IFU – Connexio Health

The Critical Role of Clinical Education in Medical Device Sales

In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the development and adoption of innovative medical devices play a pivotal role in improving patient outcomes and enhancing clinical practices. The success of these devices hinges not only on their technological sophistication but also on the ability of healthcare professionals to understand, trust, and effectively utilize them. This is where clinical education emerges as a linchpin, bridging the gap between innovation and implementation and ultimately driving medical device sales.

Understanding Clinical Education

Clinical education encompasses a spectrum of activities aimed at imparting knowledge, enhancing skills, and promoting best practices among healthcare professionals regarding the use of medical devices. It involves structured training programs, hands-on workshops, educational materials, and ongoing support tailored to meet the specific needs of different stakeholders, including physicians, nurses, technicians, and administrators.

The Impact of Clinical Education on Sales:

1. Building Trust and Confidence:

Effective clinical education instills trust and confidence in medical devices among healthcare providers. By providing comprehensive insights into device functionality, safety features, and clinical benefits – education initiatives address the skepticism and apprehension often associated with adopting new technologies. As clinicians gain proficiency and experience through training, they develop a sense of assurance in the device’s capabilities, leading to increased adoption and utilization.

2. Demonstrating Value Proposition:

Clinical education serves as a platform to articulate the value proposition of medical devices in addressing unmet clinical needs and delivering superior patient outcomes. Through real-world case studies, clinical evidence, and comparative data, education programs clarify the tangible benefits and competitive advantages, thus influencing purchasing decisions. Highlighting clinical efficacy, safety profiles, and cost-effectiveness fosters a compelling argument for investing in new technology.

3. Facilitating Seamless Integration:

Successful integration of medical devices into existing workflows is contingent upon the proficiency of healthcare professionals in utilizing them efficiently. Clinical education programs impart technical skills while emphasizing best practices for device integration, maintenance, and troubleshooting. By aligning device functionalities with clinical workflows and patient care pathways, education initiatives minimize implementation barriers and optimize the overall user experience, enhancing adoption rates and customer satisfaction.

4. Driving Advocacy and Referrals:

Well-executed clinical education initiatives have a ripple effect, fostering advocacy and generating referrals within the healthcare community. When clinicians experience firsthand the transformative impact of a medical device on patient outcomes, they become staunch advocates, actively endorsing its use to colleagues and peers. Furthermore, satisfied users are more likely to recommend the device to their networks, amplifying its market penetration and driving sustained sales growth.

5. Navigating Regulatory and Reimbursement Landscape:

In the complex landscape of healthcare regulations and reimbursement policies, clinical education plays a crucial role in ensuring compliance and facilitating reimbursement for medical devices. Education programs provide insights into regulatory requirements, coding guidelines, and documentation practices, empowering healthcare providers to navigate bureaucratic hurdles seamlessly. Education initiatives mitigate perceived risks associated with device adoption by addressing concerns about reimbursement viability and regulatory compliance, thus facilitating sales transactions.

Conclusion:

In the competitive realm of medical device sales, the significance of clinical education cannot be overstated. Beyond merely disseminating information, effective education initiatives drive adoption, enhance user proficiency, and foster long-term customer loyalty. By equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to leverage medical devices optimally, clinical education facilitates sales and helps improve patient care and outcomes, ultimately fulfilling the overarching goal of advancing healthcare delivery.

Kathryn Kellam

March 25, 2024

Clinical Education, Connexio Health, IFU

Clinical Education, IFU, IFU Connex
Healthcare Product Education in a Post Pandemic World

Often reserved as a strategy to support remote geographies, Virtual Product Education for healthcare products and equipment has become mainstream in the post-pandemic world. Due to the widespread adoption of video technology and remote work, well-trained Virtual Clinical Educators can effectively demonstrate products to educate new and existing customers without setting foot through their doors.

With the acceptance of virtual education by healthcare professionals and facilities, healthcare manufacturers can leverage field sales for onsite product evaluation and new customer implementations, while utilizing a lower cost-of-sale strategy for the initial product demonstration and ongoing training and support. Using clinical educators with experience in the care setting or disease state is a key strategy for a successful healthcare virtual education program.

Contact Connexio Health today to learn more about taking your healthcare education virtual!

Kathryn Kellam

June 6, 2023

IFU

Product education
The Value of Virtual Clinical Education in Dentistry Whitespace

With today’s competitive market, it’s important to ensure that your company has a strategic plan to reach your entire customer base. Whitespace is a term used to describe gaps in a customer’s need. This gap can jeopardize sales and growth opportunities within your company due to limited product knowledge, effective product usage, or any other distinction. The key to success is to identify the places where your customer base needs assistance to help facilitate regular use of your product.

Ask anyone working at a dental practice in 2022 about their day-to-day activity and they will all agree – there just isn’t enough time. Patient care is their primary focus but that leaves little time to grow the business and develop best business practices. So how do dental practices grow?

When it comes to dental practices, each practice operates very differently. This includes everything from product usage to software platforms to technology practices. With intense competition, it is vital for your company to have the resources needed to implement the right strategies for success.

Including clinical dental providers as part of our sales team leads to successful expansion into whitespace accounts. These experienced dental professionals understand the day-to-day operations within a dental practice. Their understanding of dental treatments equips them to train dental staff on the use of dental products that can be easily incorporated into regular use. Educating other dental professionals on the best patient care type ensures proper product usage. With the rapid advancements in healthcare technologies today, healthcare provider collaboration is imperative.

