Welcome to "Tech Talks: Disrupting Healthcare," an insightful Q&A blog feature that takes you behind the scenes of the dynamic world of HealthTech startups. Join us as we dive deep into the minds of innovative founders who are revolutionizing the healthcare landscape through cutting-edge technology solutions. In this series of candid interviews, we explore the journeys, visions, and challenges faced by these trailblazing entrepreneurs as they navigate the intersection of technology and healthcare. Get ready to gain exclusive insights into the latest trends, breakthroughs, and transformative ideas shaping the future of healthcare.
Q&A with Tosan Ugbeye, Founder of ScopeMed
HJK Digital
Can you provide an overview of your healthtech startup and the problem it aims to solve?
ScopeMed
Absolutely! To start, we can explain a little bit what High Flow Oxygen Therapy (HFOT) is. It is a form of oxygen therapy that uses higher flows – usually 60 liters per minute- than can be delivered through a typical nasal cannula. The high flows help with what’s called ‘dead space washout’, so pretty much bypassing the upper parts of the airway that are inefficient with gas exchange. The flows also create a dynamic airway pressure that helps keep the lungs expanded during exhalation. So if you think of the lungs like a balloon, if they collapse abruptly when the air is let out then that’s not as good. A little positive pressure that slows breathing during exhalation is beneficial. HFOT is in a class called non-invasive ventilation (NIV) along with CPAP. But unlike CPAP where patients are fighting against a constant pressure being delivered via bulky interfaces, leading to reduced compliance, this form of therapy is better tolerated and more conducive to daily activities like talking to family, eating, drinking etc.
This was one of the major lessons learned during the pandemic. We used to give patients with low oxygen levels conventional oxygen therapy and then gave them a breathing tube and placed them on ventilators if they hadn’t improved. But patients had way worse outcomes during Covid and started faring way better when placed on HFOT instead. There’s been a paradigm shift in medicine to implement this therapy early and there’s been a massive jump in adoption since the pandemic.
The problem is the way the therapy is currently being delivered. That is to deliver 60 liters per minute of airflow from the wall supply, those gases needed to be heated and humidified using expensive ventilators and high-end breathing circuits in order for patients to tolerate the therapy. Our design uses an innovative combination of the Venturi effect -entraining air through a system of orifices to increase airflow- and one-way valves. This way we’re only using 15 liters per minute of oxygen from the way supply to generate the required 60 LPM, enabling us to get rid of all the expensive equipment.
HJK Digital
What inspired you to start a healthtech company? Were there any personal experiences or gaps in the healthcare industry that motivated you?
ScopeMed
I have been working in the field as a certified anesthetist since I graduated from CWRU school of medicine in 2014 with a MSc. in Anesthesia. I’ve noticed a lot of shortcomings in medical practice relative to the available technologies out there and have since developed a passion for innovating in the field.
We started during Covid-19 by creating the most optimal form of oxygen therapy in an oxygen delivery system that can deliver up to 93% of inspired oxygen without the need for the reservoir bags typically required to deliver higher oxygen concentrations. We needed to create this more open style of oxygen mask in order to integrate breathing filters into the product so as not to increase the work of breathing for patients. Conventional oxygen masks are designed to concentrate pressurized oxygen from the wall supply, so they only contain two small sets of orifices on their sides, which precludes putting breathing filters on them.
This system ended up being synergistic with our HFOT device because that system of oxygen delivery -think of it like a shower head delivering humidified oxygen- can augment the air being entrained by our HFOT nasal apparatus, the OFF VENT, increasing oxygen supply and/or humidity.
HJK Digital
How does your product/service address the specific challenges or pain points in the healthcare sector?
ScopeMed
The current implementation of HFOT requires complex, expensive equipment to deliver 60 LPM from the wall supply. This equipment costs on average about $4,300 for the durable components and about $200 per patient for the consumables. In addition to this, they are bulky, not conducive for transport and are only compatible with the wall supply in designated care spaces like the ICU. The OFF VENT, on the other hand, will work with oxygen tanks during transport and is compatible with the wall supply at any care location.
HJK Digital
What is the unique value proposition of your healthtech solution compared to existing alternatives?
