About
Dr. Josh Makower is the Yock Family Professor of Medicine and of Bioengineering at Stanford University Schools of Medicine and Engineering. He is the Director of the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, a program he co-founded with Dr. Paul Yock twenty years ago. He helped create the fundamental structure of the Center’s core curriculum and is the chief architect of what is now called “The Biodesign Process.” Over the past two decades, this curriculum and the associated textbook have been used at Stanford and across the world to train hundreds of thousands of students, faculty, and industry leaders on medical innovation aimed at improving patient care. Dr. Makower has practiced these techniques directly as the Founder and Executive Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator, creating ten companies since 1995. His portfolio includes transactions such as NeoTract, acquired by Teleflex; Acclarent, acquired by J&J; EndoMatrix, acquired by C.R. Bard; and TransVascular, acquired by Medtronic. Other ventures include Moximed, Revelle Aesthetics, X9, and Willow. He holds over 300 patents and patent applications. Dr. Makower has an extensive educational background, with an MBA from Columbia University, an MD from NYU School of Medicine, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In 2018, he was awarded the Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation by the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Research topics
- Computer Security
- Computer Science
- Pharmacology
- Business
- Medical emergency
- Medicine
Selected publications
JAMA Health Forum · 2023 · 21 citations
Senior authorCorresponding- Computer Security
- Computer Science
- Medicine
Importance: A wide variety of novel medical diagnostics and devices are determined safe and effective by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) each year, but to our knowledge the literature lacks evidence documenting how long it takes to establish new Medicare coverage for these technologies. Objective: To measure time from FDA authorization to at least nominal Medicare coverage for technologies requiring a new reimbursement pathway. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cross-sectional study, public databases were used to associate each technology to billing codes, determine the effective date of each code and Medicare coverage decisions, and stratify by the maturity of the Medicare coverage. At least nominal coverage was defined as achievement of explicit coverage milestones through a national coverage determination, local coverage determinations by Medicare administrative contractors, or by implicit coverage aligned to a new billing code. Characterization by product type (acute treatment, chronic or ongoing treatment, diagnostic assay, and diagnostic device), manufacturer size, and evidence level were assessed for association with coverage achievement. The study included new product applications authorized by the FDA through the premarket approval pathway, the de novo pathway, or with breakthrough designation in the 510(k) pathway from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019. Data analysis took place between May 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Main Outcome Measurement: Time from FDA authorization to the first coverage milestone. Results: Among 281 identified technologies in the total sample, 64 (23%) were deemed novel technologies based on the absence of coverage determinations and/or the use of temporary or miscellaneous billing codes. Twenty-eight of 64 technologies (44%) successfully achieved explicit or implicit coverage following FDA authorization. The median time to at least nominal coverage for the analysis cohort was 5.7 years (90% CI, 4.4-NA years). Analysis of time-to-coverage data highlighted company size (log-rank P<.001) and product type (log-rank P = .01) as significant covariates associated with coverage achievement. No association was observed for technologies with level 1 evidence at FDA authorization and subsequent coverage milestone achievement (log-rank P = .40). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of 64 novel technologies, only 28 (44%) achieved coverage milestones over the study timeline. The several-year period observed to establish at least nominal coverage suggests existing coverage processes may affect timely reimbursement of new technologies.
Need Statements in Healthcare Innovation
Annals of Biomedical Engineering · 2021-06-07 · 5 citations
letterCambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
2018-05-11
otherThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Elsevier eBooks · 2018-01-01
book-chapterCambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2018-05-11
book-chapterThis step-by-step guide to medical technology innovation, now in full color, has been rewritten to reflect recent trends of industry globalization and value-conscious healthcare. Written by a team of medical, engineering, and business experts, the authors provide a comprehensive resource that leads students, researchers, and entrepreneurs through a proven process for the identification, invention, and implementation of new solutions. Case studies on innovative products from around the world, successes and failures, practical advice, and end-of-chapter 'Getting Started' sections encourage readers to learn from real projects and apply important lessons to their own work. A wealth of additional material supports the book, including a collection of nearly one hundred videos created for the second edition, active links to external websites, supplementary appendices, and timely updates on the companion website at ebiodesign.org. Readers can access this material quickly, easily, and at the most relevant point in the text from within the ebook.
Frequent coauthors
- 31 shared
Paul G. Yock
Stanford University
- 31 shared
Lyn Denend
- 29 shared
Thomas M. Krummel
Stanford University
- 29 shared
Todd J. Brinton
Edwards Lifesciences (United States)
- 26 shared
Stefanos Zenios
Stanford University
- 25 shared
Uday Kumar
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer
- 16 shared
Christine Q. Kurihara
Stanford University
- 15 shared
F. T. Jay Watkins
Awards & honors
- Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation (2018)
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