 Product Charitable Contributions
Charitable Mission Product Contributions and Request Form
Patient Assistance Product Contributions and Request Form
Product Charitable Contribution Criteria
Sales Personnel Assistance Required to Prepare Product Request
Lists
Product Contributions Involve Special and Unique Challenges
Limited Availability of Biologic Products for Contributions
China Charitable Mission Issues
Business Conduct Standards Brochure
Charitable Mission Product Contributions and Request Form
Many of Medtronic Sofamor Danek's Customers generously contribute their time
by visiting underserved communities - frequently in other countries - and performing
several surgeries during a 1-3 week period of time. MSD is committed to providing
contributions of its products for these charitable missions.
To download a Word version of the Charitable Mission Product Charitable Contribution
Request Form, click on the link at the bottom of this section.
MSD's charitable contribution request forms are formatted with MicroSoft's
form tool. To complete the request form:
- Move to each field that needs to be completed by using the Tab button or
a moving your curser to the next field.
- If the field is a box, then just click on the appropriate box to place an
"x" in the box.
- If the field is a gray text area (it is empty white space in a printed version
of the form), simply start typing in the requested information.
- If you need to unlock the form to add information that does not have a box
or text field: (1) select "View" on the top menu bar, (2) select "Toolbars",
(3) select the "Forms" toolbar. Once the toolbar is added, click on the icon
that looks like a padlock so it is no longer highlighted. You can then type
anywhere on this document. If you click on the padlock again, you may lose
the information you entered in a box or text field - so avoid unlocking the document until you have completed all of the form fields and then do
not re-lock it.
In order to assure readability, MSD prefers that all request forms be typed
rather than handwritten.
Submit the form according to the directions on the form. To avoid any delays
in reviewing your request, please be sure to complete the request form and provide
all of the requested information and documents.
If you have any questions about the request form or MSD's charitable contribution
program and practices, send an email to MSD's Charitable Contributions Manager
at MSDCharitableContributions@medtronic.com.
The current Charitable Contributions Manager's name and phone number are
available at the Charitable Contributions home page in the Charitable
Contributions Manager section..
Please read the rest of this page before completing a request form to
make sure you have all of the information that you need before you complete
the form.
Download
Charitable Mission Product Charitable Contribution Request Form
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Patient Assistance Product Contributions
and Request Form
Some patients receiving care in the U.S. may benefit from Medtronic Sofamor
Danek products, but do not have the ability to pay for the product, typically
because they are uninsured and do not have Medicare or Medicaid coverage. In
such cases, Customers may ask MSD for the product free of charge.
To download a Word version of the Patient Assistance Product Charitable Contribution
Request Form, click on the link at the bottom of this section.
MSD's charitable contribution request forms are formatted with MicroSoft's
form tool. To complete the request form:
- Move to each field that needs to be completed by using the Tab button or
a moving your curser to the next field.
- If the field is a box, then just click on the appropriate box to place an
"x" in the box.
- If the field is a gray text area (it is empty white space in a printed version
of the form), simply start typing in the requested information.
- If you need to unlock the form to add information that does not have a box
or text field: (1) select "View" on the top menu bar, (2) select "Toolbars",
(3) select the "Forms" toolbar. Once the toolbar is added, click on the icon
that looks like a padlock so it is no longer highlighted. You can then type
anywhere on this document. If you click on the padlock again, you may lose
the information you entered in a box or text field - so avoid unlocking the document until you have completed all of the form fields and then do
not re-lock it.
In order to assure readability, MSD prefers that all request forms be typed
rather than handwritten.
Submit the form according to the directions on the form. To avoid any delays
in reviewing your request, please be sure to complete the request form and provide
all of the requested information and documents.
If you have any questions about the request form or MSD's charitable contribution
program and practices, send an email to MSD's Charitable Contributions Manager
at MSDCharitableContributions@medtronic.com.
The current Charitable Contributions Manager's name and phone number are
available at the Charitable Contributions home page in the Charitable
Contributions Manager section.
Please read the rest of this page before completing a request form to
make sure you have all of the information that you need before you complete
the form.
