In this episode of the Med Device Unleashed Podcast, Jamie speaks with Dr. Ed Garcia, co-founder of Space City Pain Specialists. He is triple board-certified in anesthesia pain management and is also the clinical assistant professor for the department of anesthesiology at the University of Texas medical branch in Houston. He talks about spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal pump and RF ablation systems and  the intense medical device sales service they require. 

Listen in to learn the importance of sales rep, doctor, and patient long-term engagement in ensuring that everything turns out successful. You will also learn why Dr. Ed distances himself from the term “pain management” and enlightens us about what he does as a physician in  “pain medicine”. 

Standout Quotes:

“You have to figure out how to integrate yourself into the team, you have to have the staff behind you and the staff to feel like you’re actually part of the team.”– Dr. Ed [52:05]

“It’s about your personality, if you’re not somebody who likes that engagement, then don’t go into these particular types of sales jobs.”-Dr. Ed [40:43]

Top Takeaways:

·       Why you should be passionate and authentic when pitching for your device. ·       The importance of caring and pleasing the patient and being part of the doctor’s team as a sales rep.·       How to bring a business model in conjunction with selling your device or technology.·       Learning to engage with patients and doctors long-term in the pain medicine field. ·       How to integrate yourself with staff and advanced practitioners as a device sales rep by respecting and offering them help. 

Episode Timeline:

·       [2:48] Dr. Ed shares the super qualities he looks for in a sales representative. ·       [13:40] The ‘good’ pain and ‘bad’ pain and the technology explosion to help innovate this medical specialty.·       [18:56] He explains spinal cord stimulation by the use of electricity to treat pain.·       [22:11] How the medical device industry creates electrical stimulator devices and how they test them before applying during surgery.·       [26:35] Why stimulator field calls for long-term clinical engagement between the sales rep and the patients.·       [28:35] Pain medicine vs. pain management- why pain management has become pain meals by doctors who are not practicing medicine.·       [33:15] Targeted drug delivery explained! And the involvement of the sales rep in the process of patient application. ·       [44:09] The benefits of sales rep and doctor engagement other than a professional relationship. ·       [49:25] Learning the strengths of your device to be able to tackle your competition.·       [51:53] The importance of integrating yourself as part of the team by making the work of the staff easy and respecting them.

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.spacecitypain.com/provider/eduardo-a-garcia-md