Baylis-CANet partnership – fruitful, innovative, and going strong

“When our employees see technology being used to help patients, it gives us strong motivation to work harder and stronger,” says Kris Shah, President of Baylis Medical.
A few months ago, CANet investigator and Western University Medicine professor Peter Leong-Sit became the world’s first physician to use a pioneering medical device developed and manufactured by Baylis to make atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures safer and more effective. The procedure was a success.
“That event helped lift the entire company to a new level,” Shah remembers fondly.
For almost three decades, Baylis, located in Mississauga, Ontario, has developed and distributed state-of-the-art medical products in Canada and across the world.
When CANet launched in 2015, it sought out organizations that shared the Network’s vision – to significantly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of arrhythmia care delivery in Canada and around the world.
Baylis fit the bill.
“We are very fortunate to be associated with CANet since inception,” Shah says. “As a result of our strong association with CANet, we feel our company has grown at a much faster rate than we otherwise would have. It created a number of meaningful jobs in Ontario, as well as helped deploy our technology on a worldwide basis.”
When CANet started, Baylis had roughly 350 employees in 2015, To date, the company has almost doubled its number of employees.
“I can honestly say that a big chunk of that has been a direct result of our strong partnership with CANet,” Shah says.
Currently, Baylis is working with CANet on several projects to help reduce atrial fibrillation (AF)-related emergency department visits and hospitalization. AF is the most common heart arrhythmia abnormality and accounts for the majority of arrhythmia-related emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
The collaboration is critical in helping achieve a 20 percent drop in AF hospitalization and emergency department visits, a key strategic goal of the Network.
“There is a critical need for innovative minimally invasive cardiac procedures that improve patient outcomes without increasing healthcare costs and treatment time,” says CANet’s Scientific Director and CEO, Dr. Anthony Tang.
The Baylis-CANet partnership will help improve patient care and allow hospitals to adopt safer and more effective technologies.
“Access to CANet’s leading-edge network of investigators allows us to introduce our therapies to even more hospitals, and bring relief to patients, faster,” Shah says.
For example, in CANet’s Early-AF study, Baylis deployed its tools across Canada at 30 sites.
The study was successful, and Shah hopes it will help Baylis and CANet commercialize and disseminate cutting-edge technologies — another key CANet strategic goal.
Shah also highlights the critical role of CANet members in helping Baylis grow, all the while encouraging the company to develop technologies to help cardiac arrhythmia patients.
“CANet members have been educating us on clinical needs and how our technology can play a meaningful role in their everyday practice,” Shah says. “They have provided clinical input, medical expertise and helped us design and execute clinical trials.”
The Baylis-CANet partnership, according to Tang, is a stellar example of how clinicians and industry partners can work together to improve patient outcomes and enhance productivity in the healthcare system.