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VAC tip - The Health system is the Customer, not the Surgeon - Mark Copeland on BoneChat #35 short

20 Jul 2024 · 1 min

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In this brief interview, Mark Copeland emphasizes that medical device teams should treat the health system—whether a hospital or an ambulatory surgery center—as the primary customer, while viewing the surgeon as a highly sophisticated technical end‑user. By shifting this mindset, teams can uncover hidden product insights. Copeland warns that merely having a technically superior spine pedicle screw or cervical plate is insufficient; relying on occasional key opinion leader (KOL) approval is unsustainable. Sustainable success requires truly outstanding products that meet the health system’s needs, not just occasional KOL endorsement.

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Force yourself to think of the, the health system as the customer. Even if it's an ambulatory surgery center, think of them as the customer. Think of your surgeon as the highly sophisticated, highly technically involved, super important end user. And if you change that, that in your head, you start to uncover things that maybe you didn't know about your product. So I can tell you this. We thought we had something that was better for a, a better spine pedicle screw or a better cervical plate. I mean, it better be astounding because we can't just take it to our KOLs and they're gonna get it approved. It, it will work occasionally. It's not sustainable that way.