Exploring the World’s Largest Medical Device Maker
As a rule, we follow the technological advancements of corporate giants in tech health to help inform those of us individuals choosing to define for ourselves who we are and what we want to be in a world of powerful corporate and governmental elites. That means knowing the world and those tracking us, good and bad. Incredible advancements are made every day by health companies seeking to do good in the world, no doubt. However, we need to follow and examine them to enhance our own capabilities and positioning. We are not victims, we are active agents in our lives.
This week we continue with our investigation of the world’s largest device maker: Medtronic (Full Disclosure, We are invested in Medtronic). As we have already done a mini-introduction and a deeper first step into understanding this company, this week we turn to the first segment recognized within this company, the Cardiac and Vascular Group.
Segment Under Review: Cardiac and Vascular Group
As expected, this group focuses specifically on heart & blood vessel health and provides levels of support that range from management to surgery, including a variety of devices that assist with all levels of care. Within Medtronic, the technologies used are broken into two product lines: Cardiac Products and Vascular Products.
In addition to the product line, Medtronic’s Cardiac Group site also delivers the range of product integrated therapies that are offered:
Despite all the fancy terminology, Medtronic seeks to provide much greater and deeper levels of understanding to professionals through its Medtronic Academy and to patients/caregivers onsite, and through YouTube as well. Not only does the latter look to provide patient insight, and the most recent research, but gives the broader community a view into how the Medtronic Cardiac and Vascular Group sees future innovation.
Thanks to MedtronicCardiac
One of the most curious statements in the video from MedtronicCardiac above is the number of patients monitored. By 2018, the site lists that 1 Million patients had indeed been monitored. Patient data is alive and well and being collected regularly and has been for some time. That isn’t going anywhere and we need to be keenly aware of this.
In conjunction, Medtronic does a good job of illustrating the monitoring process as well via YouTube (see video below) and also does a good job of illustrating tracking through its use of medical ID cards and personal information; in doing so, they provide both terms of use and privacy statement made readily available on their site.
Thanks to MedtronicCardiac
Finally, perhaps the most curious thing about this device division is that it self proclaims that it, Medtronic more generally, “does not practice medicine or provide medical services.” However, Medtronic does hold over 49,000 patents in its total health-related portfolio. And for a company that neither practices medicine nor provides medical services, it is a truly unique player in the healthcare field.
Ultimately we see a truly beneficial company working to increase the health and well-being of individuals around the globe through the application of technology and we certainly applaud those efforts. It is also definitely a company tracking the individual that receives the devices, no doubt with quality intent and offering the patient insight into those processes.
When we often see and hear so many media reactions to the negative regarding big tech and data, it is refreshing to see that there are tech companies working to not only share information regarding information collection, medical device application, and design so readily. However, as always, they are not without their detractors.
We look forward to seeing much more in our exploratory journey through this company. And hope to give our audience the tools to help bring a bit of understanding of the different facets of technology in health along the way.
Join us next week as we explore the Minimally Invasive Devices Unit of Medtronic. We look forward to our journey together into the world’s largest Medical Device Maker. See you next time.