DOTmed 100 Spotlight
Endoscopy Specialists, Inc. - Sunrise, FL

Based in Sunrise, FL, Endoscopy Specialists Inc. (ESI) specializes in refurbishing and reselling endoscopy equipment, including Olympus and Pentax fiberoptic and video endoscopes as well as Fujinon. Run by Mike Mason, President, and Jake Glaser, Vice President, the two-person company, which opened in October 2004, has two technicians on hand who provide excellent customer service to the clientele. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Glaser, who has been a DOTmed user for three years, about his company.


When refurbishing equipment, including insertion tubes and universal cords, ESI tries to use all original equipment manufacture (OEM) parts, in order to preserve the integrity of the apparatus. "The main problem in this business today is that so many companies out there are making after-market parts, obviously inferior to the original equipment manufacturer, we try to refurbish the scopes using OEM parts in order to maintain a level of standard," said Glaser. Glaser holds his company to a higher standard than those he worked for in the past, which is one of the reasons why he and Mason formed the company.

When it comes to repairing equipment, ESI is who customers call, especially doctors in the local FL area. For approximately one-third the price of the manufacturer, ESI can repair a Pentax or Olympus machine and have it returned within about 48 hours. I could tell that Glaser was definitely proud of this.

ESI has invested a lot of money in inventory and recently bought out old equipment from several hospitals so they could replace it with new equipment. ESI purchases machinery from hospitals, doctors' offices, ambulatory centers, and surgery centers and also considers these same places as part of ESI's domestic customer base. Other clients include international customers.

Many third world countries, including India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, have contacted ESI as a result of being a DOTmed user. And those transactions are usually completed via the Internet. (As a side note: While I was interviewing Glaser, he received six responses from DOTmed users - a testament to the power of the Internet and DOTmed.)

The Internet has had a big impact on ESI's business both positively and negatively, not only as a DOTmed user (positive, as mentioned before), but especially when eBay began to sell endoscopes. EBay can be hazardous to ESI's health. "People don't know what they're posting, but they've seen it on there before. If they can get their hands on one [machine] they'll put it on there. Sometimes the equipment is stolen, sometimes it's not and [it's] in refurbished condition. There are doctors from third world countries and doctors that just don't want to spend money that are buying these things just because they can bid on them and they're cheap; whereas on DOTmed, for instance, the doctors can go on there...they can actually go on there, they can see your business, they can click on your name or website and go; it directs from DOTmed to my website so they can actually see that I am a legitimate company specializing only in endoscopy." Certainly Glaser finds eBay can be great for other things, but it, and other auction sites like it, doesn't certify medical products. Glaser also points out that eBay doesn't backup warranties and has no customer service for refurbished products. ESI certifies all equipment and provides backup warranties and customer service for all of its refurbished equipment.

Glaser knows that the medical community is always going to need endoscopes, even though new forms of technology are being used, including the new pill - the Given Imaging Pill. The Given Imaging Pill has a miniature video camera, which is swallowed by the patient and travels through the body, ultimately giving the patient an endoscopy. Once the pill travels through the body and is recorded on a video, the doctor reviews the video and finds a polyp or discolored piece of tissue, the doctor will still need an endoscope to go in and take a biopsy.

In addition to servicing the human medical community, ESI also services the four-legged medical community. Not many companies manufacture endoscopes for veterinarians. ESI carries products for veterinarians, including direct viewing endoscopes, which are not regulated by the FDA like the ones for humans are, at very low prices. If your horse, cat, or dog swallows something it shouldn't have, this is an absolute necessity for your animal's doctor to have. These endoscopes save the animal much needed pain and suffering, as the animal avoids surgery.

In closing, I asked Mr. Glaser if he had advice for those in the industry; his final words of wisdom: "Make sure you do your research on the company you're buying from. Ask about warranties; ask about the parts they're using for repairs."

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