Med One Blog

By Ibby Smith Stofer

One of our recent blog articles entitled 10 Years of Changes in Healthcare Sales goes over how healthcare purchasing decisions and the sales process have changed over the last 10 years. Today we will focus on some of the challenges healthcare sales will see today and in the future.

In this digital age, we rely on our wireless devices for countless daily tasks. So when a wireless option was developed to join the variety of different IV pumps used by hospitals across the nation, most saw this as a positive advancement. Since IV therapy is considered to be the quickest way to deliver fluids and medications (yielding a bioavailability absorption of 100%), the progress to the use of wireless IV pumps would make it that much easier to get patients what they need. While infusion pumps and other medical equipment typically stand alone in their operation, wireless IV pumps are able to connect to various networks and even other devices. This has made access to electronic health records and point-of-care medication systems substantially easier.

Infusion pumps can be found in virtually every hospital and healthcare facility across the nation. Many advancements have been made since these IV pumps first premiered, but the development of the smart pump may be one of the most notable in the modern age. In 2013, 72.9% of all U.S. hospitals reported using smart pumps, a significant increase from just six years earlier, when only 44% of these facilities utilized the smart technology developed by IV pump manufacturers. Improved patient safety and easy integration with existing systems can largely account for this increase in widespread use.

I realized the other day while speaking with a business partner that I have been engaged in sales and support to healthcare providers for over 40 years. That was both exhilarating and depressing. How does one stay in one career for over half of their lifetime? Reflecting on where sales and healthcare providers are today versus way back at the beginning of my career, I found the last decade to be the most significant.

Since the 1960s, infusion pumps have gained widespread use in hospitals and healthcare facilities. They're an excellent way to administer fluids and medications quickly and accurately, which makes them popular in both emergency situations and for chronic conditions. But while you may be quite familiar with the sight of IV pumps that remain stationary in hospital rooms, you might not know quite as much about the other different types of IV pumps -- for example, ambulatory infusion pumps.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

A lot has changed in how healthcare facilities evaluate and determine which products and services will ultimately be approved. Today, purchasing decisions are often made through formal committees coming to an agreement on what is the best fit for the needs of the facility. In healthcare, the sale of medical devices or services can be instantly killed by the committee that must approve projects and expenditures.

Technological updates are helping healthcare and medicine advance at a rapid pace. Seeing the profound impact on human health and wellness has been, and continues to be, inspiring. As with innovations and advances in any field, there are risks associated with rewards.

Hospital administrators are often tasked with reducing unnecessary costs to ensure their facilities can stay up and running. But knowing how to actually accomplish this goal can be daunting, at best. This often requires quite a bit of creative thinking, the following tips can make for a great start.

For all kinds of healthcare facilities, IV infusion pumps are a patient essential. In fact, according to the Materiel Services department at the University of Michigan Health Systems, 86% of all patients admitted to hospital beds require infusion pumps. Syringe pumps and smart pumps are used in both medical centers and by patients in their own homes. But to keep these infusion systems working properly and keep patient health from being compromised, specific care and cleaning instructions must be followed. The following are some of those instructions.

Since the 1960s, infusion pumps have become a fixture in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. But in the digital age, it makes sense that a higher-tech version would be more preferred. Due to field advancements, increased availability, and patient demand, the programmable infusion pump market is expected to expand rapidly through 2025.