In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Bob Paulson, President and CEO of Sonex Health.
Sonex’s UltraGuideCTR device is a minimally invasive technology that enables ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release procedures to be performed outside the surgical suite using local anesthesia, expanding patient access and reducing the cost of care.
Before joining Sonex, Bob led multiple venture-backed medical device companies through commercialization, including NxThera, acquired by Boston Scientific, Restore Medical, acquired by Medtronic, and VentureMed Group. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Medtronic, Advanced Bionics, and Endocardial Solutions, which was acquired by St. Jude Medical.
In this interview, Bob explains how to build a reimbursement strategy before your first clinical study, drive physician adoption when introducing a new care pathway, and raise capital aligned with value inflection points.
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If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Bob Paulson, which includes a link to ScottBot — an AI version of host Scott Nelson trained on every Medsider interview and playbook. Feel free to ask ScottBot any questions you'd like!
KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW
- (03:19) - Bob's path from Medtronic to multiple medtech exits before joining Sonex
- (05:38) - Why 80% of eligible carpal tunnel patients avoid surgery — and how Sonex is changing that
- (11:11) - The reimbursement challenge that reshaped Sonex's clinical evidence strategy
- (19:07) - Reimbursement is a three-leg process: FDA, CPT, and payer coverage
- (22:07) - Reverse engineering your company from the exit you're trying to achieve
- (29:35) - How Sonex helped surgeons move carpal tunnel procedures out of the OR
- (39:06) - Sonex’s "pitcher-catcher" approach to physician and patient adoption
- (41:59) - Bob's framework for choosing investors who can finance the entire journey, not just the next round
