Selling a medical product (CE Class1 sterile, selling price approx.
12,- Euro) in The Netherland:
We have a medical product similar to a HME (Heat Moisture Exchanger),
which is used from patients in the vegetative state. For selling the
product, we distinguish three cases: (1) patients in hospitals, (2)
patients in care homes, (3) patients in ambulatory treatmenst. For
each case, we need to know what to consider for selling the product.
E.g. for Germany we found out:
1 - hospitals: hospitals are getting a flat rate for each patient
according to his illness. The nurses will decide together with a
doctor if they will use our product or not. Hence, we need a sales
man, who has to speak with the head of the nurses in each clinic and
to give them some product examples.
2 and 3 - care homes and ambulatory treatment: here the situation is
totally different. Our product has to be on a list from the health
insurances (so called Hilfsmittelverzeichnis), otherwise the health
insurances will not finance our product. And if this is the case, we
will have no chance to sell the product. To get this product into this
index is quite complicated.
Now, we would like to know, how the situation is in The Netherlands.
It is extremely for us to know,
- how does the payment work? When will the health insurances pay or
when have the patients pay from their private wallet?
- what do we have to do, that the health insurances will pay for our
product (e.g. in Germany we have to prove the products quality with
clinical studies)?
- which difference does it make, if the patient is in a hospitals, a
care homes, or in ambulatory treatment. Again from the point of
absorption of costs as well as from a selling point (with whom has our
sales man do speak)?
We know, these are quite a lot of questions. Depending on the quality
of the answer we are also willing to pay 75%-100% more. |
