BSX Spectra

First off, I work for St Jude, so I am biased. That said, this new Spectra system is a JOKE! In my area, its high cost is already having hospitals halt Stim, until they can review the therapy (in particular, the $10,000+ LOSS they experience with every new Spectra implant).

The new programming is neat, but it doesn't do much for the patient, except maybe save them 5 minutes during a reprogram. Any of our reps can program a patient just as fast as your new software. It is a Staple's brand "Easy Button" for the reps, not the pain physicians, like you are making it out to be.

I AM worried about Medtronic's new MRI-safe system, but I'm sure they'll screw that up somehow. I will lose cases to MRI...I refuse to lose cases to Precision Spectra voodoo and high pricing! You guys are going down!

 

Do you realize I swapout3-4 of your systems a month? I make8-10k a month for basically doing nothing. You're a chump, number. 3

 

hahahahaha Poor little STJ. I am sure your 85,000 per quarter territory is safe as can be. What a joke you division has become. I am sure your resume will be in the hands of BSC or MDT soon enough. Maybe you can even head back to pharma where you mostly likely came from.

 

So you will do about $1MM worth of new business a year at my expense based on that comment you just made??? Wow, you must be something special seeing that the average US SJM SCS territory does just about that dollar amount in total. Impressive. You look like a fool when you make ludacris statements like that you dips#$%. Bone up on your math and intellect before you come on here and try to impress people

 

Your territories are 1mil/year? That is sad. Math is correct. Truth hurts.

Thanks again.

Sincerely

BSN and MDT

 

Ha ha! BSN!?!? Bachelor of Science in Nursing says thanks!!! What a douche

 

I'm sorry can you repeat that??? I was distracted by reading one of the many warning letters/recalls STJ has put out. Bless your heart. Have you seen market share/sales $ lately? Spectra isn't just about a fancy programmer sweetie, it gives more patients more options for long term pain relief....but ya'll just don't know anything about that. Good luck with you $1mm territory. lol. we don't even have any that small.....

 

BSX's success this year has very little to do with Spectra and very much to do with 32 units of L8680!

 

The Spectra system will be the reason for physician reimbursement goes down next year. Medicare has a flag on how much hospitals are losing from implanting this unproven system, and they will go to a more fixed cost/reimbursement approach.

That means two things: 1)As a Medtronic rep, i cant wait to point this out to my docs when it happens so they can thank boston for literally taking money out of their pockets. 2) Boston reps will have a real pickle on their hands when they're priced out of the market with an inferior system and up against goals from the previous year...

The only reason any company would make a short term decision to make their books look good is to sell the division. Otherwise, you wouldn't screw the docs this year to continue to be partners with them next year.

 

I like the thought you put into this but unfortunately it doesnt hold up because of your obvious bias.

Medicare has had a flag on all of stim for a long time already. It takes years to develop and bring a new system to Market. Boston just didnt decide last year "hey let's develop a system that will ruin reimbursement for 2014". Spectra has been being developed since 2005. Just like MRI has been being developed for a while now.
Fixed cost/Reimbursement is more due to years of overutlization ,PFNS, subq etc. In my area at least,
it was medtronic that promoted this "Unproven" and costly method. Dont through stones in a glass house dude.

1. Are you going to bash Boston to the same dumbass docs that have been implanting your field stim for years? Go ahead, they dont care anyway. They will just tow your company line no matter how asinine it is and keep taking the cash. I sometimes wonder if Medtronic came out with a 32 contact IPG. I would love to hear how quick your tune changes.

2.Your right about your second point except Boston Spectra is not inferior and you know it (or at least I hope you would). Quite the opposite actually. Some price erosion will take place and it will be tougher. But all companies will feel this.

And about short term decisions to cook books and sell off? Were not St. Jude

I guess this makes my bias obvious as well but at I would hope you at least would put some logical thought into anything that resembles a point.

 

If L-code goes away system prices will go down across the board and stim reps will start making pharma money for ortho/trauma hours. If you really think that's going to happen, you should be spending more time on linkedin than cafepharma. Good selling!