Download
Patient Assistance Product Charitable Contribution Request Form
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Product Charitable Contribution Criteria
In addition to the criteria that apply to all Customer-Based Charitable Contributions,
a product charitable contribution request must also satisfy the following additional criteria:
- The patient's physician(s) and hospital
or other facilities will not bill the patient, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other person or third party payor for the cost of any of the health care services for which any contributed MSD Products will be used or for the contributed MSD Products
- The lead physician and/or facility does not have a history of failing to return unused MSD Products from prior product contributions
If the issue is that the hospital feels it is not being adequately reimbursed
by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurers for the cost of the surgery and the products,
it may be that the claims are not properly coded and billed. MSD's Healthcare
Economic Services may be able to help. If you are a Customer, ask your sales
representative about whether Healthcare Economic Services can help you.
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Sales Personnel Required to Prepare Product
Request Lists
Generally, Sales Personnel are prohibited from assisting Customers in any way
in completing or submitting a charitable contribution request form. There is
an exception for product charitable requests because sales representatives are
the people best able to complete the product request list. Customers do not
have the type of information we need, such as set types and item numbers.
Consequently, sales representatives are required to complete the product request
lists that are part of the Charitable Mission and Patient Assistance Product
Charitable Contribution Request Forms. Customers should always let their sales
representatives know if they plan to submit a product contribution request so
their sales representative can help them with the product request list. If a
sales representative becomes aware that a Customer plans to submit a product
contribution request, he should contact the Customer to get the information
he needs to complete the product request list.
Sales Personnel may not help Customers complete any other part of the request
forms. If Customers have questions about any other parts of the request
form, they should contact the people identified on the request form or this
website.
Sales representatives are also permitted to :
- Provide any assistance requested by MSD's Charitable Contributions Manager
once a product contribution has been approved.
- Provide any standard and typical product support once the contribution has
been approved, including accompanying the Customer to the charitable mission
location.
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Product Contributions Involve Special
and Unique Challenges
Reviewing and approving requests for product contributions, especially for
foreign charitable missions to provide health care to indigent patients, are
particularly challenging.
- There is a significant amount of information that is necessary and several people are involved in the review and approval process.
- We need to determine what products are available for contribution and work with staff to organize any products that are contributed.
- There can be issues related to shipping and customs.
- It is also often necessary for MSD sales representatives to participate in order to provide the same type of product support they provide when MSD products are used in the U.S. However, the sales representatives may not participate in or try to influence the decision of whether to make the product contribution.
Submission-to-Shipping Time Frames
MSD typically needs 6-8 weeks to review and decide whether to approve
a Charitable Mission Product Contribution request and 2-4 weeks to review
and decide whether to approve a Patient Assistance Product Contribution
request and to make the necessary arrangements to get the products to
the location. This assumes there are no barriers for having the products
clear customs at the destination. Please submit a Product Contribution
Request Form as far in advance as possible. |
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Limited Availability of Biologic Products for Contributions
MSD's biologic products may not be available for charitable missions because:
- They are not approved for use in the charitable mission country, or
- We cannot guarantee the shipping and storage requirements, such as temperature control, can be satisfied - often because the receiving hospital or facility cannot satisfy the storage requirements.
As a result, unfortunately, biologic products are often not available for charitable missions.
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China Charitable Mission Issues
Charitable missions are supplied primarily using U.S.-based loaner sets. Chinese law prohibits MSD from sending U.S.-based loaner sets into China. Consequently, most products for charitable missions in China are supplied by MSD's China distributor. Our China distributor does not maintain the amount or type of inventory maintained in the U.S. If we have enough notice, we may also be able to order new implants (typically not instruments) for use during a mission in China.
As a result, the lead physician and MSD sales representative need to realize that the products available for the mission may be more limited - both in type and sizes -- than is typically available in the U.S. or during charitable missions to other countries. There may also need to be several interactions between the sales representative and MSD's China staff before the mission to understand what is and is not available for the mission.
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Business Conduct Standard Brochure
MSD's Compliance office has a "Charitable Contributions Program" brochure
that provides answers to common questions people have.
To order the brochure, you need access to MySpineTools.com.
If you do not have access, you can ask your local MSD sales representative for
the brochure or send an email to MSDCharitableContributions@medtronic.com and ask for the brochure
If you have access to MySpineTools.com, the brochure can be ordered on MySpineTools.com
by selecting "Resources" from the top navigation bar and then, from
the Overview page, select "Click here to order available literature and
video for customer use." The brochures are under the Sales Division category.
The Item # for the brochure is LITCCBR4.
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