BIOTRONIK is a leading global medical technology company with products and services that save and improve the lives of millions suffering from heart and blood vessel diseases as well as chronic pain. These products include pacemakers, stents, implantable defibrillators, and remote monitoring services. Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, BIOTRONIK has a history of innovation and today helps patients in over 100 countries.
Summary
Before integrating RealVNC Connect, BIOTRONIK primarily depended on phone support to assist its customers. BIOTRONIK can now provide remote and instant support. This enhancement not only bolsters their excellent reputation for reliable products but also significantly boosts operational efficiency.
BIOTRONIK’s LiveSupport product, which is based on RealVNC Connect, has truly transformed the way BIOTRONIK manages customer support, allowing them to respond more efficiently and effectively. By leveraging remote access technology, BIOTRONIK can address issues promptly, streamline processes, and maintain their commitment to excellence.
The Problem
Jan Iden is a medical engineer at BIOTRONIK, working on products for cardiac rhythm management, including pacemakers to manage a heart’s rhythm. Given that these are highly technical products, providing after-sales support and servicing necessitates specialized expertise. The same applies to training and education for clinicians involved in implanting these devices.
Many of the medical procedures and follow-ups require support for clinicians on-site or over the phone.
Jan’s team was limited by not being on-site, especially in critical and unplanned situations. Getting log files from the supporting devices was a timely challenge. While BIOTRONIK is doing their best to explain the process of getting these files to their customers, there are instances where the team ends up with incomplete files or information.
In some instances, the team just ends up travelling to the customer’s location and, with some of the devices actually implanted in patients’ bodies, the patient would need to be present as well, posing yet another scheduling challenge. Sometimes, a single five-minute session with the patient would require an hour-long drive, with the whole process repeated if an additional one was deemed necessary. BIOTRONIK’s customers are clinicians implanting thousands of these life-saving devices into patients daily. The company also supports its customers in the implant room, helping them through the process – a process that positive clinical outcomes depend on.
For these varied reasons, BIOTRONIK needed a solution that allowed the company to access and support devices remotely on time.
The Solution
The biggest priority for Jan’s team is knowledge of any individual customer’s specific use case and scenario.
“We have to know what is going on. And to get [that] knowledge we have to see [what is happening] and for that we have to have a good [remote] connection to the customers … to have a closer contact, and not just staying in Berlin and have no idea what is going on outside.”
– Jan Iden, Medical Engineer, BIOTRONIK
Keeping their goals in mind, BIOTRONIK partnered with RealVNC to create an integrated, customizable solution for their latest programming device, the Renamic Neo. This innovative device allows clinics to efficiently implant, program and follow up thousands of pacemakers and ICDs.
By collaborating with RealVNC, BIOTRONIK now offers direct support to their customers in follow-up and implant rooms: the remote service LiveSupport. This unique capability sets BIOTRONIK apart from many competitors, as only a few companies provide such comprehensive remote access within a programmer.
While the device serves its purpose admirably, there’s another crucial box it needed to check—the security one. Given BIOTRONIK’s presence in the healthcare sector, security and dependability are paramount. Thankfully, RealVNC’s software stands out as the most secure remote access solution available. This allows BIOTRONIK to concentrate on supporting clinicians and patients, confident that access remains exclusive to their support staff.
By leveraging RealVNC’s robust security features, BIOTRONIK ensures seamless operations while safeguarding sensitive healthcare data. Integrating RealVNC into their support system greatly increased the efficiency of the support team, eliminating costly travel time, improving their overall customer service and ultimately ensure better patient care.
“We can use RealVNC to have a direct connection to the programming device and even take over the control of the device to … have a direct look without any interpretations. It's very easy to establish and a very big help to supporting our customers there and, of course, increasing patient safety.”
– Jan Iden, Medical Engineer, BIOTRONIK
The Future
In a future where LiveSupport implementations become standard, the remote service could include features like a camera-equipped version for LiveSupport procedures.
