Editors At Large: Inspired Technologies’ VIAspire Liquefier

• By Elisha Bury
• Dec 01, 2007

Amid the onslaught of the latest oxygen reimbursement cuts, along comes a product that elicits excitement and hope for a better tomorrow.

Sounds like a trailer for the season’s latest blockbuster film, doesn’t it? Actually, the device, showcased at the recent Medtrade show under the modern spiral of Inspired Technologies’ hanging logo, is the VIAspire Liquefier, which liquefies oxygen in the home and stores 2 Liters at all times, so the user has a ready supply.

“Liquid oxygen has always been the preferred modality for both patients and physicians, but it’s been the most expensive modality to provide,” says Dan Easley, president and CEO.

VIAspire eliminates delivery, much like the transfilling units already on the market for gaseous oxygen. Since the new competitive bidding landscape will demand that providers offer liquid oxygen, even while many have exited this business modality due to costs, the product arrives on the scene just in time.

“The initial appeal to the system is somewhat of a cost appeal because it takes away the deliveries of liquid, which is a big plus for the industry,” Easley says.

While liquid home filling is sure to revolutionize providers’ businesses, the real beauty lies in the product’s clinical efficacy.

SmartDose technology incorporates a new dosing algorithm that enables oxygen users to get better saturations. Unlike devices that focus on oxygen conservation, VIAspire actually strives to give users as much oxygen as possible. SmartDose senses and adapts to the user’s respiratory needs, which Inspired Technologies hopes will improve ambulation and the user’s overall quality of life.

Three FDA-pending portable devices can be filled quickly for up to 14 hours of use. The device also connects to stationary oxygen concentrators for conversion purposes.

Easley says the company has been involved in clinical studies over the past year and a half to prove the product’s efficacy. He’s also worked closely with two U.S. pulmonary rehab facilities to test patients.

When asked about his hopes for VIAspire, Easley talks about how COPD is the fastest growing large disease in the world. “What that ultimately means when you’ve got a market growing that fast is not how you’re going to contain your costs, but how you’re going to grow so you can capture more share,” he says. “So the hope is that providers digest the challenges with competitive bidding and focus their strategies around how they can grow.”

VIAspire has earned FDA approval and the company is in the process of conducting limited field trials. Expect more information regarding the product in the first quarter of 2008.

Inspired Technologies
1061 Main St. #24
North Huntingdon, PA 15642
(724) 861-5510
www.inspiredtechnologies.com

This article originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of HME Business.