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MINI-MED...NIPRO (AMIGO?)

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Anonymous

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HAS ANYONE HEARD OF NIPRO? THEY ARE NUMBER 1 IN JAPAN AND ARE FORMING A SALES FORCE TO START IN THE STATES...I HEARD NIPRO IS A 2 BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY AND HAVE A PUMP CALLED THE AMIGO...DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS COMPANY...I WAS ACTUALLY CONTACTED TO INTERVIEW...THEY TOLD ME THEY ARE REALISTIC BUT HOPE TO GET TO 15 PUMPS A MONTH..1ST YEAR WITH EACH REP...ANY THOUGHTS? VERY COMPETITIVE PLAN.
 




First, quit screaming. Second, if you are trying to get MiniMed reps, many of whom really do want to leave....everyone has signed a non-compete. The pump companies that look at the agreement usually decide not to mess with it. Medtronic is the 500 lb gorilla and lawsuits are not worth it for the underdog. Unless the rep has been gone a year, it is a potential hassle.
Good luck though. Competition is healthy for the consumer.
 








Screaming - typing in all caps is considered the same as screaming at someone. Don't do that. It is simple computer etiquette. As for 15 pumps per month, that depends on a lot of things. But I don't actually think a new rep with a new company that will probably not have someone processing insurance and won't have clinical support can realistically do that with an average pump. Do you have pump experience? Diabetes experience? WHat is your background?
 




i have diabetes experience...but not pump....they have clinical support 24/7 and can you tell me why is it an average pump? how do you know that? the pump has mini-med competition in japan and beats it...I know that might not mean alot, but figured id share.
 




Anonymous said:
i have diabetes experience...but not pump....they have clinical support 24/7 and can you tell me why is it an average pump? how do you know that? the pump has mini-med competition in japan and beats it...I know that might not mean alot, but figured id share.
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I believe all pump companies have 24-hr support lines, or at least 24-hr call back. By clinical support I mean a live body working with you in the field. If you don't, that means you will be doing most or all of those trainings yourself. And spending countless hours on the phone with customers. Training will be 3-4 hours minimum for each pump you sell with follow-up calls and maybe visits on some occasions. You will also be collecting your own documents to submit for insurance. That alone is time consuming, but the constant follow-up with the insurance companies will drive you nuts. Medtronic has a full time clinical person in the field with each rep, and a full-time insurance specialist for each rep. And there are times when that rep is only shipping 20 pumps per month, with the excellent reputation and coverage that they have AND the network of about 3000 trainers that do the trainings for them. So, is it realistic for you to do everything and do 15 pumps per month? I don't think so. As for the pump, the big trends here are either continuous glucose monitoring integrated into the pump or tubeless pumps. Is the Nipro pump either of those? I don't believe it is. So, it is an average pump in the United States. I am just explaining the market so you can make an informed decision. It is always fun to work for a start-up (which this company is here) but their goals for you may be unrealistic. If the goals aren't a big deal, then go for it. But I can tell you that you are going to work more than you ever imagined and it may not be all that they promise. And DON'T sign a non-compete if you can avoid it. Then you can go to another pump company if you don't like it there.
 




Their pump is a dog. It is just another me too product. They have hired and fired a national sales force twice in the last 4 years in the US. Do your homework. There is NO WAY new reps will sell 15 pumps/month 1st year. Look at Disetronic/ Roche. Their quotas are 15 pumps/ quarter and they already have a patient base.
 




Anonymous said:
Their pump is a dog. It is just another me too product. They have hired and fired a national sales force twice in the last 4 years in the US. Do your homework. There is NO WAY new reps will sell 15 pumps/month 1st year. Look at Disetronic/ Roche. Their quotas are 15 pumps/ quarter and they already have a patient base.
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I agree - they laid off the majority of their "sales force" back in Dec 06 because they could not get 510k clearance. Even if they do hit the market anytime soon, they would have to differentiate themselves from the competition - which the Amigo has not done so. As a business model, the only way to compete is to offer a $1,500 pump and sell that fact to the insurance payors (Although Dana did that with Cigna and fell on their ASS because of HIPAA violations and the lack of an infrastructure). If you want entry level - go with Smiths Deltec or Disetronic.
 








Anonymous said:
I agree - they laid off the majority of their "sales force" back in Dec 06 because they could not get 510k clearance. Even if they do hit the market anytime soon, they would have to differentiate themselves from the competition - which the Amigo has not done so. As a business model, the only way to compete is to offer a $1,500 pump and sell that fact to the insurance payors (Although Dana did that with Cigna and fell on their ASS because of HIPAA violations and the lack of an infrastructure). If you want entry level - go with Smiths Deltec or Disetronic.
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This shows those that know diabetes and pump industry and those that do not. Deltec left the insulin pump market last year due to not keeping up with Medtronic with glucose monitoring component. Disetronic was purchased by Roche and has a suboptimal pump-
the best pump on the market still is Medtronic, at least for now. Until Animas comes out with the integrated system.
 




Anonymous said:
Affordable, simple to use pump.

Actually, I have been using it for the past year, serves me well.
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I have been using the Amigo going on 2 years. I am extremely active as well and have not had any issues with either durability or waterproofing.

As far as Medtronic being the "best" ...well that is a matter of opinion, not fact. Their customer service was TERRIBLE. 4 unreturned phone calls over a 6-day period to both nurse and rep is inexcusable when you are a patient with an issue. Their pump might work fine but there is a lot more to a company than just the product.
 




Previous Poster- I used to be a TM for Medtronic. I am a pump wearer as well. I can tell you that one of the most annoying and thankless parts of the TM job were what you just explained in your post------ calls from nurse and tm not returned...... Guess what- that is what you have a 24hour line for- not calling a rep. With that beings said- I'm sure MDT is happy that you chose to move onto another therapy. Good luck with your treatment and may all your a1c's be below 6.5!
 




Does anyone know realistic compensation with MiniMed per year (base + bonus)?? Do you get paid on number of pumps sold in territory or do you need to sell more and more pumps every year to make the same amount of money?? Also does anyone know if the attire is suit and tie or more business casual? Thx!!
 








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