In our last OEM technology blog post, we discussed things to consider when deciding whether to work with an OEM clinical technology vendor.  If thinking through these issues encourages you to investigate further, here are three key ingredients to identifying the right partner who will give you the best chance for your ideas and products to succeed in today’s dynamic healthcare marketplace.
As you might expect from a partnership, the first two ingredients depend largely on the partners!

The SunTech blog was established as a discussion place about blood pressure (BP) measurement because that's what we do. Naturally, we have tried to share our understanding of the clinical application experiences with using automated BP measurement in practicing medicine. However, we also partner with other manufacturers to integrate OEM NIBP technology in their medical devices. Some of these are patient monitors that you see in all parts of the hospital. But some of the more specialized devices are used to save lives in an ambulance or Lifeflight, on commercial airline flights, and even in the battlefield. Regardless of the application, these companies all considered whether they should buy, build, or partner in order to achieve their goals. Here are the top five factors companies should consider when deciding whether to use an OEM technology supplier:

The regulatory world is changing. Countries are examining and changing the rules and regulations that govern the way businesses interact and make an impact. In the US, with his editorial article in the Wall Street Journal and his State of the Union Address, President Obama makes a clear message about government regulatory systems. He wants balance between commerce & safety, progress & common sense. Obama calls for regulations to be reviewed so that the US “(protects its) safety, health and environment while promoting economic growth.” While the call to update regulations is clear, the balance that is called for lies in a well-known, well-trodden, broad, gray area. It’s this same area that all countries are trying to define, regulate, and enforce for the good of their citizens.

We love to highlight our partners’ achievements.  While some of these have been highly technical BP measurement endeavours in the pursuit of expanding scientific understanding such as experiments on the International Space Station or Mount Everest, the Economist trumpets one which may help anyone who travels by plane. Congratulations to our colleagues at RDT!

SunTech Medical has had a long association with space research. Our first ambulatory blood pressure monitor, the Accutracker, and our stress BP monitor, Tango; have been used onboard the NASA space shuttle as far back as 1988. That association continued last year through an OEM partnership with advanced technology company, Damec.

Blood pressure is everywhere nowadays. While we are used to seeing it measured in the hospital, clinic, and even at home, what about on an airplane? RDT makes this possible with their product and service called Tempus IC^TM, which is used by non-medically trained staff to save lives in remote locations such as in-flight or at sea.

As a medical device manufacturer, we at SunTech Medical have a full appreciation for how laborious the regulatory approval process can be when bringing a product to market. Understanding the rules and requirements can help a medical device manufacturer avoid time-to-market delays and inflated project costs. It is with this unique perspective that we frequently assist our OEM partners with overcoming regulatory hurdles related to automated blood pressure to help them get to market on time while keeping costs to a minimum.

As a leading global provider of OEM NIBP technologies, we work very closely with various medical device manufacturers and biomedical engineering departments as they apply oscillometric NIBP simulators to assist with their device development or equipment maintenance efforts.