On this date about 150 years ago, Macy’s opened their doors in New York City and took in over $1000. I thought that was a lot for the time period – but it made me think about a question I hear often: why does the Tailwind cost so much? I thought perhaps I could offer some insight into the development of a medical device.
The Tailwind was developed by Ph.D. researchers at the University of Maryland over a 10-year period. These researchers tested different methods of arm rehabilitation on real subjects, refining their ideas, building prototype after prototype, setting up clinical studies, and publishing their results in prestigious medical journals like the Journal of the American Medical Association. Here’s where you can read more about how the Tailwind was invented: http://www.tailwindtherapy.com/tailwinds-proven-technology/scientific-development-of-tailwind.php
After the researchers arrived at a final prototype, the device was granted a patent in the US, Europe, and Canada. Then the Tailwind was reengineered by a team of medical device engineers to make it durable and
easy to use. This new design was then tested again with patients. Once the final design was chosen, the Tailwind was manufactured to exact specifications, using several manufacturers to create certain parts. The final product was assembled here in Maryland. You can read more about the engineering process here: http://www.tailwindtherapy.com/tailwinds-proven-technology/history-of-tailwind.php
For these reasons, we have kept the price of the Tailwind as low as we can while still paying for the development and manufacture of the device. Bringing a device to market takes a lot of work and lot of years!