Why isn't Biotronik doing better?

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Anonymous said:
BIO runs so Lean that they can't retain Talent... they are trying to do what the Big 3 did a few years ago, replace Great Sales Reps with a bunch of 50K - 70K Clinicals and 20 yr olds. They are getting what they are paying for... a bunch of pathetic, unmotivated, under achieving, unprofessional "Talent" with a BS/BA degree in Popped Corn, Cotton Candy and Bearded Lady Ticket Sales from the U of Barnum and Bailey, who only answer the phone between 10 and 2, after a hour of expensed lunch with three glasses of White Zifandel.

That's Why it remains a 3 ring Circus with MDT, BSX, and SJM

That's why BIO does not do better... their "Interim" management does not know how to manage a CRM company, is Clinically uncomfortable around customers, cannot reasonably Manage Market Dynamics (sleeping with the wrong people drinking
the White Zif Kool Aid) let alone make it to the Big Top...
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Imaging the person that wrote this reminds me of why I am happy to not be managed by anyone from The Big 3.
 
























Anonymous said:
The Fellow's Program is ongoing.

It is very difficult to explain these things to someone who has never been on this side of the business. Suffice to say, a Fellows Program AT WORST is a "me-too" offering...everyone has it so it's assumed that it needs to be there. At Best, it legitimizes who we are and ensures that some Fellows will have had a rep/company/product experience with Biotronik prior to going in to their practice. As I said before in a previous post, if they are being approached by a BIO rep for the first time after they have already graduated - it is imminently more difficult to sway them from the 3 companies that they learned to use back at 'the U'.

That last part also answers the 'what good is it if they don't end up in your pocket"? Think of it as an in-service meal for a physician who doesn't CURRENTLY use your product. You may not get them today, but if you're building a relationship - it may pay off down the road.

You sound very inspired by your manager. I hope when you become one, you can lead your folks as well.
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Pat N. was just one of several from the fellows program at BSX. He did not start the program and was not a standout innovator. He was one of the fortunate who got out of here with a huge and undeserved guarantee from a company that was desperate for a place with in the national fellows programs. He delivered what he was capable of. A list of names that are willing to speak and and get paid. The speakers are not implanters of Biotronic products, and Pat lacks the influence to make them implanters. To be successful, growth has to come from this source.
 






The fellows program is a loss for Biotrnik. Funding has already been cut, with more cuts to come. Poor design with poor execution makes for a bust. It could have been so much better with someone who had a vision that looked forward instead of backwards.
 






Anonymous said:
The fellows program is a loss for Biotrnik. Funding has already been cut, with more cuts to come. Poor design with poor execution makes for a bust. It could have been so much better with someone who had a vision that looked forward instead of backwards.
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Compliance is the new king with such programs.
For this, we need some oversight, IMHO.
Day late and a dollar short.
 






Biotronik will most likely make a little headway in the near term. Long term I believe will be different. How can you compete with Big Blue. They have the most cash and stamina. The new CEO understands this and will slowly roll in the same business model as overseas. He will commoditize this market. There is no one else that will be able to match the low prices that will be offered. Look around who is the first company willing to lower prices to get on contract. The Kaiser model in California will be the norm. No reps no support. The patient is the one who loses but nobody really cares anymore it is all about profits and margins.
 






Anonymous said:
The patient is the one who loses but nobody really cares anymore it is all about profits and margins.
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From this recent new patient's viewpoint, it's not from lack of customer service. I had a Lumax 540 put in on January 17th by Dr. O in Boulder and Biotronik's representatives were informative and comforting before implant, next day after surgery, and on follow-up the week after. A very scary week for my family and myself, but the Biotronik's people helped with some of that fear and just wanted to say, Thank You.
 






Anonymous said:
From this recent new patient's viewpoint, it's not from lack of customer service. I had a Lumax 540 put in on January 17th by Dr. O in Boulder and Biotronik's representatives were informative and comforting before implant, next day after surgery, and on follow-up the week after. A very scary week for my family and myself, but the Biotronik's people helped with some of that fear and just wanted to say, Thank You.
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Another satisfied customer!
 






Anonymous said:
From this recent new patient's viewpoint, it's not from lack of customer service. I had a Lumax 540 put in on January 17th by Dr. O in Boulder and Biotronik's representatives were informative and comforting before implant, next day after surgery, and on follow-up the week after. A very scary week for my family and myself, but the Biotronik's people helped with some of that fear and just wanted to say, Thank You.
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Did the physician give you a choice in device selection? Why did he or you select Biotronik? Just wondering why you would choose a device from a company in the #4 spot or if you had a choice in the matter. Not knocking BIO personnel, they are pretty well trained.
 






^ I felt we were in agreement with the device selection, but ultimately in my mind, the call was the Doc's to make. When on that Monday the catheterization showed very little blockage and ablasion was unsuccessful, the ICD implant became the direction of focus. It was the wife who stayed up most of the night researching and came in with a list of questions on manufacturers the next morning at the hospital. I was more than just a little distracted by the whirlwind and will ask the wife to comment on that process, but I remember her expressing concern with recalls and problems with St Jude and Boston Science, and to a lesser degree Medtronic. She asked about Biotroniks and made note of a good record, but the lack of market share and possible support was a concern. I remember vaguely the Doc saying, support is not an issue and the Biotronik ICD was his choice even before the sit down talk.

