Who are you interfacing with at the hospital/stakeholders?
Direct to hospital model has 3 positions: administrator (C-level, financials), procurement/supply chain (current contracts and products), clinical (acute medical director/physician; can be an ally or could be loyal to another provider) (ICU director, director of renal therapies).
Pain points (standard and simple points, general story)?
The machines are complex but do simple tasks. Learning to use a dialysis machine is a tenured skill set that requires time and experience. That limits the number of people who can do it in the facility. The problem is that competitors don’t have water sources so they also have to bring a water source.
Dialysis is being done in an area in the ICU but the ICU nurses don’t administer -the dialysis nurses do.
CRRT is more common in the U.S. in the ICU (NxStage by Fresenius, Prismaplex by Baxter). Batched bag solution moved through a cartridge. We are on-demand with the water source. Patients may be transferred to a faster system when preparing to leave.
He will talk to the head of the dialysis unit in the acute care.
Hospitals are looking at simplifying their service line by switching to a single solution. CRRT coupled with on-demand aspects of a dialysis system. Reduces staffing, costs, and improves/maintains quality of the program. What percent of cost savings would be convincing?
CRRT costs can be $700-1000 in supply costs daily. SC+ is significantly cheaper because it’s all on demand (instead of buying a bag of solution from a middle man).
What challenge questions do you get?
What clinical experience/data to review? Who’s currently using the product? 24 hour or flow rates? Utilization and experience in the market thus far. Any side by side review would be helpful.
Competitors?
Fresenius for dialysis. For CRRT Fresenius and Baxter.
Side by side data against those products (user experience study). Specs list. Advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages and disadvantages of competitors:
SC+ is simpler training than Fresenius T Machine. Not a big difference in terms of specs (they are cheap and are workhorses). We don’t have a disinfection cycle (how do we quantify time saved in terms of dollars or contamination).
Fresenius,Tablo uses a chemical disinfectant once per week. Baxter and NxStage don’t require it. Just at the end of the day. SC+ and others just rinse in between and switch the cartridge.
Key points of differentiation:
We can’t sell against a specific competitor because they’re cheaper.
Standardization of product across renal space (multiple environments via flow rates, flexible), reduce overall spend between departments, improving staffing capabilities between ICU and the acute unit, ability to train efficiently and take care of patients, not tethered to a water source, doesn’t need a disinfection cycle, reduces downtime at the hospital. Saves money when in the ICU, but will lose money if it’s just the acute unit.
Deb:
Customers -skilled nursing facility, and home (not FDA authorized yet).
Selling to dialysis providers who are specialty (only perform treatments in SNF); nursing home, long term care, etc. Dialysis provided bedside or in a den setting, rather than going to a center.
Needs a 5 patient minimum to be profitable. And then use a lot of disposables, treat 4-5 days/week.
Partner with the dialysis company, not the nursing home.
Good because patients have a lot of comorbidities so there are more reasons for people to be in this space. Dialysis becomes a selling point for the facility. Need a pamphlet for the SNF to advertise in the hospital (this is the machine, it’s onsite, etc.)
SC+ has better flow rate. Competitor (NxStage System 1) machines need to be run 5 nights per week to recoup costs. So SC+ gets people off the machine faster and gets them to the threshold.
What are the selling points?
Flexible treatment flow rates. Reaching clearance targets easily (better reimbursement), size/portability for bedside and den-setting.
Treatment times and labor balance out the higher cost of SC+.
More frequent treatment is better for these patients.
Why should they have on-site instead of centers (DaVita)?
Dialyze Direct (targets), Compass Home Dialysis, Renew Dialysis, Desert Cities Dialysis.
Need a customer portal or media kit to trickle down to SNF through dialysis companies.
IDE study needs collateral to give patients in the study. Background about the machine and technology to inspire trust.
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