Misonix Integration #2: The Collaboration Continues
By Brooke M. Ferrar, Director of Commercial Engagement
The activity associated with the full integration of Misonix continues to ramp up! The key element to these integration exercises centers around collaboration and it has been great to see.
As you may know, the R&D team based out of Farmingdale has been extremely busy since the start of the year. Several of their projects are at the advanced development stage, including the BoneScalpel Access project (BSA), which is now in a limited launch release and is being gradually introduced to the market. A project of this nature requires intimate collaboration between the Commercial and R&D teams with joint attendance at BSA clinical evaluations, detailed reviews and documentation of case outcomes. More than 30 cases were scheduled in less than three months to gather insights and feedback from our end users, with tight surgeon scheduling driven with passion and enthusiasm by Will Mason and Chris Ballor. Dan Voic clearly summed up how the process has been with this simple statement: “The teamwork to date, flawless.”
Another critical update that the joint R&D and Regulatory teams have led over recent months was the filing of the 510K for the SonaStar Elite project, which was scheduled for completion before the end of April. That target was hit, which is a testament to not only what the R&D team is doing, but how they are doing it. Another key learning that was observed from Dan Voic: “Bioventus is committed to doing things right, the first time.” Many from the Misonix team have been impressed to be part of a Bioventus system that thoroughly vets new products prior to their full commercial release.
Finally, there was a natural inclination for the R&D team in Farmingdale to connect with the EXOGEN product team based in Memphis. Based on decades of joint ultrasonic experience held by both teams, they were able to share and connect their network of expert contacts.
On the topic of EXOGEN, a pilot training for a segment of our Restorative Therapies sales team took place in April and Territory Managers (TMs) were educated on the Misonix Wound business. The objective of the pilot is to gain knowledge of DPM-specific physician office opportunities for TheraSkin and SonicOne to better determine our post pilot go-to-market strategy. Kudos to Jay Waggoner and members of his Sales Leadership team who were onsite during the pilot training. In conjunction with efforts from the Sales Education Team, TMs at the training were provided with the education and support needed for them to confidently go back into the field and provide solutions to patients.
A final component to the Integration activity over the past two months is associated with branding, which is led by efforts of the Core Team with members from both Bioventus and legacy Misonix. There has been an update to the Misonix website, which now includes Bioventus logos and homepage messaging that “Misonix is now Bioventus”. Additionally, there was a LinkedIn advertising campaign that ran in April to encourage current followers of the Misonix company page to follow Bioventus and the newly created Bioventus Surgical Solutions showcase page for updates. The campaign concluded at the end of April and a banner was placed on the Misonix LinkedIn page that “Misonix was acquired by Bioventus. To see what’s new, visit Bioventus”. Other updates pertaining to Misonix Facebook and Instagram pages occurred with a rebrand and all legacy Misonix product videos now live on the Bioventus YouTube channel.
A special shout out to an individual who recently changed roles and will bring his expertise to the AHT Commercial Operations team. Mike Weber, is a new Senior Manager, under the leadership of Steven Barringer. Mike’s role is critical as it will primarily focus on the integration, sustainment and growth of the Wound Care business. Mike’s experience is vast and includes: R&D and quality assurance efforts, manufacturing and operations. His previous role at Misonix was in IT and with his intricate understanding of CRM & sales dashboard developments, he is set up for success with the Commercial Operations team.
More to come and don’t forget: check out the Misonix Integration page on Bionet for more details and updates of this nature!
The teams that were mentioned in this recap deserve a round of applause:
R&D (Farmingdale based)
Lawrence Agtuca
Alexander Darian
Scott Isola
Jack Jamgochian
Nicholas Leddy
Kassandra Locke
Salvatore Pantano
Michael Smitelli
Edward Rupp
R&D
Debra Arrington
Lawrence Boyd
Christopher Chiavario
Taylor Fisher
James Fletch
Anthony Hill
Neill Pounder
Travis Pressler
Kara Segerstorm
510K Submission Team
Larry Agtuca
Alex Darian
Scott Isola
Sharon Klugewicz
Bon Paer
Sal Pantano
Alessandra Pavesio
Emory Rose
John Salerno
Mike Smitelli
Joe Taormina
Dan Voic
Wound Leadership @ Pilot Training
Julie Botten
Paul Birkeli
Mike O’Neill
Andrew Tosdevin
Sales Education Team @ Pilot Training
Averi Parris
Audrey Prewitt-Campbell
Branding Core Team
Chris Ballor
Brooke Farrar
Brittany Flecker
Ross Menia
Scott Petrie
Andrew Tosdevin
Vanessa Williams
Jamica Whitaker