AI in Healthcare Enhances Device Launches

The commercialization of new medical devices is traditionally a lengthy endeavor, often spanning over a decade to achieve FDA approval. During a recent fireside chat at Reuters’ MedTech conference in Boston, Jennifer Thompson, vice president of sales for Medtronic’s aortic unit, discussed the evolution of this process and how artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming it.

Jennifer, who has been with Medtronic for nearly 20 years, recalled her early responsibilities which involved extensive analysis of CMS data to determine priorities and identify target populations. Today, AI tools have automated much of this preparatory work, enabling commercialization teams to efficiently track necessary data. The rapid evolution in markets, disease states, and treatment options has made it increasingly essential to leverage AI in analyzing these conditions ahead of a commercial launch.

At Medtronic, AI is utilized by each member of the market development team to identify eligible patients and facilitate connections with physicians. This technological integration not only accelerates the commercialization process but also enhances care coordination, thereby decreasing the chances of patients becoming lost to follow-up, as Thompson emphasized.

Furthermore, the capacity to effectively analyze patient data has brought to light crucial bottlenecks within the care pathway. For instance, Thompson highlighted cases in heart failure management where patients often faced repeated hospitalizations. Through AI analysis, Medtronic discovered that hospitalists, who manage patient care during inpatient stays, inadvertently hindered referrals to heart failure specialists or electrophysiologists. This insight prompted the company to educate these hospitalists on their pivotal role in ensuring patients receive the appropriate post-discharge care, ultimately leading to reduced avoidable readmissions and improved patient outcomes.

In addition to patient care insights, AI also plays a vital role in Medtronic’s internal operations, particularly in optimizing sales team deployments. The company employs analytics within its Salesforce CRM system to monitor activity trends and detect early shifts in market dynamics. This capability allows Medtronic to make informed decisions on where to deploy or retrain sales personnel, which is particularly important given the time and financial investments associated with training.

As Thompson insightfully noted, the success of companies in the ever-evolving medtech landscape will depend on their ability to effectively harness and interpret their data to adapt quickly to market changes.