Industry Insider: An Inside Look at Medela Inc.

For this month’s feature, Today’s Wound Clinic spoke with Mitch Odahowski, vice president. Today’s Wound Clinic (TWC): How long have you been in wound care, and how did you enter this area of healthcare? Mitch Odahowski (MO): Most of my professional career has been in wound care or the prevention of wounds through modalities that allow better skin care. My interest in healthcare came quickly in my career, as I saw how both the products and services that I marketed and sold had a positive impact on both the patients and caregivers who utilized them. TWC: What’s your day-to-day role? MO: As vice president of Medela Healthcare in the US, it is my role to develop, grow, and manage our business in our three areas of medical vacuum technology: negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), cardiothoracic drainage, and medical-suction applications. I also take a strong personal interest in the application and education of our products by working closely with medical professionals, healthcare providers, payers, patients, and our strategic partners Mölnlycke Health Care for foam dressing kits and Joerns® for distribution of our NPWT systems. This helps ensure Medela’s high standards of product quality, customer service, and education are always met. TWC: What do you find most rewarding about providing for your industry? MO: Knowing that we provide life-saving treatment and advancement of patient care. We make a difference in people’s lives. The entire culture of Medela, starting with our breastfeeding business and continuing with healthcare, embraces precious life-progressive care. TWC: How would you describe the overall mission of your company? MO: With more than 50 years of leadership experience in medical-vacuum technology, we continue to remain loyal to our core competency. Through this competence, we continue to innovate and to question conventional methods in order to improve the quality and delivery of patient care. TWC: What’s new with your company in 2013? MO: So far, it’s been an exciting year with the upcoming launch of the Invia® Motion™ NPWT system. Motion is a personal device for every patient, offers a full choice of therapy options, and promotes improved patient mobility and freedom. This represents Medela’s commitment to providing innovative NPWT technology designed to enhance overall performance, improve patient outcomes, and control costs. Collectively, this represents True NPWT.™ In addition, we have launched our PartnerFirst™ program to our durable medical equipment customers to assist them in their efforts to provide high-quality NPWT services. TWC: How is your company unique? MO: We continually engage customers in broad research and transform this knowledge into innovative products and services. In wound care, Medela’s True NPWT offering consists of a portfolio of solutions because varying patient needs require varying degrees of therapy. This is why Medela offers a choice of devices, a choice of dressing kits, and a choice of therapy modes. TWC: Why are you passionate about the work of your company? MO: Medela truly cares for our patients’ well-being. Our NPWT system is ideal for today’s work/home environment because it allows patients to continue with normal daily activities while receiving therapy. In addition, our innovative approach helps improve patient therapy acceptance, as devices are discreet and hardly visible to others. Motion patients have commented on how quiet and easy the system is to use. TWC: How is your company approaching challenges in wound care? MO: In my discussions with healthcare professionals, I’ve learned that the most common challenge is how to reduce overall costs while improving patient outcomes.   Medela challenges the status quo by not accepting that therapy can only be improved in small steps; we look for opportunities to innovate in the therapies we offer, which is more than just developing new ideas — it requires validating them as well. By supporting clinical studies and continuous research, and having ongoing dialogue with healthcare professionals and patients, we promote an evidence-based approach to NPWT. TWC: What are your most popular products and/or services? MO: Because patients present with a variety of NPWT needs, Medela offers two systems: Invia Liberty™ and Invia Motion, which can be used across all care settings. The Liberty’s innovative design delivers flexibility in treating acute and chronic wounds. Patients appreciate Liberty’s ease-of-use, quiet operation, and compact size. The Motion is a personal pump that enables patients to participate in normal daily activities while providing therapy throughout the period of treatment. Both systems have the flexibility to be used with either gauze or foam dressing kits. TWC: How do you ensure proper training on products and services? MO: There are a number of resources and training programs available for our products and services. Our dedicated team of key account managers and extensive PartnerFirst network actively support our customers by providing ongoing training and education. In addition, there are a number of tools such as teaching aids, instructional videos, and troubleshooting guides available in print or online for support 24/7. TWC: What are the future goals for you and your company? MO: As a compassionate and dedicated partner, we are committed to shaping wound care and making a difference in people’s lives. Today, our products provide patients with mobility, which can favorably impact outcomes and adherence to therapy. Going forward, we will remain focused on improving patient dignity for those using our products and services by emphasizing simplicity, quality, and hygiene.