MedTech Business Academy

Hosted by MedTeXperts

Management Health Fitness Education

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Episodes

119

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Attention MedTech executives: Are you looking to grow exponentially and remain competitive in the MedTech Industry? Our renowned professors, the MedTeXperts, have launched a new podcast, the "Medtech Business Academy," where you can earn your MEDTECH MBA! We will be sharing our insights related to all aspects of Medtech commercialization including strategies for engaging with distributors, digital marketing, inside sales, clinical experience marketing, and healthcare economics. Download your episode on Spotify, Apple iTunes, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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60 recent

August 13, 202635 min

New Trends in Value Analysis | Ep. 112

Value Analysis Committees strike fear into medtech commercial teams, but hospital rejections are rarely about product quality. Instead, they reflect a flawed commercial strategy. In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Barbara Strain, Scott Alexander, and Tom Hickey break down modern hospital purchasing. They discuss the rise of triad leadership structures, the shift toward operational nurse leads, and why pitching only physicians guarantees a stalled committee review. The panel explains how winning medtech brands target all four healthcare decision-makers (Clinical, Financial, Operational, and IT) and how reps can effectively frame clinical trials without overwhelming buyers with raw data. A successful committee review is a major competitive moat. Learn how to equip your internal clinical champions with the exact evidence health systems need to reach a decision.

July 30, 202637 min

How the 14% Win at Trade Shows | Ep. 111

Trade shows are expensive, time-consuming, and frequently disappointing. Yet medtech companies continue attending them because exhibiting is treated as a cost of doing business rather than an investment that must produce a measurable return. In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti examine why 86% of companies rate their conference ROI as poor or fair and what the successful 14% do differently. They discuss how shrinking provider travel budgets, fewer decision-makers on the show floor, and more informed buyers have changed the value of the traditional booth strategy. The conversation explores how medtech companies can select the right conferences, identify and contact decision-makers before the event, create compelling reasons for attendees to engage, and shift spending from oversized booths toward meetings, demonstrations, speaking opportunities, customer appreciation, and pre-show marketing. Trade shows still have a place in medtech. However, companies can no longer simply arrive, build a booth, and expect the right customers to appear. Success requires a strategy that begins before the show, creates meaningful face-to-face interactions during it, and continues with disciplined follow-up afterward.

July 16, 202639 min

What Winning Medtech Companies Do Differently | Ep 110

In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Mike Sperduti is joined by Skender Daerti, Tom Hickey, and Scott Alexander for a conversation about what winning medtech companies are doing differently in today’s market. The group breaks down why the old medtech sales playbook is no longer enough. Physician employment, value analysis, longer sales cycles, tighter budgets, and workflow pressure have changed how hospitals evaluate new technology. A strong clinical claim still matters, but successful companies now have to connect the clinical, financial, and operational story in a way that speaks to every stakeholder involved in adoption. The panel also discusses why customer insight needs to happen earlier, why marketing should be treated as consistent market education, and why pipeline has to be engineered instead of left to chance. From better targeting and stronger data to inside sales, workflow design, and smarter use of field sales resources, this episode explores the practical shifts that separate companies gaining traction from those still relying on outdated assumptions. If your team is trying to accelerate adoption, improve commercialization, or better understand how healthcare buying has changed, this conversation is worth a listen. Watch now and subscribe for more conversations on medtech growth, adoption, and commercialization.

June 11, 202635 min

Educate First, Sell Later | Ep 108

The way medtech buyers learn, evaluate, and engage has changed, but many commercial teams are still working from an older playbook. In this episode of Medtech Business Academy, Scott Alexander is joined by Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti for a conversation on how medical device companies need to rethink their approach to sales, marketing, and customer education. The panel discusses why buyers are no longer waiting for a rep to bring them information, how hospitals are looking inward to identify their own gaps, and why medtech companies need to show up with education before the buying cycle begins. The conversation explores the shift from transactional selling to relationship-driven education, the growing role of digital and social channels, and why companies that understand their customers’ problems better than anyone else will be positioned to win. At the center of the discussion is a simple but urgent idea: medtech selling is at an inflection point. The companies that continue to control information will struggle. The companies that educate, build trust, and meet buyers where they are will create the advantage.

June 4, 202639 min

The Inflection Point Medtech Can't Ignore | Ep 107

The Inflection Point Medtech Can't Ignore For years, medtech commercialization has largely been driven by product expertise, relationships, and the efforts of individual sales representatives. But healthcare buying decisions have changed. In this episode of the MedTech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Scott Alexander discuss what they believe is a major inflection point for the industry: the shift from transactional selling to strategic commercialization. The conversation begins with a discussion about personas and quickly expands into a broader examination of how hospitals and health systems evaluate new technologies today. The panel explores why clinical champions alone are rarely enough to drive adoption and why successful companies must understand the priorities of financial, operational, IT, and value analysis stakeholders as well. Along the way, they share real-world examples of products that struggled because key decision-makers were overlooked, discuss how organizational structures continue to evolve through mergers and consolidation, and examine why many sales teams are being asked to navigate increasingly complex buying environments without sufficient strategic support. Key topics include: • Identifying the stakeholders who truly influence adoption • Understanding clinical, financial, operational, and technology personas • Common commercialization mistakes that slow adoption • The growing role of value analysis in healthcare purchasing • How marketing can provide strategic support to the field • Why medtech may be entering a new era of commercialization Whether you're a marketer, salesperson, product manager, clinical leader, or executive, this episode provides a thoughtful discussion on how healthcare purchasing is changing and what medtech organizations must do to adapt.

