Trace Medical | Top Respiratory Devices Solution Company 2019

MedTech Outlook Magazine

Trace Medical
A Unique Solution for Medical Ventilation Needs

Elliot Campbell, Senior Vice President, Trace MedicalElliot Campbell, Senior Vice President
In 2004, Rhon Pannell and Carl Reid—two industry veterans— noticed a unique challenge that hindered many HME providers from offering advanced respiratory care. “The key challenges were simple. The first was having access to ventilators and the necessary clinical support required to accommodate this fragile patient population. The other issue; ventilators were expensive to acquire and difficult to maintain,” says Rhon Pannell, Chief Executive Officer of Trace Medical. By utilizing their network of major ventilator manufacturers and decades of industry experience, the duo came up with a unique solution – ventilator rentals inclusive of all necessary preventative maintenance.“Trace Medical’s system allows customers to rent only when they have patient demand. In addition, as technology evolves, Trace Medical’s customers have access to the type of ventilator they need. It’s no longer necessary for customers to line their shelves with expensive ventilators that may not deliver an acceptable ROI or desired clinical outcomes”, explains Carl Reid, Chief Operating Officer. Trace Medical began renting ventilators to HMEs that either didn’t have the financial resources, chose to utilize their capital dollars elsewhere, and HME’s that lacked the essential bio-medical expertise.



Over the years, Trace Medical worked closely with key ventilator manufacturers to ensure appropriate clinical solutions were available to patients, regardless of their ventilation needs. Today, these efforts have made Trace Medical the national leader in ventilator rentals with the reputation as one of the most valued partners for advanced respiratory care.

"We are the only ventilator rental company that offers a full-line of ventilators that are appropriate in every care setting – NICU, ICU, LTAC, LTC, Hospice, and Home"

Trace Medical provides non-invasive, invasive, and multi-function ventilators. Its product line has recently expanded to include POCs (portable oxygen concentrators), percussion vest therapy, and NPWT (Negative Pressure Wound Therapy), driving solutions into different areas such as managed care organizations, hospice, government, and others. “Trace Medical is the only ventilator rental company that offers a full-line of ventilators that are appropriate in every care setting – NICU, ICU, LTAC, LTC, Hospice, and Home. Our mission is simple - offer the latest technology in the most cost-effective way possible,” states Greg Apostolou, CFO of Trace Medical.
Simplifying Patient Therapy

Some of the most powerful products in Trace Medical’s product line are the Philips Respironics Trilogy 100 with Bluetooth and Trilogy Evo. Trilogy delivers both volume and pressure controlled ventilation for invasive and non-invasive patients with multiple advanced modes including mouthpiece ventilation and AVAPS-AE. Trilogy also connects to Care Orchestrator, Philips’ cloud-based patient management system. With the ability to transmit data wirelessly and remotely, Connected Trilogy helps providers deliver quality respiratory care, drive efficiencies, avoid unnecessary home visits, enhance care coordination, streamline workflow and prioritize patient needs.

Philips recently announced the launch of Trilogy Evo, the only portable life support ventilator platform designed to provide consistent therapy and monitoring as care environments or conditions change. Leveraging the technology of Trilogy, Trilogy Evo helps enable smooth patient transitions by providing consistent, connected ventilation therapy to patients 2.5kg and above as they transition care teams or migrate from one therapy mode to another. Designed for portability and durability, Trilogy Evo is the only industry-leading1 ventilator with 15 hours of battery life* with an internal and detachable battery. Trilogy Evo’s connectivity helps identify, intervene and resolve therapy adherence issues before problems occur.

Trace Medical’s mission is simple – offer the latest technology in the most cost-effective way possible

Trace Medical is also the national rental provider for VOCSN. VOCSN is the first and only Multi-Function Ventilator (HCPCS E0467) that combines five traditional devices into a single, portable device. VOCSN works from hospital to home for pediatric as well as adult patients, and includes the following therapies:

• Ventilation: Critical care ventilator
• Oxygen: 6 L/min oxygen concentrator
• Cough: Touch button cough assist
• Suction: Hospital grade suction
• Nebulizer: High performance nebulizer

The VOCSN critical care ventilator provides best in class invasive, non-invasive and mouthpiece ventilation across a comprehensive set of modes and settings in a single, 18 pound device with up to 9 hours of on-board battery.

VOCSN is fully customizable to meet patient needs, and can provide all five therapies, or just the mix of therapies needed.
Market Makers

In April 2019, Trace Medical executed an exclusive long-term Network Administration Agreement to provide ventilator rentals to the entire SunMED Managed Care Organization (“MCO”) Network, Workers Compensation and Medicaid customer base of over 500 providers. “The relationship with SunMED allows Trace Medical to create an additional revenue stream for our customers that is historically dominated by other suppliers. We are the only rental company that actually provides our customers with additional revenue streams”, states Elliot Campbell. While the program is new to Trace Medical, the response from its customers has been tremendous.

