Welch Allyn

If you have a problem, then invent the solution. For almost 90 years this has been the thinking that has enabled Welch Allyn to remain one of the most innovative developers of diagnostic and monitoring equipment. Since 1915, the Skaneateles Falls, NY- based company has been growing and reinventing itself while staying focused on one goal: solving clinical problems at the point of care.

24x7 recently spoke with Jim Welch, vice president of technology and chief technology officer for Welch Allyn, about how the company has incorporated its strong heritage into each stage of its growth, and the importance of staying focused on one goal throughout each transition.

24x7: What kinds of products does Welch Allyn offer the biomedical industry?
Jim Welch: Beyond diagnostic products, we design and develop electronic thermometers; electronic vital sign monitors; real-time, continuous monitors that are used by the military and hospital transports; and therapeutic devices, such as defibrillators. We connect all of these things in a concept that we call flexible monitoring. This concept allows clinicians to bring devices to the bedside and connect them to a computer system, allowing caregivers to use the devices at the bedside instead of transporting the patient to where the devices are, which impacts the quality and the cost of care.

24x7: What makes Welch Allyn stand out from its competitors?
Welch: Most notably, we are entirely focused on frontline care. We don’t do imaging; we don’t do information systems; we don’t do financing. We spend day and night dreaming, thinking, creating, producing, developing, manufacturing, and delivering solutions for frontline caregivers. Whether they are primary care physicians, emergency room physicians, nurses, or nurse’s assistants, they are our customers. We provide solutions to help them improve the quality of care, as well as lower the cost of care for their patients. I don’t know of any other company in the diagnostic or monitoring business that has that singular focus for a broad solution set.

24x7: What has Welch Allyn done to improve patient care and lower health care operating costs?
Welch: [We have conceived the] notion of flexible monitoring, which is based on the fact that 80% of patients are cared for outside of high-cost-of-care areas: the operating room, the intensive care unit, and the coronary care unit. We can provide tools that have been seen only in the high-cost-of-care areas to the general care area by making them smaller, simpler, lighter, more durable, and more usable. This allows patients to be cared for in lower cost of care areas. Furthermore, if the tools are simple enough, yet robust, hospitals can maintain the same nurse-to-patient ratio in the low cost of care area.

24x7: Welch Allyn has demonstrated its concern regarding the overall quality of life for patients by participating in goodwill missions for humanitarian aid around the world. Why has the company placed so much emphasis on humanitarian deeds, and what has been the response to such actions?
Welch: It’s hard to argue that philanthropy is not a good thing. Being concerned about the ability of frontline care providers and making sure they are able to have a unique connection with their patients is in the DNA of our company. This is especially true with regard to disaster relief. The folks that respond to these instances are among the true heroes one hears about in the media. They are often very selfless about devoting their time and talents, so why shouldn’t they have the tools to help them be efficient with how they deploy their skills.

Supporting these international efforts makes us feel good, it makes our employees feel good, and it reinforces our belief that we are in an area of technology that actually benefits mankind.

24x7: What would you like 24x7 readers to learn about Welch Allyn?
Welch: Welch Allyn is not just an ophthalmoscope or diagnostic company. Our heritage is our foundation. We’ve created a unique, well-guarded, and respected relationship with virtually every physician that has used our products since the beginning of medical school. Over the years, however, we have transitioned into a full portfolio company by providing the same type of robust utilities in such devices as electronic monitors, thermometers, and spot-check devices. We are going to continue on that path of developing products that move from patient to patient—sophisticated devices that are multi-parameter, innovative, wireless, and telemetry solutions

Most customers still think of us in terms of our heritage, but we are not just the folks that provide primary care physicians with diagnostic sets. We’re the folks solving the problems facing hospitals today. More important, we are thinking about the problems hospitals will be facing in the next year, in the next 5 years, and even in the next 10 years. That’s how far ahead we are thinking.