Industry Insider: An Inside Look at Spiracur, Inc. and Net Health Systems

An Inside Look at Spiracur Inc.

Interview with Kenton D. Fong, MD, co-founder, chief scientific officer Today’s Wound Clinic (TWC): How long have you been in wound care, and how did you enter this area of healthcare?   Kenton D. Fong (KDF): Spiracur Inc. started out of the Biodesign program at Stanford University in 2007. I had seen the power of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) to heal wounds during medical school and residency, and my co-founders and I figured out a way to take the power of NPWT to smaller chronic wounds in a better way. I’ve personally been interested in the science of wound healing since I was a post-doctoral fellow in tissue engineering at Stanford in 2001, and I deal with difficult-to-treat wounds on a regular basis as a practicing plastic surgeon. TWC: What’s your day-to-day role?   KDF:: I work with a large cross section of the company, including the research and development and clinical departments. I also work closely with our scientific advisory board to set the direction on our new product development and clinical studies. Much of my time is spent being the clinical voice in the room, making sure we always remember to put the patient first. TWC: What do you find most rewarding about providing for your industry?   KDF:: Every week I hear stories about patients who have been helped by the technologies we’ve developed at Spiracur. For example, I was just talking to a doctor about a veteran patient of his who lives with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) who had a 2-year-old wound we helped close. It’s rewarding to know someone’s life is better because of something you helped build. The other rewarding aspect of my job is to work with so many dedicated and talented professionals who make up the wound care community. It seems to me that the folks who work in limb salvage and wound care have a special sense of mission that we at Spiracur share. TWC: How would you describe the overall mission of your company?   KDF:: Our mission statement is “transforming wound care to heal patients and improve lives.” What we mean by “transform” is to shift fundamentally how wounds are treated using technology. Our first product, the SNaP® Wound Care System, is fundamentally changing how advanced wound care is delivered, allowing NPWT to be administered to patients in settings previously not possible, such as the wound care clinic and physician office. These are the settings where there is the greatest need for advanced wound care and where most chronic wounds are currently treated. We know that use of NPWT for the treatment of chronic wounds such as DFUs can dramatically improve healing rates and prevent amputations, and this can make a big difference in the lives of our patients. Our second product, the ciSNaP® Closed Incision System, is again a paradigm shift. For decades, the standard post-surgical dressing has been sterile gauze and tape. We have developed a new device that optimizes the healing environment of surgically created wounds. It is the first product of its kind to incorporate controlled tension relief with an antimicrobial negative pressure device to minimize the potential risk of dehiscence and infection. We believe growing clinical evidence will support how much better this new advanced dressing will be at reducing surgical complication rates for higher-risk patients, and it has the potential to change the current standard of care. TWC: What’s new with your company in 2012?   KDF:: This year was big with the launch of exciting product offerings such as the Bridge Dressing Kit and ciSNaP. We also learned that Medicare issued us two new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes for reimbursement along with new coverage from several of the largest private health insurance companies in the nation. With these new codes and new policies in place, we finally have nationwide access to the market where our products were designed to be used, specifically the outpatient wound care clinic and physician office. We had a great year of growth and we are looking forward to even bigger things in 2013. TWC: How is your company unique?   KDF:: We are not afraid to think big despite being a relatively small company. We don’t back down from big challenges, whether that’s supporting one of the largest NPWT randomized controlled trials ever performed or making commitments to support wound care in developing nations. Like the clinicians we work with, we believe we can bring better care to patients by constantly pushing the envelope of innovation while staying true to science and clinical evidence. TWC: Why are you passionate about the work of your company?   KDF:: From our engineers to our sales people, we all know that if we are successful at what we want to accomplish, we will change wound care for the better and make a lasting impact on patients’ lives. That gives us tremendous motivation to keep making our products and services better for our users. TWC: How is your company approaching challenges in wound care?   KDF:: We believe our products are well positioned in terms of clinical evidence and cost-effectiveness. Randomized controlled trial data supports the safety and efficacy of SNaP, and our product pricing allows for savings in excess of 30-50% compared to comparable technologies. In addition, more emphasis is being placed on the quality of life for patients, and we have significant data that demonstrates using our technology can result in improved quality of life during treatment. This, we believe, translates into better compliance and improved outcomes. TWC: What are your most popular products and/or services?   KDF:: SNaP is an ultraportable NPWT device that is mechanically powered and weighs just 2.2 ounces, but delivers the same clinically proven negative pressure therapy as bulkier, electrically powered pumps. SNaP is available off the shelf and is designed for single use without the need for a lengthy procurement process. Beginning in January 2013, SNaP will be fully covered by Medicare and is covered by most private insurance companies. TWC: How do you ensure proper training on products and services?   KDF:: Our sales force always works with clinical specialists to make sure our customers receive the necessary training to appropriately use our technologies. Our clinical specialists are licensed wound care professionals who have years of experience working with chronic wounds, and most have special expertise in NPWT. We have educational programs and web-based learning modules that have also been developed. To date, our team has trained more than 3,500 clinicians on using SNaP. TWC: What are the future goals for you and your company?   KDF:: To continue to be at the forefront of innovation in wound care by continuing to push for better patient outcomes through technological advances and clinical studies. We are also continuing to have a larger presence outside the US, and we hope to continue to grow with our international partners to bring advanced wound care to more places globally. Along with this growth, we need to stay grounded as a company in what really matters, and that is making sure the patients and their pressing issues of faster healing and quality of life stay at the forefront of everything we do.