Tracing the Way toward Post-acute Care Ventilation Rentals

Trace Medical makes the process of renting ventilators absolutely seamless. By utilizing industry-leading inventory optimization software, the company proactively positions its substantial inventory pool and ensures that its ventilators are readily available for their customers. The software allows Trace Medical’s entire team the ability to monitor the number of ventilators that are patient ready, on-rent, and in service, by make and model, on a real-time basis.

Trace Medical has further expanded its service model through a partnership with Van G. Miller & Associates (VGM), based in Waterloo, IA, which provides exclusive access to VGM’s membership of nearly 3,100 HME providers. The agreement solidifies the first program of its kind for VGM’s membership community. While ventilation is clinically necessary, the high cost and risk of the ownership limit access to products. Campbell states, “Aligning with industry leaders like VGM helps ensure that our value proposition is available to as many providers as possible. Initiatives like this will also allow Trace Medical to continue its growth strategy and offer services nationally.”

Having carved a unique niche through its state-of-art business model and product line, Trace Medical is growing rapidly and will continue to do so in the future. The company is expanding its product offering and providing solutions to new channels, such as post-acute care and Managed Care. “We are quickly becoming the industry’s leader in post-acute care ventilation rentals,” informs Campbell. To support its customers clinically, Trace Medical has recently partnered with a national clinical network that provides clinical resources to its customer base as they begin/expand their ventilation programs. “This relationship provides a perfect platform to link clinical resources to our customers that might otherwise be financially out of their reach. It’s clearly a win for all parties,” concludes Apostolou.

- Joe Philip
    December 18, 2019
Top 10 Respiratory Devices Solution Companies - 2019

Company
Trace Medical

Management
Elliot Campbell, Senior Vice President

Description
As a national leader in ventilator rentals and sales, Trace Medical has developed the well-earned reputation as a partner that meets the varying inventory demand, while delivering the financial and clinical outcomes they expect. The company has worked tirelessly with leading suppliers to refine our product line to ensure the appropriate clinical modalities are available for the patients—regardless of their ventilation needs. These efforts have led the company to have the reputation as the customer's most valued vendor partner for the care of their ventilated patients

Trace Medical News

Trace Medical & Outset Medical sign long-term distribution agreement for Tablo® Hemodialysis System

New collaboration will help drive access for home medical equipment providers to first-of-its kind technology for home dialysis
WHITMORE LAKE - Trace Medical, announced a long-term distribution agreement with Outset Medical to rent the Tablo® Hemodialysis System to Home Medical Equipment (HME) providers.
Under this agreement, Trace Medical intends to utilize its national distribution network to provide Home Medical Equipment (HME) providers with exclusive access to rent Tablo. This move is aimed at meeting the increasing demand from dialysis patients who prefer receiving treatment in the comfort of their homes. Greg Apostolou, the Chief Executive Officer of Trace Medical, expressed enthusiasm about this collaboration with Outset to address the evident gaps in dialysis treatment. He highlighted that their chairman's recent diagnosis of renal disease had given them firsthand insight into these treatment gaps.
Apostolou also pointed out that Trace Medical, with its extensive national distribution platform and customer base serving approximately 30 million patients annually, is well-positioned to address these gaps effectively. After extensive planning with the Outset Medical team, they are confident in their collective ability to cater to all healthcare channels with Tablo, making a substantial difference in patient experience and clinical outcomes.
Tablo, which has received FDA clearance for use both in hospitals and at home, represents a significant technological advancement. It not only enhances the dialysis experience for patients but also simplifies operational aspects for healthcare providers. Tablo serves as a unified enterprise solution that can be deployed across the entire spectrum of care, allowing dialysis to be administered at any time, in any location, and by a range of healthcare professionals.
“Home hemodialysis is the future of dialysis care. This new agreement will provide us an additional opportunity to reach the over half million Americans that depend on dialysis to live,” said Steve Williamson, Chief Commercial Officer, Outset Medical. “Tablo is a breakthrough in kidney care, enabling patients to reclaim their lives by accessing lifesaving treatment in their own homes. Using Tablo, patients can receive dialysis treatment at their convenience on their own schedule using a console that is easy to operate. Working with Trace and their customers will expedite our ability to establish a national footprint of Tablo home programs, enabling more patients to treat on their own schedule with their families by their side.”
Barry Thwaits, Senior Vice President of Business Development at VGM & Associates, emphasized the organization's mission of guiding its members towards the future of home care. This mission includes the transition of care services from clinical settings to patients' homes through collaborative partnerships with suppliers like Trace Medical. They have collectively identified home dialysis as a significant opportunity and are confident in Trace Medical's ability to utilize its substantial market presence and infrastructure to provide these solutions to VGM's membership. Thwaits expressed their eagerness to support Trace, Outset, and VGM members in offering improved solutions to patients receiving home dialysis.
In support of this initiative, Trace has formed a Dialysis Advisory Board comprising influential figures in the nephrology field, GPO leadership, and C-Suite executives. This board's purpose is to educate the industry about the advantages of home hemodialysis and to initiate discussions with commercial payors regarding the clinical and financial benefits associated with home hemodialysis.