Since the very beginning, Merit Medical’s central driving force as an organization could be summed up in one word: people.
Thirty years ago, when the company was still in its infancy, it had a vision to be the world’s most customer-focused healthcare company. By understanding customer needs, Merit has been able to innovate and deliver the tools physicians need to simplify and improve patient care, saving thousands of people’s lives every day. People like Karen Biehn, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during an annual mammogram.
“I was terrified,” Karen recalls. “I’m not afraid of a lot of things, but I am afraid of going into the hospital.” Like many women with a breast cancer diagnosis, Karen wondered what would happen next. She knew there were decisions to be made about her course of treatment. With the support of her family and her physician, Karen decided on a lumpectomy, a procedure that surgically removes cancerous tissue from the breast.
“I want to be here,” Karen tells Merit Medical. “I want to be here for my kids, my grandkids, my husband. I want to be here to do all the things we’ve always done and be healthy.”
“When we talked about all of the options for her, she really felt like a lumpectomy would work well for her, which I agreed with because she had a small tumor, and it had already been localized after biopsy with the SCOUT® reflector,” explains Dr. Teresa Reading, the general surgeon involved in Karen’s case.
Because of innovative devices, like SCOUT, a wire-free localization solution that enhances surgical outcomes and the hands of talented physicians, Karen has less than a 2% chance of her cancer returning. Watch her full story and see why Merit Medical exists for women like Karen. Innovating, acquiring, and optimizing products make it possible to improve the lives of people, families, and communities throughout the world.