When we see the word “whitespace,” Connexio thinks “opportunity.” Our highly trained and educated team strategizes to create the best delivery plan to our customers with your business’s best interest in mind

Whitespace accounts are typically current or previous customers. We see education and relationships as the keys to reigniting those customers and driving growth. We use data and technology to develop the campaigns that are our key to success.

Our team of licensed healthcare professionals, marketing and business specialists, and sales managers create an amazing team to identify goals and create the plans that lead to growth. Request a consultation with one of our experts at Connexio to see where we can make this grey space go to green.

Kathryn Kellam

May 14, 2023

IFU, Whitespace

Clinical Education, Virtual Education
Connecting with Clients in a Virtual World
With many people working remotely or conducting business online, it’s common to have to communicate with clients through video calls, email, or messaging apps.

Here are some tips for connecting with clients in a virtual world:
- Use video calls whenever possible: Video calls allow you to see your client’s facial expressions and body language, which can help create a more personal connection. They also allow you to have a more natural conversation, as you can talk over each other and interrupt each other, just like you would in person.
- Be responsive and available: It’s important to be responsive to your clients’ inquiries, as this shows that you value their time and are committed to being a fully engaged business partner. Make sure to check your email and messaging apps regularly and respond promptly to client inquiries.
- Follow up after meetings: After a video call or online meeting, make sure to follow up with a summary of what was discussed and any next steps. This can help keep the client informed and engaged and can also help prevent misunderstandings or missed deadlines.
- Give your full attention: There is nothing worse than attending a virtual meeting with someone who is clearly not giving you their full attention. One key tip to engaging with anyone in a virtual environment is to stay engaged, keep your camera on and be fully present in your virtual meetings.
- Use technology to your advantage: There are many tools available that can help you connect with clients virtually, such as screen sharing, document collaboration, and online project management platforms. These tools can make it easier to collaborate and stay organized, which can help improve the overall efficiency of your work.
- Don’t forget about body language: Even though you’re not in the same physical location as your client, it’s important to pay attention to your body language during video calls. Make eye contact, nod your head, and use facial expressions to show that you’re engaged in the conversation. This can help create a sense of connection and can make it easier to build rapport with your clients.
These are just a few ways that you can effectively connect with your clients in a virtual world and build strong, lasting relationships. Staying engaged and involved will help you build the rapport with your clients almost as easily as you would in person.
Kristen Fescoe

May 14, 2023

IFU, Non-Personal Promotion, Whitespace

Client engagement, Virtual workforce
5 Keys to a Successful Healthcare Virtual Sales Organization

Finding the right balance for your Virtual Sales Organization to be successful in the healthcare field can be tricky. With the right mix of people and platforms, you can achieve successful outcomes in the virtual world. Our team has worked with healthcare companies in the medical device, diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries to build virtual sales organizations (VSO) for over 20 years as MMC Healthcare. We’ve built programs for many manufacturers looking for a lower cost of sale solution to reach their customers and prospects. Here are some of the key ingredients we’ve identified for a successful program.

The Product

They key to successfully selling a product in a virtual environment is to clearly define the value propositions for the product. Value may be from the perspective of the healthcare providers or the patient, and ideally both. Examples may be clinical advantages, economic improvement or ease of use of the product. Digging deeper may include inclusion on GPO contracts or availability through distribution.

The Team

While many sales reps have “gone virtual” in the COVID-19 Pandemic era, finding a team that thrives in this environment is critical. They key is to find individuals with the background necessary to sell, who simultaneously enjoy the benefits of working in a virtual environment. Finding sales representatives that have experience previously selling or have worked in the care setting we are calling on is a big advantage. Having an experience respiratory sales representative calling a respiratory therapist or a dental hygienist calling into dental practices adds credibility to open doors.

Marketing

Introducing new products to healthcare professionals can be a challenge if they are not familiar with the product or company. We have proven that virtual sales programs are more successful when HCPs are exposed to the product in three to four marketing channels, including phone, email, landing pages, ads, direct mail and virtual education.

Technology & Data

Developing a central data platform (CDP) that is tied to tools like Salesforce.com will allow you to manage and prioritize customers and prospects. Giving your team a well thought out target list to nurture is an essential piece of driving reach and frequency within your target audience. Companies like Definitive Healthcare, IQVIA and MedData are great partners to help you build your database. Coupling your database with dialing, response management, video technology and scheduling tools will improve the efficiencies of your VSO. With the right tools, our VSO teams conduct video in-services and present to value analysis committees as if they were right in the room.

Collaboration

Your VSO team should be viewed as part of your greater sales organization. Members of field sales and the VSO should feel like they are on the same team. While we all know there are times that someone needs to be in the hospital or healthcare facility, COVID-19 has proven that a virtual approach can help companies successfully service and support our customer’s needs. When field sales and your VSO work well in conjunction, that is where you will see your greatest results.

Whether you are looking to partner with a full-service sales & marketing agency like Connexio Health or to build an internal VSO, make sure you have the right recipe for success.

Kristen Fescoe

May 14, 2023

IFU, Marketing, Non-Personal Promotion, VSO, Whitespace

Sales organization, Virtual sales, VSO

The Critical Role of Clinical Education in Medical Device Sales

Understanding Clinical Education

The Impact of Clinical Education on Sales:

1. Building Trust and Confidence:

2. Demonstrating Value Proposition:

3. Facilitating Seamless Integration:

4. Driving Advocacy and Referrals:

5. Navigating Regulatory and Reimbursement Landscape:

Conclusion:

Healthcare Product Education in a Post Pandemic World

The Value of Virtual Clinical Education in Dentistry Whitespace

Connecting with Clients in a Virtual World

5 Keys to a Successful Healthcare Virtual Sales Organization

The Product

The Team

Marketing

Technology & Data

Collaboration