Meeting Customers' Needs

An Executive Interview with GE Healthcare

“The vision is simple: to lead the way in providing quality medical diagnostics that impact the lives of patients”
-Kathleen Deardorff, GE Healthcare

EHM. This is a challenging environment for healthcare. How has your strategy transformed during these times and do you see the future differently for GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics?
Kathleen Deardorff. As we always do, we are being as responsive as possible to our customers. We are offering an expanded array of products to meet every need, diagnostic, medical and financial.

But the most important thing we’re doing to help our customers through these challenges is continuing to innovate. Last year, we submitted AdreView for approval, and received a priority review and approval. This year, we plan several more submissions to meet myriad imaging challenges, from Parkinson’s disease to congestive heart failure. GE Healthcare is not only positioned well for our business, but we’re well positioned to meet our customers’ needs.
 
EHM. Let’s talk for a moment about your vision - particularly for Medical Diagnostics? Why GE?
KD. That’s a great question. The vision is simple: to lead the way in providing quality medical diagnostics that impact the lives of patients. It’s really our mission and helps remind each of us every day why we are doing what we are doing. Our medical diagnostics team has a portfolio that spans modalities and more importantly, therapeutic disciplines.

GE is a unique entity in our ability to bring every discipline of healthcare infrastructure to our customers. From the electrical systems that power our imaging devices to the cyclotron that produces the molecular imaging agent, to the security system that keeps it all safe, only GE is capable of being such a one-stop shop for everyone who touches healthcare.

Additionally, our expertise is first-rate. We have imaging representatives who have worked here for more than 20 years. You can’t hold a track record like that without listening and responding to your customers. So, “Why GE?” is simple: we are a company that can truly re-imagine the way healthcare is delivered, and we have the people, the products and the resources to do just that.
 
EHM. Times are tight for all business today. Are you investing and what are your best bets?
KD. Absolutely. In fact, these are exactly the times when the greatest returns on investments are earned. We continue to invest heavily in research and development- $20 million more than last year, in fact. We are looking out on the horizon for the next medical need and developing an imaging product to meet it. This year our R&D efforts will pay off with submissions for diagnosing neurological ailments, cancer and heart disease. Our best bets lie in those areas, though we look to succeed in several others as well.

EHM. What is the outlook for your contrast media business? Are you investing here, as well?
KD. Definitely. Our X-Ray portfolio (Omnipaque and Visipaque) and MR (Omniscan) are not only core to our business but a great majority of hospitals and clinics, as well.

Evidence-based medicine is comprised of both clinical data and physician experience. Our main goal is to continue to partner with physicians to understand the critical nature of understanding various risk factors (cardiovascular, nephrological, etc) in the patients they see as well as the adverse event profiles of various agents and make the best decisions for their patients. This takes time to really understand that not all clinical data are the same. Similarly, there are many clinical issues that cannot be summed up in 5 minute soundbites with complexities that may drive more questions than answers. We continue to ensure that these products are both researched as well as work with customers to help them truly understand the issues required for good patient management.

Kathleen P. Deardorff has held several strategic marketing leadership roles in GE’s Medical Diagnostics business. Presently, she is the head of the Global Marketing Organization and Product Acquisition and Licensing. Kathleen is responsible for providing leadership and marketing direction for the Medical Diagnostics team, building on our heritage of a strong marketing focused organization. Kathleen is also a member of the Medical Diagnostics Executive Committee.