RT interviews Earl Yager, president and CEO of CHAD Therapeutics
In the constantly growing sleep market, companies that stand still get left behind. That is one of the reasons why manufacturers such as CHAD Therapeutics, Chatsworth, Calif, discover new ways to expand all the time. RT spoke with President and CEO Earl Yager about the company’s dedication to innovation.
Q: How has CHAD grown through the years?
A: CHAD has grown by being a technological leader in the oxygen niche of the respiratory care market. We develop and market innovative products that improve the quality of life for oxygen patients while at the same time reducing the operating costs of the home care providers who service those patients. In addition, our conservers have a proven record for reliability, which further enhances their cost-effectiveness.
Q: Why did the company decide to introduce a pneumatic conserver?
A: Prior to Tom Jones becoming CEO in 1998, CHAD had been focused on electronic conservers. Tom recognized that we needed to broaden our product line and offer a full line of oxygen conservers to be responsive to our customers’ needs. We started by developing electronic conservers with state-of-the art features followed by the introduction of the CYPRESS OXYPneumatic® conserver in summer 2002. We can now offer a complete family of oxygen conservers to meet both patients’ and respiratory therapists’ needs and preferences.
Q: What are the benefits of a pneumatic vs an electronic conserver?
A: In general, pneumatic conservers are lighter than electronic conservers and do not require batteries, while electronic conservers are more precise in their oxygen delivery, thus conserving more oxygen and allowing more ambulatory time for patients and greater operating cost savings. CHAD’s CYPRESS conserver allows the use of a standard single-lumen cannula while most other pneumatic conservers require the use of more costly dual-lumen cannulas. In addition, the CYPRESS conserver provides greater than 3:1 oxygen conservation where most other pneumatic units can deliver only 2:1 savings, a significant advantage for patients and providers.
Q: What other new areas do you see CHAD progressing into in the future?
A: We recently entered into a series of product development and licensing agreements that are directed toward the development of products in two areas. The first would be to expand and enhance CHAD’s product lines in our core oxygen business. The second would be to develop innovative new products that address potential applications in the rapidly growing sleep disorder market. I believe this highlights our commitment to, and history of, being a technological leader in our market.
