INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Combat Medical Systems

 

Q: Tell me a little about Combat Medical Systems.

A: Combat Medical Systems is a young, energetic company formed on its members’ and partners’ years of experience in tactical medicine, product development and military acquisition. We are focused on developing and distributing product solutions that greatly simplify the medic’s job in combat. The CMS team has incredible respect for the challenges that face the nation’s tactical care providers, and we are very dedicated to providing intuitive, cost-effective solutions that are reliable in adverse situations.

We believe we have unique insight into those challenges and listen very closely to those with experience. Our location next to Fort Bragg, N.C., allows us to tackle requirements that are fresh from the battlefield. We know that it’s the medic’s needs that matter most, and we work to ensure our products meet their demanding specifications.

Q: What are some of your product lines?

A: We are very proud to be the military distributor for QuikClot Combat Gauze that was recently selected by the DoD Committee on Combat Casualty Care as the first line hemostatic dressing for the battlefield. It recently underwent Army and Navy testing and was found safe and effective. We have had overwhelming feedback from trainers and medics that the simple, intuitive gauze application makes it the ultimate solution for frontline care providers.

In 2008 we revealed our Mojo medical kits that are highly configurable medical bags packed with all the necessary supplies to treat combat casualties. Our Mojo series numbering system is based on the medic’s mission need, bag preference and medical skill set. This allows medics to find a combination that completely meets their needs. We have also incorporated our exclusive multi-loop retainer system, which allows for endless configurations of a bag. It holds varioussized items and is completely movable throughout the Mojo bags.

We also recently revealed our TacEvac casualty movement system that’s a tiered system for battlefield casualty evacuation. It’s centered on our TacEvac helicopter litter rack. We are excited that the TacEvac helicopter litter rack has just passed the physical air worthiness test required for final certification. We believe this will be a huge paradigm shift for our military. It provides every Black Hawk in the battlespace the ability to conduct combat missions and then on-call provide emergency care and transportation of two critical casualties. We feel this is a huge capability jump for tactical commanders and significantly reduces the logistics burden of widely dispersed aviation units.

Q: What is your position in the military market sector?

A: We are very dedicated to establishing ourselves as a reliable partner for the military and tactical care providers in general. We are excited to utilize our years of medical and acquisition experiences to contribute to solving the unique challenges facing military medicine. When I started as a medic, a complete medical bag cost a couple hundred dollars.

In the future a medic’s bag will cost several thousand dollars. So as the cost of medical expendables continues to increase, the military will have to refine a systematic process for identifying requirements and down-selecting its expendable solutions. So we are positioning ourselves to compete in a smaller number of more advanced requirements that result in an improved capability with a fair price. As a former medic, I feel this kind of competition is good for everyone, most importantly our medical providers.

Q: What is it that makes the CMS business model unique?

A: We feel our model is unique because we actively seek partnerships with other successful companies who offer their particular skills to enhance our medical expertise. For instance, we utilize London Bridge Trading to sew all of our Mojo medical kits, and we partnered with ADS to handle our distribution and warehousing. Both of these partnerships ensure we can deliver the high-quality medical kits on time, while letting us focus on medical developments. We have also partnered with a number of other new product companies. We can help them integrate their product into the military and use our past experiences to help them develop or refine a product so that it will completely meet the military’s need.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts on 2009?

A: Yes, as a former medic, I would like to thank all of the medical providers, researchers and trainers who have worked so hard to reduce combat mortality to historic lows. As CMS I would also like to thank all of our partners in industry and academia that have helped us have such an incredible year. We are truly excited about what is yet to come in 2009. ♦

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