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The Health Care Product Evaluation Center at the
University of Virginia School of Nursing:

For Expert Medical Device Evaluation

The Health Care Product Evaluation Center (HCPEC) is directed by health care professionals who understand the health care market as well as the needs and preferences of people who provide health care every day. It’s the ideal solution for:

- Companies seeking assistance developing and refining prototypes
- Venture capital firms requiring an objective third-party evaluation of a single device or a series of competing designs
- Companies seeking to diversify by acquiring rights to a device created by another firm
- Companies developing an off-label use for an established product
- Law firms specializing in intellectual property.


Get Authoritative, Objective Analysis
With the Health Care Product Evaluation Center, you get the definitive information you need to refine your product, protect your investment and increase your chances of success in the marketplace.

We provide impartial, systematic and in-depth evaluation of medical devices and products.

We evaluate products at any stage in development, from testing prototypes to assessing the potential of existing devices for off-label use. We provide access to some of the most experienced physicians and nurses in a host of medical specialties and settings.

We create detailed evaluation plans, employ seasoned evaluators and moderators and provide in-depth, confidential reports on the usability, efficacy and marketability of medical devices, complete with specific recommendations.

We draw on relationships at the University of Virginia, one of the nation’s top public universities, to provide consulting in such areas as engineering, worker safety, start-up management and marketing.



Focus Groups Conducted by Health Care Professionals
Because focus groups play a critical role in the evaluation process, we pay special attention to recruiting participants with the right backgrounds to generate high-quality, well-balanced information. HCPEC will:

- Recruit health care professionals from relevant specialties
- Screen participants
- Create a detailed discussion guide design
- Provide experienced moderation by a health care professional
- Transcribe, audio tape or video tape sessions
- Deliver a comprehensive, well-organized summary report.

Focus groups are conducted at our facilities at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Companies are welcome to attend and observe these sessions. Teleconferencing is available through our collaboration with the University’s pioneering Office of Telemedicine.

For Answers You Can Trust
HCPEC focus groups can deliver definitive answers to questions about your medical device:

- How do professionals think and feel about using it?
- Does it do what it is supposed to do?
- Is it an improvement over existing alternatives?
- Is it intuitive, safe and easy to use?
- How will patients respond to its use?
- Are there disposal issues?
- Are there other uses that you haven’t thought about?
- Are the accompanying instructional materials clear, accurate and helpful?

HCPC's clients include innovative entrepreneurs and leading corporations:

  • Becton, Dickinson and Company
  • Covidien (previously Tyco Healthcare)
  • Herman Miller, Inc.
  • Hollister Incorporated
  • InterMetro Industries Corporation
  • Critical Concepts, Inc.


Tap the Resources of One of the Nation’s Best Public Universities
By partnering with HCPEC, you gain access to the insights and experience of professionals at the University of Virginia Health System, which possesses top-ranked specialists in a broad array of fields, including endocrinology, urology, otolaryngology, oncology and gynecology.

HCPEC also draws focus group participants from providers at Charlottesville’s highly regarded community hospital, local home care agencies, ambulatory care centers and the Thomas Jefferson Health District, which serves Charlottesville and surrounding rural counties. HCPEC’s affiliation with the University is also a great advantage when it comes to refining your prototype and bringing your product to market. Within the Health System, HCPEC maintains extensive relationships with the International Health Care Worker Safety Center, the Clinical Trials Office, the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Biomedical Engineering Department. We can also put you in contact with experts at the School of Law and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, both ranked among the country’s best.

Contact Us for More Information
HCPEC is dedicated to improving patient care and health care worker safety by helping companies introduce better, more effective medical products and devices. For more information, please contact:

Deborah Conway, M.S.N., R.N. 
Director, Health Care Product Evaluation Center
University of Virginia School of Nursing
P.O. Box 800826, Charlottesville, VA 22908
(434) 924-0103, (434),
e-mail: dcc8v@virginia.edu