Oct 04

Curbell Finds “Calling” as Leader in Signaling Device, Accessory Replacement Market

Q & A with Curbell, Inc. by Julie E. Williamson

For more information about Curbell call 1.800.235.7500 or visit www.curbellelectronics.com.

Curbell Electronics, a division of Curbell Inc., Orchard Park, NY, was created in 1960 to manufacture hand-held controls for use with hospital television sets and nurse call stations. Today, the Electronics Division is the nation’s largest replacement manufacturer of signaling devices and other related accessories for the hospital and nursing home markets.

While Curbell’s initial emphasis was on the replacement market, the company now manufacturers and private labels a variety of products for most of the major hospital communication system manufacturers in the U.S. Curbell’s specialized product line includes parts and accessories for nurse call systems, healthcare beds, televisions, patient monitors, and fall management products – with a keen focus on providing fast, affordable solutions to keep patient rooms connected.

Here, Jeni Becker, Brand Manager of Curbell’s Electronics Division, discusses the value of an integrated product offering, Curbell’s longstanding commitment to meeting customers’ evolving needs through advanced technology, and her predictions for the product segment’s future.

Q: What led to the development of Curbell and its involvement in this particular product segment?

A: Curbell Inc. was founded in 1942. We were asked by one of our customers to create a handheld control for televisions in hospitals, which is how we got involved in nurse call – our primary segment. We had been in nurse call for several years before we started looking at other product lines. One of the product lines we added was replacement equipment for healthcare beds. From there, we became involved in servicing equipment and fall management products. Finally, we became involved in patient monitoring.

Q: What separates Curbell from the competition?

A: We are a replacement manufacturer. We don’t make the systems, but we offer a full line of replacement equipment for almost anything out there, whether it’s for nurse call, beds or patient monitoring. These are our three core product lines and we integrate them together. For example, we make our nurse call product work with both the bed and the television, and we supply equipment for several different functions on any patient monitor. We’re one of the few companies that integrate all of these product lines. Another distinguishing characteristic is that we have a large sales force that covers the entire country, so we aren’t limited to just one region. We also provide many custom configurations to meet each facility’s individual needs. If a cable is a standard eight feet and a customer needs seven feet, for example, we’ll supply that for them. Our key customer works in biomed, maintenance and clinical engineering, and we are committed to providing solutions for the people who are fixing and maintaining the equipment, and making the equipment decisions.

Q: How have customer needs evolved over the years and how has technology—and specifically, Curbell—helped meet these changing demands?

A: We know it is important to keep up to speed with technology. On the nurse call side, Curbell has truly been a pioneer when it comes to adding new technology. Customer demands and requirements change all the time and we have tried to use our customers as our primary focus group for product development and modification. We have a customer advisory board that we work with on a regular basis to determine customer needs. We solicit comments from our customer base, whether it’s from someone in clinical engineering, biomed, maintenance or purchasing. We also include electrical installers and system integrators to get their feedback. We work with our customers on a regular basis to hear their product ideas, and also to gauge new product ideas. We then use that flow of information to modify products or develop new products to meet customers’ needs.

The industry itself has also changed and we have worked hard to meet those needs as well. For example, through our research, we have found that some biomed departments that used to only handle patient monitoring are now handling nurse call. There are also cases where maintenance used to only handle nurse call, but are now handling beds. As the industry itself has changed, we have offered more integrated solutions to the customer. This keeps them from having to buy from several places and trying to integrate all different types of equipment.

Q: Is Curbell offering any new products and services?

A: We’re relatively new to patient monitoring, so adding on to that whole line has become a big focus for us. We are a company that can offer a full line of replacement products, so if a customer has a piece of GE or Philips equipment, they don’t have to go back to those manufacturers. They can come to us to satisfy all their needs from ECG monitoring to SpO2. We have some customers who come to us for repairs and some who buy new, so we offer a full range of options in that product line.

One new product in particular that we offer is the Multi-Clip, which is essentially a new end to a lead. It replaces a snap, pinch or alligator clip, is easy for nurses to put on and doesn’t fall off the patient. This is very new to the industry and many people are taking notice. It reduces the amount of pressure being placed on the patient because leads don’t have to be pushed down. They can just slide on the Multi-Clip. When using it during a stress test where a patient is on the treadmill, for example, it eliminates the problem of having leads popping off, or having to tape the lead down. It’s a small product, but it’s a huge time saver. It’s also much easier on the patient.

Q: Where do you envision this product segment heading in the future?

A: Curbell will continue to add product lines and offer high quality, cost effective replacement products for patient monitoring, in general. I see a higher level of integration in the future where people will want to begin integrating their patient monitors with other systems in the facility, such as nurse call. Our goal is to offer them more integrated products that they can utilize for one system.

We’re also seeing more customers moving toward wireless systems, whether it’s for nurse call, patient monitors or for tracking patient information. Eventually, all of those systems will be integrated. At this point, though I believe many people still find comfort in seeing that cable plugged in, especially from a patient monitoring aspect. Of course, the wireless market will continue to grow. We currently offer a wireless paging system and if our customers want more wireless products, we will continue to meet their needs.