{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Medtech Innovation Podcast","title":"Your Medtech Reimbursement Plan Needs Work (Steal Her Playbook)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2977,"description":"I'm joined by Courtney Turich, Global VP of Sales and Marketing at Cooler Heads, as we explore how scalp cooling technology is transforming chemotherapy for cancer patients and the go-to-market challenges of selling devices outside the traditional surgical setting.From Stryker Sales to Shark Tank→ Built her career at Stryker as one of few women in her division, then launched Monkey Mat and landed a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner on Shark Tank→ The biggest lesson from Shark Tank: the hardest part of entrepreneurship is simply getting startedThe Mission Behind Cooler Heads→ Mechanical cold caps circulate cold fluid to protect hair follicles from chemotherapy, adding 2-3 hours to treatment sessions across pre-cooling, infusion, and post-cooling phases→ Courtney joined pre-commercialization to build the commercial strategy, helping treat their very first patient after FDA clearanceThe Reimbursement Journey: Category 3 to Category 1→ Transitioned to Category 1 CPT codes in January 2026, shifting from patient-purchased caps to facility-dispensed disposables→ Hired a VP of Market Access and engaged a third-party agency to push commercial payers to follow Medicare's leadSelling to Infusion Centers: A Different Playbook→ The decision maker isn't the oncologist, it's often the cancer center director or lead infusion nurse, with 6-9 month sales cycles even at lower price points→ Every facility has a different adoption process, making early identification of key decision makers criticalGo-to-Market: Relationships First, Then Scale→ Leveraged existing relationships to land UPMC, then expanded across their infusion centers while using private centers for faster early traction→ Patient advocacy became a powerful growth driver, with patients switching facilities to access scalp coolingBest Quotes:\"Titles mean nothing in the startup world. I really like that cowboy, cowgirl feel of a startup.\"\"There's no perfect time. You've gotta just jump in and start selling. You could...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/SKJTlzh1Dih_UjWAMpaf9asEOJluhYL_CM3FATuVvVc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yM2U1/NjA3NjAzY2M1NDA0/ZDZkYTRiY2Y3Mjky/MTRmNi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}