David Matthews

Rehab Management recently had the opportunity to ask David Matthews, vice president of Asian operations and market leader for mobility products at Curtis Instruments, about the company’s role in the ever-evolving rehabilitation mobility marketplace.

Q: Describe your company’s specific niche in the mobility industry.

A: Curtis Instruments is a global provider of controls and instrumentation to the electric vehicle industry. Within the durable medical equipment industry, Curtis’ core competence is in providing motor speed controllers and instrumentation to mobility aid products, such as rehab chairs, power chairs, scooters, and lifts. Curtis is especially focused on the drivability of mobility aid products, with the goal being to improve the quality of life for people with limited mobility.

Q: What has been the impact of regulatory changes and reimbursement cuts on your company? If so, how is Curtis Instruments compensating for these effects?

A: As a supplier to the mobility aid OEM, we are directly impacted by regulatory changes and reimbursements. Mobility aid manufacturers are focused on products that meet current regulatory statutes as well as rules for reimbursement and are affordable to the consumer. No one wants to develop products that do not have a place in the market. As these vehicle requirements change, so do the product requirements that we must adhere to. To be successful, we go back to our understanding of the consumers’ requirements and how we balance this with regulatory constraints. One interesting trend that we have seen in the market is more affordable, less sophisticated products being developed and mass retailed. Because of this, some of these products may be attainable by certain market segments without reimbursement.

Q: How do you stay on top of current market trends?

A: At Curtis, we have a market team dedicated to doing just that. Made up of a cross section of people from sales, marketing, and engineering, this group’s responsibility is to understand what the critical market needs and trends are. We are in constant communication with our customers’ engineers, product managers, and purchasing agents. Along with this, spending time with therapists and consumers is critical to being on the leading edge of developing the next trend.

Q: What is Curtis Instruments doing to ensure its continued success and client satisfaction in this market?

A: Again this goes to being close to both your end users and industrial customers. We have just launched a worldwide tour by our marketing and salespeople to have conversations with global mobility aid industry leaders. In a series of meetings, we will be addressing many of the issues surrounding today’s markets and the product requirements. It is important to point out that these are in no way sales meetings, but an exchange of information between partners looking to provide the best products and technology to the consumer. Our goal, as is our customer’s, is to provide products to enhance an individual’s quality of life. Only through this direct and constant communication can we ensure that we meet this goal.

—Rogena Schuyler Silverman