ScopeMed
We recently had a call with three anesthesiologists at a hospital system. The Cardiothoracic anesthesiologist was excited about being able to wake patients up to HFOT at the end of procedures, especially patients with OSA, which isn’t currently possible because of the existing limitations. The anesthesiologist who runs the endoscopy clinic was excited to use it during upper endoscopy procedures. This is an area of focus for most of the new respiratory devices on the market as we deal with a lot of airway obstruction and resulting low oxygen levels that affect both patient safety and the completion rate of the procedures. But probably the most illuminating part of the conversation came from the doctor who runs a hospital. He stated that about 20% of his patients are on HFOT and utilize about 70% of the Meg gas utility, which is typically more than $300K annually. By using 15LPM vs 60LPM from the wall supply, we can save 75% of the Med gas utilization and that adds up to greater than $150K per year in savings for the average 200 bed hospital. We’re excited about the value proposition in those three major areas: cost, resource utilization, and portability.
HJK Digital
In terms to go-to market planning, what are the top 2 areas of focus that a founder needs to prioritize?
ScopeMed
There is so much to work on when doing a startup and all of this can be very challenging and rewarding at the same time. If I had to choose two, I’d say investment strategy and product-market fit. Capital buys you the opportunity and time to find the product-market fit, and finding the latter is necessary for success.
HJK Digital
What are the biggest challenges you have faced as a healthtech entrepreneur, and how have you overcome them?
ScopeMed
We started off focusing on the value proposition of mitigating respiratory particle transmission and have since pivoted to HFOT. Being flexible and agile is a requirement in this field. The biggest challenge for us has been the fundraising. It takes way longer than you think and is affected by other factors such as the timing of markets. We are excited about the direction we’re heading in, but this has been the biggest challenge for our team.
HJK Digital
How do you stay updated with the latest advancements and trends in the healthtech industry?
ScopeMed
I stay up on articles, newsletters and podcasts. I don’t just focus on health tech. I’m very interested in podcasts that cover both business and tech. Pivot is an excellent podcast by Kara Swisher and Prof. Scott Galloway that I listen to weekly. The Project Medtech podcast by Duance Mancini is another excellent one that’s very informative in this space.
HJK Digital
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the healthtech space?
ScopeMed
Be prepared for the challenges and the rewards that come from overcoming them. Be flexible and come with a mindset of learning and critical thinking. But most of all, learn how to be patient. Because whether you’re fundraising or going through the regulatory process, things take a lot longer than you think.
Tosan Ugbeye is a visionary entrepreneur and healthcare professional at the forefront of reimagining respiratory care. As the CEO and Founder of ScopeMed, Tosan's innovative approach to airway management is advancing the field into a new era. With a passion for improving patient outcomes and making clinicians' lives easier, Tosan and Scope Med are revolutionizing respiratory care through modular, multi-functional respiratory devices.
Scope Med's flagship product, the SCOPE (source control omni-functional protective equipment) respirator, represents a groundbreaking leap in respiratory technology. This oxygen mask is unlike any other on the market, as it has been meticulously designed to significantly reduce respiratory particle transmission during routine video laryngoscopy, airway device placement, and removal. The SCOPE respirator serves as a base anesthesia/CPR mask, featuring a primary port that seamlessly accommodates different cap inserts. This adaptability ensures continuous patient care, from initial anesthesia induction through the entire treatment process.
Tosan Ugbeye's educational journey reflects a deep commitment to the field of anesthesia and business administration. Holding a Master of Science in Anesthesia from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Tosan is a certified anesthetist with a strong foundation in clinical practice. Furthermore, Tosan's dedication to professional growth is evident through ongoing pursuits, including earning a MBA at Cleveland State University. This dual focus on healthcare expertise and business acumen equips Tosan with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive ScopeMed's innovative solutions forward.
Under Tosan Ugbeye's visionary leadership, Scope Med is poised to transform respiratory care, ease the burden on clinicians, and enhance patient safety. Tosan's commitment to improving the healthcare landscape is reflected in Scope Med's mission to take the viral load off the minds of clinicians and usher in a new era of respiratory care excellence.
For more information visit: ScopeMed
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