(Nice theory on pre-acquisition prettying up, but simple quarterly financials-driven greed is a better explanation.)

 

Man you Boston folks are drinking massive amounts of koolaid while the company is Riffing 1500 of your fellow compadres...

And Spectra has already gotten the attention of hospitals and insurance companies. I know Cigna specifically points out that they will not cover any ON or OFF label use of this system as it is unproven. Don't believe me? Look it up, it's on their website. Do you honestly think insurance companies are not doing everything they can to cut costs and find ways to not pay claims? Your genius company comes out with an unproven system and charges double the price of other proven systems on the market? The entire medical industry is on a hunt for finding more efficient ways to bring therapies to patients, and your company doubles their price? Doesn't sound like a long term strategy to me.


And I would love to hear why spectra is so great? Matter of fact, I've invited the local reps to lunch with a group of physicians more than once to do a product comparison, and you and I both know you guys shrink up and retreat under pressure. Anytime - Any Place. I'll be sure to bring pacemakers, MRI machines, and Bovie's to the battle. Those 3 things alone should tell you why Medtronic is still the world leader in medical devices.

 

I would take that Challenge!
All I would need is my old precision hprogrammer, a 5 year old fluoro shot and a wireless GPS system....

To be fair, I would also bring a dead Nintendo Gameboy with an "MRI Conditional" sticker on it, a bunch of cords, and for an extra charge I would let the group of physicians look at a compass...and pay them to use a pain pump I found on the floor of my last case.

 

We're kicking MDT and Judes ass with Spectra everywhere. It's not even close. Laughable to think any of you can compete with our algorithm on a 16 contact lead. By the way, thank you for your business in advance. Easy to take, easy to keep. Bu bye

 

We won a lot business with 32 units of L8680. We also brought down the wrath of CMS not just on in-office trials but also on epidural steroid injections. 2014 ESIs (CPTs 62310 & 62311) were projected to decrease by just 2.3% in July but they were instead slashed 58% in CMS' final rule. That reduction in epidural steroid injection reimbursement sliced millions off the average pain physician's lifetime earning potential.

There is a significant correlation between L8680 unit growth and health system cost fueled by Infineon/Spectra and Medicare's retaliation against specialties that happily netted $12k+ for a 45-90 minute procedure. Let's hope physicians never connect those dots!

 

"We"?? go back to your loser board

 

You guys are all insane. Selling procedures on finances never lasts forever. The pain gravy train is over. Stim will go back to where it was in year 2000: why? Because docs will view the L code change as a pay cut and will begin to be more selective on who they trial. Wow...novel thought.

Seriously- as a long term career get out while you can. The writing is on the wall.

 

L8680 was ruined in part by the greed that you guys had for milking the office based trials. Dbags!

 

I like the thought you put into this but unfortunately it doesnt hold up because of your obvious bias.

Medicare has had a flag on all of stim for a long time already. It takes years to develop and bring a new system to Market. Boston just didnt decide last year "hey let's develop a system that will ruin reimbursement for 2014". Spectra has been being developed since 2005. Just like MRI has been being developed for a while now.
Fixed cost/Reimbursement is more due to years of overutlization ,PFNS, subq etc. In my area at least,
it was medtronic that promoted this "Unproven" and costly method. Dont through stones in a glass house dude.

1. Are you going to bash Boston to the same dumbass docs that have been implanting your field stim for years? Go ahead, they dont care anyway. They will just tow your company line no matter how asinine it is and keep taking the cash. I sometimes wonder if Medtronic came out with a 32 contact IPG. I would love to hear how quick your tune changes.

2.Your right about your second point except Boston Spectra is not inferior and you know it (or at least I hope you would). Quite the opposite actually. Some price erosion will take place and it will be tougher. But all companies will feel this.

And about short term decisions to cook books and sell off? Were not St. Jude

I guess this makes my bias obvious as well but at I would hope you at least would put some logical thought into anything that resembles a point.

 

We're all guilty of playing the PFNS game not just one company.