The importance of safe patient ambulation: Q&A with Firefly Medical's Steve Schmutzer

Launched at the American Organization of Nurse Executives annual tradeshow in April, Firefly Medical's IVEA aims to ensure safe patient handling and mobility as well as reduce the number of stress factors facing nurses.

"Response has been extremely positive, as providers recognize the potential to more closely align patient-mobility protocols with actual results, reducing the number of nurses it takes to safely ambulate a patient, improving patient outcomes and caregiver efficiency, and lowering costs," says Steve Schmutzer, cofounder of Firefly Medical and a former critical care nurse.

Mr. Schmutzer recently won a silver medal at the 2015 Edison Awards for the IVEA patient-mobility solution. Here, he discusses the inspiration behind IVEA as well as the state of innovation in the medical device landscape in general.
 
Question: Could you give me a little background about Firefly Medical? How and when was the company established?

Steve Schmutzer: Firefly Medical, as it exists now, was established in 2013. But I had the first inklings of the idea when I was in nursing years ago and wrestled with the problems nurses still face around patient ambulation. It's not easy launching a company of any kind, and challenges unique to entering the medical equipment space have made the process even more arduous. But what's most encouraging is that it appears the IVEA is a solution whose time has come. For me, it all began with a question: If the equipment we work with today had never been invented, what would be the ideal product given the various challenges of modern healthcare? I think the IVEA is the answer to that question.

Q: Could you describe the IVEA? What makes it unique?

SS: The IVEA doesn't look like anything else out there because it can't. It had to be something completely different in order to address the laws of physics and the question of how you support a large amount of weight over a rolling base. The end result is a product designed to stay bedside like an IV pole and also support the patient during ambulation. The IVEA actually becomes more stable as more weight is placed upon it — that's very different from what's out there today. The IVEA is also unique in that it's been designed by nurses for nurses. We took input from more than 150 nurses and clinicians, and we listened to their concerns and desires related to efficiency of care and patient ambulation. I think that's why they're embracing the IVEA now: because they instantly perceive it as the solution they themselves told us they were looking for.

Q: What are some other products the company is interested in developing?

SS: We see an opportunity in extraordinary equipment design that transforms the outdated traditions of patient care. Our specific focus is on highly functional, beautifully designed, intuitive equipment that contributes to patient mobility, activity and quality of life.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges facing medical device makers today?

SS: Keeping their marriages intact. No, seriously, many times throughout this journey I was told this or that couldn't be done. Yet, we had to find a way. Moreover, everything in healthcare is becoming more regulated and the industry is fraught with unprecedented change and destabilizing uncertainty.

Trying to introduce a transformative product into an environment like this is not for the faint of heart. It's also very expensive. You need a lot of money to define a solution and even more to navigate regulatory requirements and IP strategies, create your messaging and branding, and educate the market. We've overcome many hurdles, and I believe we still have a ways to go, but as long as you embrace the race of endurance and not speed, it can be done.

Q: What excites you most about the medical device innovation landscape?

SS: As challenging as it is to run the product development gauntlet, innovation that improves patient care remains essential. With the advent of the CMS Summary Rating System and a new patient-centered model in which hospitals compete for "customers," patient satisfaction surveys carry more weight than ever, and we have an exciting opportunity to help shape the industry's trajectory. We believe the IVEA has the potential to improve HCAHPS scores, improve efficiency of care, improve safety, improve morale, reduce lengths of stays, reduce liability costs and boost margins, and that's significant. It means we can better the lives of patients and caregivers, and that alone makes this whole endeavor worthwhile.

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