Tech Talk
Inspired Technologies Takes Liquid to the Next Level
What works for gas cylinders also works for liquid: If you can reduce the amount of deliveries with a non-delivery system, you should. Inspired Technologies’ VIAspire Liquefier makes that possible by allowing patients to fill liquid portables in the home.
Dan Easley, president and CEO, says making liquid oxygen viable in the marketplace was precisely why the company pursued the liquid filling system. “You look at the strengths of liquid having a terrific physician identity … You have the upside with purely the physics of the liquid being able to last longer, lighter weight. The barriers then to liquid have always been the idea around expense and difficulty in delivery and logistics,” he says. “If we can create a technology that all of a sudden creates that liquid in the home and eliminates the logistics, the back-office expenses, and enables the provider to concentrate on appealing to the referrals with the modality they’ve always preferred — and then also being able to address the higher ambulation patients with a lighter weight, longer lasting device — that’s a huge win-win.”
The device incorporates SmartDose technology, which Easely says focuses on saturation, not concentration. Simply put, the technology differentiates between a resting breath rate and an active breath rate, and adds oxygen per breath to aid patients who are walking or exercising to maintain saturations.
Easley confirms that the company has received preliminary guidance that the VIAspire will fit into the oxygen-generating portable equipment (OGPE) code category for Medicare reimbursement.
Precision Medical Unleashes New Liquid Base
Last year, Precision Medical unveiled a new liquid base. According to Steve Krentler, Precision’s global product manager, the reservoir was the first new product of its kind in 10 years. Krentler says the company made the product simpler and easier to maintain. To do so, problematic connections and fittings were eliminated and the company addressed issues with the level indicator or gas gauge to make it more reliable. Precision also “increased durability to reduce accidental damage when full,” Krentler says.
CAIRE’s Spirit Line Expanding
CAIRE Medical plans to introduce new technology for the Spirit liquid portable line in the next couple of months, says Buzz Bies, vice president of sales. The technology is pending FDA approval.
This article originally appeared in the Respiratory Management July/August 2008 issue of HME Business.