An Inside Look at Net Health Systems

Interview with Cathy Thomas Hess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, vice president and chief clinical officer Today’s Wound Clinic (TWC): How long have you been in wound care, and how did you enter this area of healthcare?   Cathy Thomas Hess (CTH): I’ve been working in wound care for more than 25 years. After graduating from the University of Maryland, I worked in a Level I trauma hospital that served a diverse group of patients and was managed by amazing clinicians and physicians. I was able to see patients everywhere — from the emergency department, to the intensive care units, to the general medical floor. That experience and my subsequent nursing positions in the early 1980s led me to shift my focus to become a certified wound, ostomy, and continence nurse. Since then, my passion in nursing and my array of clinical and operational experience has positioned me to serve in leadership positions throughout my career. I founded Wound Care Strategies Inc. in 1995 and joined Net Health Systems this past September. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Net Health’s team, product offering, and positive impact it has made in the industry. I’m delighted to join the team, and I know that TriAssess® Premier Software customers will be well pleased with this opportunity. TWC: What’s your day-to-day role?   CTH: I’m vice president and chief clinical officer. My vision has always been to build a best-practices framework that integrates medical and administrative workflow. With a streamlined documentation system that fully suits the needs of wound care providers, clinicians are empowered to meet the continuously evolving standards of compliance and stringent financial metrics. In my current role, I focus on assisting wound care providers in integrating their clinical and operational processes to support documentation, coding, and billing practices within the WoundExpert® framework. TWC: What do you find most rewarding about providing for your industry?   CTH: The fact that chronic wound care management extends beyond the boundaries of the hospital walls is critical in our industry today. Wound care providers are working in the full spectrum of clinical settings and are now expected to manage patients across multiple locations. It’s most valuable to me that our combined services and electronic health record (EHR) solutions support our clients with smart workflows to manage their documentation, coding, billing, and medical record requirements. TWC: How would you describe the overall mission of your company?   CTH: To support our clients in running wound care programs that thrive clinically, operationally, and financially. TWC: What’s new with your company?   CTH: Over the last few months there has been a lot of buzz about Wound Care Strategies and Net Health Systems joining forces. We have leveraged the strengths of both companies to form a unified, industry-leading organization. My focus in 2013 will be to assist wound care providers to better integrate their clinical and operational processes within WoundExpert. In supporting documentation practices and compliance goals, EHR efficiencies can be maximized within their practices. TWC: How is your company unique?   CTH: In our ability to serve clients with unsurpassed resources and talent. We offer the strongest and most advanced EHR platform in wound care with unmatched technological support and customer service. We continue to attend our clients’ distinctive workflow and embrace the opportunity to work with them through the process. TWC: Why are you passionate about the work of your company?   CTH: It started with my passion to make a difference in people’s lives. Like all nurses, I imagine, my focus was on the patients. But over time, I realized that clinicians and physicians need tools and systems to help them do their best work for patients. I enjoy having a place in the chain of care that can influence the habits of both patients and clinical institutions. A second point of passion springs from simply being in healthcare technology. I’ve learned that the breadth of what can be achieved through new technological and digital solutions has astounding ramifications on people’s ability to care for patients. This space is the fastest to innovate in our very traditional industry, and I want to see more. I’m always challenging myself and my team to think about what’s next. TWC: How is your company approaching challenges in wound care?   CTH: As we continue to grow, we continue to add experienced executives to our team and expand our competitive position against larger, template-driven EHR systems. Consolidating this amount of experience in wound care and knowledge of EHRs is accelerating our company, strengthening our industry, and enabling us to provide solutions that meet and exceed the needs of our customers. TWC: What are your most popular products and/or services?   CTH: Our certified EHR products are our most popular, and as they bolster our new workflow analysis, implementation, and optimization services, they make us a complete solution for the wound care space. TWC: How do you ensure proper training on products and services?   CTH: Implementation and training are customized for each client. Our one-on-one approach affords the best possible learning opportunities. For example, we know that a key step to a successful specialty EHR implementation is conducting a workflow analysis. We offer an upfront analysis that maps current processes and data flows, identifies gaps to best practice, and produces recommendations for improvement through collaboration with clinical team members. It is paramount to ensure a clinic’s workflow is implemented correctly and that customization of its software is complete prior to utilizing an EHR. These steps will ensure a higher adoption rate of the EHR, as well as accurate documentation, coding, and billing practices. TWC: What are the future goals for you and your company?   CTH: To continue to work with our clients in understanding their workflow needs. In this way, I hope to contribute to the fiscal health of our clinics and to support a higher quality of patient care.