August 30, 2012 — According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), an authority on the medical technology market, as significant numbers of peripheral vascular and vascular access procedures move out of the hospital setting and into a variety of outpatient facilities, manufacturers of peripheral vascular stents, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloons, atherectomy devices, thrombectomy devices and dialysis catheters will face new and complex challenges in marketing their products.
Physician preference is the main driving force in moving procedures into these facilities. Aside from the increased flexibility in scheduling procedures, physicians are particularly interested in the favorable reimbursement they receive for these procedures. Specialized vascular access centers have sprung up in the past five to 10 years, but many of these procedures are also performed in physician offices and in existing dialysis centers. The range of facility types is wide, making it difficult for manufacturers to target them effectively.
Physicians who run their own centers tend to have limited brand loyalty, but do keep a sharp eye on the bottom line, creating incentives for manufacturers to offer attractive pricing. If manufacturers are to succeed in appealing to this market, they need a deeper understanding of how these physicians acquire information and make purchasing decisions.
These results come from a new MRG report, Outpatient Vascular Treatment Centers Study, part of its Physician Forum series. Physician Forum reports are produced in response to specific market events and trends that are expected to have significant effects on the utilization and sales of medical devices. This report was published in June 2012.
The results are based on surveys that were conducted from March to May 2012 and included 90 respondents in vascular access centers, office-based practices and dialysis centers who have performed a significant number of interventional procedures. Survey respondents were interventional cardiologists, interventional nephrologists, interventional radiologists, nephrologists and vascular surgeons in the United States.
“There is a lot of variation between which procedures different centers and practices will be focusing on in the near future,” said MRG Manager Stephanie LaBelle. “Some are looking to increase their volume of lucrative vein treatments such as varicose vein ablation and sclerotherapy, while others will be specializing in peripheral artery disease, and expanding their atherectomy procedure volumes. Manufacturers need to make sure they have the most updated information on this rapidly changing market.”
Millennium Research Group’s Outpatient Vascular Treatment Centers Study report provides information about physician attitudes and purchase decision criteria for peripheral vascular stents, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloons, atherectomy devices, thrombectomy devices and dialysis catheters used in vascular access centers, office-based practices and dialysis centers.
For more information: www.MRG.net
March 20, 2024 
