HBSQuarterly
Dear Reader,This sixth edition of the HBSQuarterly follows the trend set in the earlier publications in that we endeavour again to provide an interesting, informative and relevant mix of articles highlighting areas which have attracted the attention of our consultants over the past few months. It seems fitting at this point to remind you that if you have any comments relating to current content or ideas for future articles please feel free to contact us via hbsinfo@hbs-consulting.com Furthermore, we have found that more and more of our clients have been requesting access to the Quarterly and if you know anyone who does not currently receive it and would wish to do so then please inform us.
In this issue we start by looking at the role of different individuals or departments involved in the purchase of capital or disposable equipment within the hospital environment. It becomes increasingly important for sales and marketing functions within medical device companies to understand where they should focus their efforts given the shifting dynamics of the purchasing process. One would suspect that the opinion of physicians will continue to be a pivotal component of the process but the article, in the short space allowed, highlights the fact that in certain European countries the shift to centralized purchasing may take some initiative away from the medical practitioner.
Our third article touches on the purchasing theme but with a focus on the healthcare IT sector. Uwe Buddrus provides a glimpse of the developments in the RIS/PACS markets in five European countries with some indications of the planned spending on these systems and factors influencing provider selection. I would just finally draw your attention to our two other articles, one which looks at how we believe device/drug combination products within the ophthalmology area might mimic what has happened in the area of drug eluting stents and the other on some findings regarding point of care testing markets in Europe.
Yours sincerely
Dr Akmal Bhatti, Director of Corporate Development