Like I said, I'll try to get the wife to comment on her impressions later. One question I do have that maybe y'all can help with, as I have not had a chance to ask Biotronik or my Doc, and that is why one of my leads would be a Medtronic, and the other a Biotronik?
 






Anonymous said:
Did the physician give you a choice in device selection? Why did he or you select Biotronik? Just wondering why you would choose a device from a company in the #4 spot or if you had a choice in the matter. Not knocking BIO personnel, they are pretty well trained.
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Denver has a huge Biotronik presence, so the typical service issue is a non-factor. Don't fall in to the trap of believing the stereotypes: not allBoston devices will be recalled, some Duratas will avoid the fate of their Riata ST cousins, and Biotronik is not some backwater fly-by-night company.
 






Anonymous said:
^ I felt we were in agreement with the device selection, but ultimately in my mind, the call was the Doc's to make. When on that Monday the catheterization showed very little blockage and ablasion was unsuccessful, the ICD implant became the direction of focus. It was the wife who stayed up most of the night researching and came in with a list of questions on manufacturers the next morning at the hospital. I was more than just a little distracted by the whirlwind and will ask the wife to comment on that process, but I remember her expressing concern with recalls and problems with St Jude and Boston Science, and to a lesser degree Medtronic. She asked about Biotroniks and made note of a good record, but the lack of market share and possible support was a concern. I remember vaguely the Doc saying, support is not an issue and the Biotronik ICD was his choice even before the sit down talk.

Like I said, I'll try to get the wife to comment on her impressions later. One question I do have that maybe y'all can help with, as I have not had a chance to ask Biotronik or my Doc, and that is why one of my leads would be a Medtronic, and the other a Biotronik?
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I'm a Biotronik rep - congratulations on getting a very safe device. No need to worry about the "mixed" leads - some physicians just prefer one company's lead over another - the good news is that Biotronik is the ONLY company that has never had a lead recall (44 years in business and approx. 2 million actively implanted leads) and Medtronic makes a great lead as well. Hope that helps.
 






Anonymous said:
No need to worry about the "mixed" leads .
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Thank you for that, felt it had to do with preference and not an incompatibility
or quality issue.

I trust my heart Doc and think he is one of the most thoughful and caring people I've ever met, I just have a hard time believing he chose Biotronik on money alone. What is it I'm missing out on with the Lumax 540 w/home monitoring, that the competition has?
 






Anonymous said:
Thank you for that, felt it had to do with preference and not an incompatibility
or quality issue.

I trust my heart Doc and think he is one of the most thoughful and caring people I've ever met, I just have a hard time believing he chose Biotronik on money alone. What is it I'm missing out on with the Lumax 540 w/home monitoring, that the competition has?
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If you really are a patient, leave this site and don't come back. Talk with your unbiased health professionals. This was a good thread when it was focused on CRM business strategy and asking: "Why isn't Biotronik doing better?"
 






Anonymous said:
Thank you for that, felt it had to do with preference and not an incompatibility
or quality issue.

I trust my heart Doc and think he is one of the most thoughful and caring people I've ever met, I just have a hard time believing he chose Biotronik on money alone. What is it I'm missing out on with the Lumax 540 w/home monitoring, that the competition has?
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Is it wireless? What alerts are set up for you to be properly monitored? Have you tested it? Are you paying for this monitoring service? Can you travel with the monitoring system? What instructions were you given as to when you should make transmissions? If and when you travel you should call ahead and see if BIOTRNIK rep services those areas to make sure you are covered. Normally you would not need to do this with the larger companys but you should take this precaution due to lack of broad coverage.

Based on your answers, I can give you more specific advice on what you may or may not be missing with respect to remote device monitoring.
 












Anonymous said:
Is it wireless? What alerts are set up for you to be properly monitored? Have you tested it? Are you paying for this monitoring service? Can you travel with the monitoring system? What instructions were you given as to when you should make transmissions? If and when you travel you should call ahead and see if BIOTRNIK rep services those areas to make sure you are covered. Normally you would not need to do this with the larger companys but you should take this precaution due to lack of broad coverage.

Based on your answers, I can give you more specific advice on what you may or may not be missing with respect to remote device monitoring.
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There are no instructions for when patients should "make" transmissions. All Biotronik Home Monitoring (pacers, defies and HF) is automatic and wireless. No need for the patient to do anything other than be near their box everyday.

Patients do not pay for home monitoring...it is part of the purchase price.

Traveling should not be a problem - if the patient has a landline cardiomessenger all they'll need is power and a phone jack. If they have a stationary cellular model, all they'll need is power. If they have a mobile cellular model, it can be recharged and carried in a purse or worn on the belt.

Our home monitoring truly is better than everyone else's.
 












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