MedTech Business Academy

MedTeXperts

Attention MedTech executives: Are you looking to grow exponentially and remain competitive in the MedTech Industry? Our renowned professors, the MedTeXperts, have launched a new podcast, the "Medtech Business Academy," where you can earn your MEDTECH MBA! We will be sharing our insights related to all aspects of Medtech commercialization including strategies for engaging with distributors, digital marketing, inside sales, clinical experience marketing, and healthcare economics. Download your episode on Spotify, Apple iTunes, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

  1. Jun 18 ·  Video

    Education Is the Moat with Guest Eric Poirier | Ep. 109

    Education is often treated as something that happens after a medtech product is sold. In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Eric Poirier, CEO of Atmosphere Apps, joins Scott Alexander, Barbara Strain, and Skender Daerti to explain why education should be viewed as a core part of adoption, customer satisfaction, and long-term account protection. The conversation centers on a simple but important idea: education can become a moat. When clinicians, sales teams, educators, and hospital stakeholders have easy access to the right information at the right time, a product becomes easier to use, easier to support, and harder to displace. That kind of education strategy can reduce friction, support value analysis, and strengthen the relationship between medtech companies and their customers. Eric shares lessons from years of building mobile and web-based education tools in healthcare, including why apps fail when they try to do too much, why every tool needs a clear focus and internal champion, and why adoption does not happen just because a platform exists. The group also discusses the growing role of AI in education content development, from short-form audio training to transcripts, quizzes, learning objectives, and multilingual workflows. For medtech leaders thinking about digital education, app development, clinical training, or post-sale adoption, this episode offers a practical look at what works, what fails, and where the opportunity is heading next.

    36 min
  2. Jun 4

    The Inflection Point Medtech Can't Ignore | Ep 107

    The Inflection Point Medtech Can't IgnoreFor years, medtech commercialization has largely been driven by product expertise, relationships, and the efforts of individual sales representatives. But healthcare buying decisions have changed. In this episode of the MedTech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Scott Alexander discuss what they believe is a major inflection point for the industry: the shift from transactional selling to strategic commercialization. The conversation begins with a discussion about personas and quickly expands into a broader examination of how hospitals and health systems evaluate new technologies today. The panel explores why clinical champions alone are rarely enough to drive adoption and why successful companies must understand the priorities of financial, operational, IT, and value analysis stakeholders as well. Along the way, they share real-world examples of products that struggled because key decision-makers were overlooked, discuss how organizational structures continue to evolve through mergers and consolidation, and examine why many sales teams are being asked to navigate increasingly complex buying environments without sufficient strategic support. Key topics include: • Identifying the stakeholders who truly influence adoption • Understanding clinical, financial, operational, and technology personas • Common commercialization mistakes that slow adoption • The growing role of value analysis in healthcare purchasing • How marketing can provide strategic support to the field • Why medtech may be entering a new era of commercialization Whether you're a marketer, salesperson, product manager, clinical leader, or executive, this episode provides a thoughtful discussion on how healthcare purchasing is changing and what medtech organizations must do to adapt.

    39 min
  3. Mar 12

    The New Rules of Value Analysis | VAES Ep 8

    Healthcare value is changing fast in 2026. Cost pressure, CMS policy shifts, and the move toward value-based care are forcing hospitals, suppliers, and value analysis teams to rethink how value is defined and measured. In this kickoff episode of the Creating Value Series, host Skender Daerti is joined by value analysis experts Barbara Strain, Jenell Robinson, and Terri Nelson to break down the evolving value equation in healthcare. They discuss the classic formula Value = Quality ÷ Cost, why that equation is becoming more complex, and how hospitals are increasingly evaluating outcomes, efficiency, patient experience, and operational impact when making purchasing decisions. This episode explores: • How value analysis teams actually evaluate clinical products • Why the lowest cost product is not always the highest value • How CMS changes influence hospital purchasing decisions • The role suppliers play in demonstrating meaningful value • Why future value decisions may become more theoretical and outcomes-driven If you work in medtech, hospital supply chain, clinical leadership, or healthcare strategy, this episode provides a practical look at how value analysis is evolving and what it means for product adoption. This episode launches our new Creating Value series, where we will explore conversion compliance, supplier collaboration, value analysis processes across different healthcare systems, and more. Subscribe for more conversations on healthcare value analysis, medtech strategy, and hospital decision-making.

    34 min
  4. 2025-11-20

    Advisory Boards That Actually Move the Needle | Ep 103

    How do you build advisory boards that actually change your commercialization trajectory instead of checking a box? The panel breaks down who to invite, what to ask, and how to turn insight into action. In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, host Scott Alexander sits down with Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti to go deeper on voice of customer by focusing on one of the most underused tools in medtech: advisory boards. They unpack what a modern advisory board really is, how it differs from one-off focus groups, and why the best boards are “snowflakes” that look different for each product, market, and objective. Skender introduces the idea of “closing the circuit” across all personas who touch a product, from physicians and nurses to EVS, biomed, IT, and quality leaders. The group explores how to avoid the trap of getting “say” data that never turns into “do,” why you should pay advisors to tell you what you do not want to hear, and how to balance gray-bearded experts with emerging clinicians who understand today’s channels and behaviors. They wrap with practical steps for building your first advisory board, setting objectives, holding advisors accountable, and knowing when the right move is to kill a project. If you are in medtech leadership, product management, marketing, or sales, this episode will give you a concrete playbook to design advisory boards that create a real unfair advantage in your market.

About

Attention MedTech executives: Are you looking to grow exponentially and remain competitive in the MedTech Industry? Our renowned professors, the MedTeXperts, have launched a new podcast, the "Medtech Business Academy," where you can earn your MEDTECH MBA! We will be sharing our insights related to all aspects of Medtech commercialization including strategies for engaging with distributors, digital marketing, inside sales, clinical experience marketing, and healthcare economics. Download your episode on Spotify, Apple iTunes, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.