Executive Spotlight: Kristin Dietzler, VP and General Manager of Nursing Care,Covidien

Kristin Dietzler, VP and General Manager of Nursing Care at Covidien, offers in depth insight into the types of priorities and operations that are needed for Covidien’s wound care business to continually develop and satisfy customers.

Q: Please describe your work experiences that prepared you for your current position at Covidien:
A: For the last 16 years I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles for different businesses within Covidien. Throughout this time I have been exposed to different markets and customers and have witnessed the ever-changing dynamics of healthcare.

Q: What should our readers know first and foremost about Covidien?
A: Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien manufactures, distributes, and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Supplies. With 2009 revenue of $10.7 billion, Covidien has 42,000 employees worldwide in more than 60 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries.

Q:How were you first introduced to the arena of wound care and why do you enjoy this vocation?
A: I was first introduced to wound care when I began as a sales representative for Covidien 16 years ago and would call on burn units in hospitals. When I witnessed the pain and agony of patients who were suffering from severe burns, I gained an appreciation for what Covidien’s wound care products can do for patients and why high quality, high-performing products matter.

Q: Please expand on how Covidien values its strong international presence:
A: More than 40% of Covidien’s total revenue comes from outside of the US; our products are sold in over 140 countries. We see great opportunities for growth outside of the US particularly in emerging markets. We also work with clinicians from around the world to better understand their needs as well as the needs of their patients. Our collaboration with medical professionals helps us develop innovative healthcare products to improve patient outcomes.

Q:What are some of the company’s biggest accomplishments in wound care thus far? What are some of your key wound care products that clearly distinguish your brand?
A: We have been manufacturing gauze wound care products for over 100 years under the Curity™ and Kendall^™ brands. We are the brand of traditional wound care products clinicians have known and trusted for their quality and performance for years and we are the only full line US gauze manufacturer that still exists. We manufacture our gauze products from raw cotton to finished products in two primary manufacturing facilities located in Camden, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia. We are proud that we have been able to maintain these operations in the US.

  We are also very proud of our ability to take a seemingly simple product and add an innovative new feature to enhance the product. For the last eight years we have been marketing our Kendall^™ AMD line of wound care products impregnated with Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB). PHMB has broad spectrum effectiveness against MRSA, VRE, Pseudomonas, Staph, Yeast, and Fungi. Kendall^™ AMD products are used as a barrier to prevent microbial migration into the wound bed. We have seen extremely positive results at helping to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates in healthcare facilities. We started with only a few items and today we have a full line of woven and non-woven products impregnated with PHMB. We continue to look for ways to introduce this technology into additional wound care products using our proprietary manufacturing methods. For instance, in the last 12 months we launched our Kendall^™ AMD Foam Dressings. These dressings are extremely soft, conformable, and highly absorbent. They provide the perfect balance of simultaneously managing moisture and bacteria.

Q: Please describe the mission/vision of your division:
A:Wound care is part of the Nursing Care line of products in Covidien’s medical supplies segment. We are committed to providing high-quality products for clinicians and patients that improve clinical outcomes in the areas of wound care, urology, nutritional delivery, suction, and incontinence care. We look to innovate by developing new products, such as our antimicrobial dressings that work to help prevent infections, and by providing educational programs for clinicians and caregivers.

Q:How exactly does your personal vision fit with the company’s goals?
A:Covidien strives to create innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and to deliver value through clinical leadership and excellence in everything we do. My vision for wound care is really an extension of this company goal; we are committed to providing high-quality products that deliver value and make positive outcomes possible for our customers and their patients.

Q: Please explain what must take place on a daily basis at Covidien in order to accommodate patients, clinicians, and healthcare facilities:
A:We are compassionate about improving the health of the patients who use our products on a daily basis. We collaborate with healthcare professionals to understand how care is delivered and received so we can provide a product that best meets their needs. We require accountability from our employees to keep our customers first while complying with the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and ethics. We embrace diversity and strive to fully understand our marketplace, our customers and our employees so we can work together to deliver high-quality products and improve patient care.

Q:Looking ahead, what are some incentives or products the company is working on?
A: We plan to continue to grow our Kendall^™ AMD product platform using new technologies to aid in the wound healing process.

  For more information, visit www.covidien.com.