
YC companies trying to hack medtech - ndamiano
https://biodesignalumni.com/2016/06/05/can-y-combinator-companies-hack-medtech
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robbiep
My personal belief is that there aren't huge medtech companies because the
people founding medtech companies don't know the market - they are coming at
it from the perspective of being in tech, or being successful in other arenas,
think something is going to be a great idea, and then the wheels fall off
because they misread the actual market for their product (ie it doesn't exist,
their product isn't useful) or the product they built is fit for purpose but
not fit for function.

To cite an example from the article, I can think of almost no reason why it
would be a net improvement to the world if people were able to have their own
personal breast ultrasound machine to monitor breast health.

Of course I have significant biases that influence me here, being both a
doctor and having a tech startup, I think I'm solving problems no-one else
can.

One group I think are going to do outstandingly well is Shift Labs. Great
idea, and if they have solved the problem with their iv monitors properly then
there should be excellent take up

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maryamzm
The notion that only people who are currently in the medtech industry are
capable of founding successful companies is simply not true. That’s not to say
it’s not challenging, but as the Biodesign program emphasizes, innovation in
medtech comes from thinking outside the box. By observing the problems in
healthcare system as an outsider, even if you are a doctor, there is an
opportunity to realize solutions that can have a drastically positive impact
while considering the market, regulatory and reimbursement. Unfortunately our
current healthcare systems is extremely costly and inefficient in delivering
quality care. As you mentioned, there are biases towards status quo that makes
it hard for many inside the system to imagine things being done differently.

You mentioned that “I can think of almost no reason why it would be a net
improvement to the world if people were able to have their own personal breast
ultrasound machine to monitor breast health.” In a world where 1 in 8 women
will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, making low-
cost breast cancer screening accessible to every woman regardless of their
age, insurance coverage, access to healthcare, etc will be a great net
improvement. There is published literature that demonstrates that by adding
ultrasound screening, the number of breast cancer detected is doubled, and
furthermore the number of cancer detected at an early stage is increased 3
fold. Not only this early detection results in saving lives, but it also
results in significant savings for the healthcare system.

I applaud YC's efforts in giving an opportunity to medtech companies to think
bigger, move faster and I am confident there will be even greater medtech
companies coming out of YC every batch to move medtech industry in the right
direction.

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robbiep
_' Unfortunately our current healthcare systems is extremely costly and
inefficient in delivering quality care. '_ \- speak for the US. The rest of
the world doesn't do too bad a job.

The problem with ultrasounds is that it is not the sort of device that can
simply be given to someone and used. Both the operation of the device and the
interpretation of the image are highly technical skills, with high false
positive rates. I maintain that making ultrasounds portable enough to be used
be all would only further drive healthcare costs up, as frivolous expenditure
on a gimmick is wont to do. Pretty much the same as much of the 'wearables'
market.

I don't disagree that other people can have insight into the problems the
health sector faces, and towards innovating within, but maintain that most
tech driven solutions (ie electronic medical records) are fucking atrocious,
because they have been designed by technical people who don't understand. The
workflows. Unfortunately these systems are now entrenched, and cost a huge
amount of end user time (a 2011 Deloitte study on the introduction of FirstNet
into Australian emergency departments determined that introduction of the
system lead to a 20% decline in productivity. It was implemented anyway, with
the hopes that there would be synergies gained over time. No follow up study
has been performed however the overwhelming consensus from the frontline
troops is that when we loose network access, an event which occurs around 6
times annually for periods of up to 8 hours, productivity and workflow improve
substantially)

