Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the medical device industry in myriad ways including enhanced diagnostics and imaging tools, more precise and consistent robotics and personalized medicine for improved patient care, and more. Where AI can also make a significant impact is in big data and predictive analytics by reducing staff administration, increasing efficiency and avoiding drowning in volumes of disparate data. But relying on AI alone for data and analytics has its pitfalls, especially when hallucinations occur resulting in flawed results and inaccurate predictions. That’s why having human experts behind the AI is critically important.

In this episode of DeviceTalks AI Podcast, Joe Mish, VP of Sales for SmartTRAK,  summarizes how SmartTRAK leverages AI tools alongside expert analysts to offer device customers one trusted source for market intelligence.  Joe discusses how Medtech customers rely on the unique, combined power of SmartTRAK’s Insights-as-a-Service platform and market and data experts to more quickly make strategic decisions around new product innovations and market expansions. With over a decade's worth of data and collective intelligence in the system, the predictive capabilities of AI and the power of non-hallucinating human insights, SmartTRAK might just be the “holy grail” solution. Just click the video below to listen in to learn more! 

A link to download the complete interview transcript is provided below.

0:00:00 Kayleen Brown: Hi everyone, I’m Kayleen Brown of DeviceTalks. Some exciting news to start. Our first four episodes of AI Meets Life Sci has more than 8500 plays. We’re so grateful that you’re interested in how AI is affecting our industry as much as I am. And as you probably noticed, we took a short break and we did that to speak to our audience in order to better understand how we can evolve that series, we learned two things. One, there’s an appetite for more artificial intelligence focused conversations. And two, we learned that though there’s an appetite for these conversations, there’s a hunger for these conversations to be specific to the medical device industry.

0:00:39 Kayleen Brown: So because of that, we’ve rebranded our series AI Meets Life Sci to DeviceTalks AI. DeviceTalks AI will feature exclusive conversations with the largest medtech OEMs and other industry stakeholders to better understand how they’re using artificial intelligence to reshape the industry. But you can still find us on every major podcast platform. Just search for DeviceTalks and make sure that you’re subscribed to DeviceTalks on YouTube.

0:01:06 Kayleen Brown: Today’s episode is extra special as we premiere under our new name. First, you’ll hear an interview with Joe Mish, vice president of sales at SmartTRAK. Joe reveals how SmartTRAK’s cutting-edge approach to market intelligence combines real-time analysis with the human touch of a world-class team. We will better understand how AI has helped speed up the market analysis process and how these technologies enhance strategic decision-making in market intelligence.

0:01:36 Kayleen Brown: After that is our keynote interview with Dr. Ha Hong, chief artificial intelligence officer at Medtronic Endoscopy. I’ll be joined by my AI Meets Life Sci co-host Brian Buntz, and we’ll discuss how Dr. Hong is integrating AI into Medtronic’s endoscopy unit, the potential impact of AI on healthcare outcomes, the importance of patient-centric AI design, and the promising future of AI in the medical device industry.

0:02:05 Kayleen Brown: As always, I’m so thankful for your continued support and I’m so excited about this new iteration of AI Meets Life Sci. Now, DeviceTalks AI. Again, we’re going to be specifically talking to medtech companies about how they’re integrating artificial intelligence for better health and business outcomes. So, let’s kick off our inaugural episode of DeviceTalks AI with my conversation with Joe Mish, vice president of sales at SmartTRAK.

0:02:36 Kayleen Brown: Joe Mish, vice president of sales for SmartTRAK Business Intelligence welcome to DeviceTalks AI. I’ve been so looking forward to sitting down with you and learning more about how artificial intelligence is integrating into the data world and helping our industry understand how the industry at large can look in the future. So with that, thank you again for joining us. I want to start at a 40,000 foot level, Joe.

0:03:05 Kayleen Brown: So can you tell our audience about SmartTRAK? What do you do and who do you serve?

0:03:11 Joe Mish: Absolutely. So SmartTRAK is a real time software as a service business intelligence platform. We provide rich market-level data, competitive intelligence and strategic insights to the medical device community. Essentially, we partner with medical device companies, OEM manufacturers, even financial service groups like VC and PE groups, as well as consulting organizations that really invest heavily in the medtech sector.

0:03:41 Kayleen Brown: I think your summary was a great high-level summary, but can you walk us through how real-time analysis is being conducted and ...

Click the button below to download the complete transcript of the interview featuring Joe Mish, SmartTRAK Director of Sales.

Medtronic executives discuss how the Company is making waves in interventional pain, minimally invasive spine and deep brain stimulation in an interview with SmartTRAK at NANS 2024.

Medtronic’s David Carr, vice president and general manager of Pain Interventions, and Amaza Reitmeier, vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation, discuss the Company’s latest news, research and innovation in an interview with SmartTRAK at the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 2024 Annual Meeting held January 18-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To find out more, including the Company’s priorities and vision for interventional pain, minimally invasive spine and deep brain stimulation, click on the following video to listen to the interview (32:30 min). Topics by timecode are provided below, and you can click the button to download a transcript of the interview.

Interview Topics by Timecode:

00:27 David Carr introduction and background. Overview of Medtronic’s top news at NANS and the importance of the Company’s broad portfolio of pain intervention solutions, including stimulation, targeted drug delivery and interventional spine. 

04:28 Overview of Medtronic’s presence at NANS regarding clinical and scientific research vs competitors. Highlights of clinical data from Australian ECAPs study to support the introduction of the Inceptiv Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system, what’s next for Inceptiv and how Inceptiv differs from other ECAP-based SCS devices. Discussion of other research and evidence to support expanded indications and health economics. Company strategies for leveraging data to drive adoption, reimbursement and growth in non-surgical refractory back pain and diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN),

As the US Spine Enabling Technology Market shows signs of blossoming opportunity in 2023, SmartTRAK highlights three distinct trends continuing to gain traction in the coming year.

The US market for Spine Enabling Technology boasted modest YoY gains in nearly every quarter in 2022, showing signs of blossoming opportunity in 2023 as procedure volumes return to pre-pandemic levels. SmartTRAK projects the US Spine Enabling Technology Market will have a five-year CAGR of 25.1%, according to SmartTRAK Spine Enabling Tech Market Overview. Looking ahead, SmartTRAK sees three distinct trends continuing in 2023: the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), the increasing use of “smart” innovations in robotics and the ongoing shift of spine cases to the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) setting.

Among the trends outlined and discussed in detail in this Market Outlook article are:

Trend #1: Growing Use of AI to Optimize Surgery and Predict Outcomes
It is no secret that AI is here to stay. In recent years, advances in deep learning and deep neural networks have fueled the introduction of a wave of AI and machine learning-based solutions across various medical applications. SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and the implementation of AI-driven imaging in orthopedics and ...

Trends #2: Increasing use of "Smart" Drilling and Haptic Feedback in Robotics. Current evidence remains unclear whether increased accuracy of implant placement associated with robotic assistance in spine surgery translates to improved patient outcomes. Nevertheless, robotic adoption is clearly increasing with market leader MDT highlighting “record-breaking quarters” in Mazor robotics for Q4FY22. SmartTRAK estimates the US Spine Robotics Market will reach ...

Trends #3: : Ongoing Shift of Non-complex Spine to ASCs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital restrictions on non-urgent surgical cases prompted surgeons to take more cases to surgery centers. For a surgeon, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can facilitate better economics, control and patient safety. In the pandemic aftermath, published research suggests there is a renewed focus on ...

To download and read the complete "The Future of Spine Enabling Tech for 2023" article by Shelly Caruso, SmartTRAK Market Analyst/Medical Writer, just click the button below.