To drive value in medical device creation in the U.S., a nonprofit organization focusing on biomedical innovation approached FaegreBD Consulting to discuss issues facing American innovators. The first step was creation of a Safe Haven Summit to allow national thought leaders from the industry, academia, government agencies and nonprofits explore how Value-driven Engineering (VdE) principles could advance U.S. competitiveness in global biomedical device design. The output of the summit was a nationally renowned white paper laying out numerous recommendations for adoption of VdE across the U.S. medical device landscape.

For FaegreBD Consulting's Erin O'Malley and Debra Lappin, putting a domestic stamp on VdE in medical device innovation only took one year. The firm also promoted the adoption of VdE in the U.S. through public-private partnerships, legislative and regulatory vehicles, and other existing channels.