Tag Archives: Spending Control

How do you Respond Strategically to Market Uncertainty?

Interview with Kevin Moser, CEO, Dfine, inc.

Situation: The medical device industry faces uncertainty due to potential changes in reimbursement, increased regulation accompanying health care reform, longer FDA approval timelines and the economy. How does this impact strategy for an early stage medical device company?

Advice:

  • First and foremost it puts a premium on focus. We compete in a market dominated by large incumbents. When introducing new products in the past we would have blanketed the market to maximize early market share. Now we are being much more selective in terms of where we compete and putting more effort into targeted geographies.
  • This focus is accompanied by more caution and control of spending. We will only hire a new sales rep, for example, if we are assured that there is a significant customer base in the market that rep will serve.
  • Similarly, we are being much more cautious in our capital equipment decisions, and if an employee leaves we do not automatically replace that individual.
  • In terms of price planning, where in the past we would have counted on annual price increases, we now plan for the potential of prices decreasing over time to reflect new pressure on reimbursement and cost containment. As another example, in 2012 there will be a new tax on medical device companies. We assume that this will reduce our margins where in the past we might have passed it on to the buyer. Reduced margins will also impact our new product investment strategy.
  • The big change in long-range planning is that we are focused on slow, sustainable growth – maintaining both gross and net margins and profitability. This is a major change from five years ago when our focus was on maximizing rapid market penetration for new products. We want to be self-sufficient financially and thus avoid having to rely upon future fund-raising rounds.

You can contact Kevin at [email protected]

Key Words: Medical, Device, Reimbursement, Regulation, Health Care Reform, FDA, Focus, Product Introduction, Spending Control, Hiring, Pricing, Growth  [like]