My mom works as an x-ray technician at a small orthopedic office in Chicago-land. Recently, the office ordered a new x-ray machine to replace their old and outdated equipment. My mom was very eager to use the new equipment, and was very happy to have an upgrade. However, after a few days of shuffling patients in and out of the room, she already had some complaints: the lever for the film was difficult to operate, there was not enough clearance between the machine and the door to get a stretcher in the room, the surface of the table was too slippery. One thing she said that really stuck with me was that no one ever asked her for her opinion when buying the equipment, even though she was going to be the one using it every day. She said she would have picked a different machine, if she had the choice.

But whose choice is it really? Who is the customer when you are making a medical device? Is it the office manager who purchased the equipment? The people who came in to install it? The x-ray tech’s, like my mom, who use it every day? The patients with broken bones? The doctors who interpret the x-rays? The insurance company who reimburses for the costs?

In the consumer markets, a manufacturer (Heinz, for example) sells a finished good (ketchup) to a consumer (you) at a store (Giant Eagle). You pay for the ketchup at Giant Eagle, who in turn pays Heinz. It’s simple. The end user of the ketchup is the one who ultimately pays for it.

Unlike consumer markets, the healthcare value chain is a bit more complicated. The manufacturer makes a device, but the person who ultimately ends up “paying” for it, is not usually the person who uses it. Each product has its own set of stakeholders that should be considered during the design and development of a product. Engaging all stakeholders at the beginning of a project is a really important part of developing a successful product.

- Sherri

 

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