Electronics Protection - Fall 2016 - 16

Feature Three Insights into the Future of Medical Device R&D Tim Jennings, President Custom Case Group (CCG) As a provider of medical device transport and protective cases, my company has spent many decades on the periphery of the medical device industry. But we've found that the peripheral position gives us a unique vantage, allowing us to keep an eye on trends in their earliest days. That's because, early on, innovative R&D tends to shape the flow of our custom case orders. For example, details like manufacturers' one-off orders and changes in the sizes and features of the cases they order give us early clues to where the industry may be headed. Most recently in the custom case business, these clues are pointing to a medical industry going mobile, and fast. Following are three insights that better explain why we believe jumping on the mobile bandwagon is a really smart move for any company in the mobile medical device supply chain. #1 - Manufacturers are Ordering More Mobile Device Cases A sharp increase in orders for smaller and more mobile device cases is the greatest indicator of the industry change so far. Not just medical device manufacturers but also non-profit outreach organizations and educational institutions are looking for cases to protect things like medical simulator training devices, portable kidney dialysis machines, virtual operating room equipment and everything in-between. A ton of recent research has come out showing that, in the long term, "on-call" medical appointments are cheaper than in-office care, reports we believe are the major inspiration for the shift. One of these studies revealed that the 2014 Independence at Home program saved Medicare about $13,600 per patient and a total of $25 million that year. Another study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that Medicare house calls cut costs by 17 percent in 2014 by reducing hospital and nursing home admissions. Just this year, Health Affairs and the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) published a report showing that enrolling senior and homebound patients in an in-home medical and wellness care program also reduced costs. #2 - Medical Organizations Are Responding If the manufacturers are stepping up their mobile device R&D, it stands to reason that they're doing so to meet increased demand for these devices from medical organizations. The news is certainly confirming this fact, as more and more stories about new programs built on the mobile model are finding their way into the mainstream media. Just within the past couple of months, two mobile medical programs based in California have launched and have met with early success. The first, which was designed by pediatrician Renee Dua, is an app called Heal that allows parents to arrange at-home care for kids. Parents have access to the appointment system every day of the week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The other program, called Express Care at Home, is managed by Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. It also incorporates a mobile app that patients can use to schedule routine home visits. #3 - Supply Chain Companies Adapting to the Change Are Benefitting As with any industry change, companies willing to adjust their processes and paradigms to accommodate the mobile shift will end up on top. Below are a few approaches we've observed from our vantage point and a few we've developed and found beneficial at CCG. Make the 'Need for Efficiency' Fundamental in Every Design - Fast movement is what most obviously characterizes mobile medicine. So, for example, whenever we get a custom case request, we create the product to address the need for efficiency. On a practical level, smaller and more compact medical devices are becoming the norm because "small and compact" enables efficiency. Our design philosophy holds that the case is part of the device, not an accessory to it. Therefore, it, too, should be small and compact. To keep your company's designs one step ahead, focus everything on efficiency, whether or not the client's request is centered on a mobile device. 16 Fall 2016 * www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com http://www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronics Protection - Fall 2016