etc…) as a nifty space for novel medical devices and diagnostics.
Most Americans, even the smart ones, are still scratching their heads about what the Affordable Care Act (full name “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, acronym ACA) means for them. As a healthcare consumer, I have the year 2014 in my head as the deadline for when I need to figure it out, as it […]
The past few weeks have culminated in a sorrowful irony for me, as my father advanced to the final, terminal stages of heart failure. Professionally I am immersed in a universe of promising new medical devices, while personally I witnessed the one-by-one elimination of technological solutions for my father’s grave condition.
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
cronyms are popular because they serve the useful purpose of expediting communication, creating a tribal sense of community for those in the know, and conveying the (sometimes false) perception of vast expertise to the uninitiated. There are certain acronyms, however, that strike fear into the heart of the med-tech entrepreneur. Upon mention of these TLAs, the tension in the room is palpable as brains silently begin to revise development timelines, budgets and cash out dates.
In a functioning emerging med tech family, there is a healthy level of tension among the various stakeholders, each with a unique perspective on how best to grow the value of the company (and thus their stake in it). Sometimes, though, the incentives and motivations are in such opposition that value or even whole companies can be destroyed, or worse just limp along zombie-like in defiance of all logic.
...we ask ourselves whether the small emerging med-tech company can achieve success (and funding) with a “tons cheaper” value proposition. In theory, any company starting fresh with design and manufacturing should be able to take advantage of Moore’s law in a way that the big guys with vast installed bases and capital investments can’t. The opportunity for success is there, but not every company or technology is cut out to win at price-cutting.
A look at how Boston Scientific has shaped the emerging med tech landscape, and where the ex-BSC-ers are making their impact now.
We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.
There have been many books, articles and probably blogs written about what it takes to corner the corner office. When that corner office is overlooking the HVAC system of a sub-sub-leased space crammed with tired-looking engineers, low-paid summer interns, 3 day old pizza, EBAY-purchased testing devices, duct tape covered chairs, and the strewn parts of multiple cannibalized pieces of equipment, otherwise known as a start-up med tech company, different rules apply.
With all the turmoil in the US healthcare market, a port in the storm is not easy to find. A port that can accommodate an outsized tanker ship like Medtronic is even harder to locate. With two back-to-back acquisitions last month of Peak Surgical and Salient Surgical, the S.S. Medtronic took refuge in Surgery Harbor, committing nearly $600 million (net of previous ownership stakes) in a single day to nestle in with the hulking barges of Covidien and J&J.
...maybe it is time to lift our transatlantic heads up and take in the view of the rest of the planet. While we run back and forth to Europe, clogging our arteries with triple-cream brie, a whole developing world chock full o’ unmet medical needs and experiencing enviable GDP growth goes largely untapped by emerging med tech companies.
When you work with small, scrappy companies, you get caught up in the pain point of the moment, and boy can company naming be a pain. Brilliant names are few and far between, and probably accidental, so success usually feels like exhausted resignation. Okay, good enough, let’s go with it.
It has been rough going for many healthcare VC's, and the pressure isn't off yet. New sources of financing are conspiring to compete for value creation and potentially giving the VC's a run for their money.