These 10 stories mattered the most for medtech in 2020

8. Medtech sales reps go remote

Sales reps and surgeons have one of the most central relationships in medtech, not only for promoting new sales but more importantly for ensuring that surgical procedures go smoothly. As surgeries become more complex and sites for surgery more numerous, the demand for medical device sales reps is growing. Yet the limitations imposed by COVID-19 has kept many sales representatives out of hospitals and operating rooms.

To maintain or strengthen those ties, many tech companies — including Avail Medsystems, Explorer Surgical and Proximie — stepped up to offer virtual connections between medical sales reps and surgeons in the OR.

Chris Landon, SVP and business leader of image-guided therapies at Philips, told the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast that the adoption of new technologies is going to “change the way that we interact with physicians for the better.”

The commitment to finding a permanent solution led Philips in July to acquire Montreal-based company Reacts, which had supplied technology for Philips’ Lumify point-of-care ultrasound solution. The Reacts tech allows for the remote sharing of the ultrasound stream used during a procedure.

“We’ve created our own virtual presence in the cath lab,” Landon said, adding that the stream could connect physicians and reps over long distances. “We certainly see a new type of sales rep-physician interface happening.”

Dr. Neil Moat, chief medical officer and divisional vice president of Abbott’s structural heart business, told the podcast he sees a similar transition. Abbott is working with outside companies to provide telemedicine connections for its sales reps.

“We’re intimately involved in looking at remote technologies or virtual technologies for training and for supporting procedures,” he said.  – TS

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