Do Medical Device Companies Have The Wrong Metrics In Place?

I’ve been consulting for a very large medical device company over the past few months. The company issued me a laptop, email address, etc. I get all the corporate wide emails. Some of these messages provide interesting reading.

A few days ago, I received a corporate wide email from the company’s CEO. The topic related to employee performance, metrics, and bonuses. The message stated that employees would be eligible for bonuses provided their department / functional group met established financial metrics.

Why do I find this interesting? Bonuses are paid based on financial success. That’s the message delivered. There was no mention of how the products benefit the lives of patients. I realize a companies are unlikely to pay bonuses unless they are profitable and exceed financial projections. But has Wall Street mentality crept too far into public med device companies?

Shouldn’t medical device companies change their perspective and focus on the patient? In my opinion, if employees keep the patient first and foremost, then profits will take care of themselves. People will realize the impact of the role and the effect it has on the company’s products and the caregivers who use them and patients who receive them.