March 19, 202636 min

Building Medtech That Gets Adopted with Guest Frank Jaskulke | Ep 106

In this episode of the MedTech Business Academy, Scott Alexander, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti sit down with Frank Jaskulke of Avio Medtech for a practical conversation on what really separates successful medtech startups from the ones that stall. From credibility and execution to commercialization, networking, market fit, and the hidden costs of scaling sales, Frank shares clear, experience-based advice for innovators trying to move from concept to adoption. The discussion also covers common startup blind spots, why solving a real market need matters more than falling in love with a solution, how to think about value analysis and workflow improvement, and where Frank sees some of the most exciting opportunities in medtech today. Whether you're building, launching, investing in, or advising medtech companies, this episode is packed with insight you can put to work right away. #MedTech #MedicalDevice #HealthcareInnovation #StartupStrategy #Commercialization #ValueAnalysis #MedTechBusinessAcademy

March 12, 202633 min

The New Rules of Value Analysis | VAES Ep 8

Healthcare value is changing fast in 2026. Cost pressure, CMS policy shifts, and the move toward value-based care are forcing hospitals, suppliers, and value analysis teams to rethink how value is defined and measured. In this kickoff episode of the Creating Value Series, host Skender Daerti is joined by value analysis experts Barbara Strain, Jenell Robinson, and Terri Nelson to break down the evolving value equation in healthcare. They discuss the classic formula Value = Quality ÷ Cost, why that equation is becoming more complex, and how hospitals are increasingly evaluating outcomes, efficiency, patient experience, and operational impact when making purchasing decisions. This episode explores: • How value analysis teams actually evaluate clinical products • Why the lowest cost product is not always the highest value • How CMS changes influence hospital purchasing decisions • The role suppliers play in demonstrating meaningful value • Why future value decisions may become more theoretical and outcomes-driven If you work in medtech, hospital supply chain, clinical leadership, or healthcare strategy, this episode provides a practical look at how value analysis is evolving and what it means for product adoption. This episode launches our new Creating Value series, where we will explore conversion compliance, supplier collaboration, value analysis processes across different healthcare systems, and more. Subscribe for more conversations on healthcare value analysis, medtech strategy, and hospital decision-making.

March 4, 202622 min

Medtech’s New Battleground | Ep 105

Medtech’s New Battleground In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Scott Alexander discuss the forces shaping the medical device industry today. With strong earnings and renewed M&A activity, capital is flowing back into medtech. At the same time, hospitals continue to face staffing shortages, labor pressures, and operational constraints. The conversation explores why workflow and operational efficiency are becoming critical factors in technology adoption. As providers try to do more with fewer resources, medtech companies that simplify processes and integrate into clinical workflows may have the greatest competitive advantage. This episode examines the intersection of industry consolidation, AI-driven investment trends, and hospital operational realities, and what it means for medtech leaders navigating the next phase of the market.

November 20, 202535 min

Advisory Boards That Actually Move the Needle | Ep 103

How do you build advisory boards that actually change your commercialization trajectory instead of checking a box? The panel breaks down who to invite, what to ask, and how to turn insight into action. In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, host Scott Alexander sits down with Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti to go deeper on voice of customer by focusing on one of the most underused tools in medtech: advisory boards. They unpack what a modern advisory board really is, how it differs from one-off focus groups, and why the best boards are “snowflakes” that look different for each product, market, and objective. Skender introduces the idea of “closing the circuit” across all personas who touch a product, from physicians and nurses to EVS, biomed, IT, and quality leaders. The group explores how to avoid the trap of getting “say” data that never turns into “do,” why you should pay advisors to tell you what you do not want to hear, and how to balance gray-bearded experts with emerging clinicians who understand today’s channels and behaviors. They wrap with practical steps for building your first advisory board, setting objectives, holding advisors accountable, and knowing when the right move is to kill a project. If you are in medtech leadership, product management, marketing, or sales, this episode will give you a concrete playbook to design advisory boards that create a real unfair advantage in your market.

November 6, 202537 min

Indirect Spend, Direct Value | VAES Ep 7

In Episode 7 of the Value Analysis Expert Series, Skender Daerti sits down with Barbara Strain, Terri Nelson, and Jenell Robinson to unpack indirect spend and why it belongs inside the value analysis conversation. From rentals and courier services to waste, valet, instrument repair, and placement agreements, the panel shows how these choices shape patient flow, compliance, budgets, and outcomes. Learn the questions value analysis teams ask, the metrics that matter, and how to engage supply chain early so departments avoid hidden costs and lost leverage.