The stethoscope is the most iconic symbol of medicine, used in virtually every patient examination. Yet, for over two hundred years, it turns out this indispensable tool has been an efficient, and often overlooked, vector for transmitting pathogens from patient to patient, including deadly, antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. While significant resources are dedicated to hand hygiene and infection prevention in healthcare, the prolifically used device draped around a clinician’s neck has escaped rigorous infection control protocols. This enormous yet stealthy gap in patient safety is precisely the challenge that Scott Mader, a seasoned clinical innovation expert, and his team at AseptiScope, Inc., are determined to resolve.
For more than three decades, Scott Mader has been introducing “gold standard” medical innovations to the market. This experience has culminated in the founding of AseptiScope, with a team of innovation experts who have now introduced their flagship technology, the DiskCover System, an elegant yet powerful solution designed to immediately and cost-effectively resolve the contamination threat posed by the stethoscope during healthcare delivery.
The Architect of Market-Driven Science: Scott Mader’s Career Trajectory
Scott Mader’s record of success is anchored in the early identification of unmet clinical needs and transformative solutions that elevate standards of care. Scott Mader’s self-described “competitive zeal” was cultivated in the Canadian hockey leagues, delivering him to the US through Division 1 hockey at The Ohio State University, where he earned a degree in Biochemistry. He started his career in big pharma at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he became a product launch specialist for foundational therapeutics like Glucophage (metformin). “Though start-up tech was my eventual goal, the formal processes and wealth of resources at BMS were a terrific baseline for understanding organizational structure and the healthcare landscape,” Scott Mader recounts. The success of this launch demonstrated his early expertise in commercializing significant medical advancements.
He carried this expertise to the California diagnostics start-up, Biosite, Inc., where he spearheaded the global introduction of the Triage BNP Test, a cardiovascular biomarker that became the standard of care for acute heart failure diagnosis. Biosite was later acquired for a staggering $1.6 billion in 2007, which changed the world of heart failure management and further validated Scott Mader’s methodology for moving clinical innovations into healthcare.
As Mader succinctly puts it, “the contaminated stethoscope is ‘like the clinician touching patients with a dirty third hand.’”
Scott Mader’s methodology, which he terms “market-driven science,” is a cornerstone of his success in industry and his strategic consultancy “CLINDEVOR 360”, which integrated this strategic development of novel therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices in the first part of this century. This philosophy involves developing solutions based on identified clinical attributes required to address unmet clinical needs and validating them rigorously through customized clinical development programs. This approach ensures that the innovations resonate inherently with providers and are adopted based on clear efficacy data.
The stethoscope, while familiar to everyone on the planet, carries a deeply personal connection for Scott Mader. “My father was an internal medicine physician who was an expert at the diagnosis of heart and lung pathology with his stethoscope, and he often let me listen to his heart and lung sounds when I was a child. I never witnessed him cleaning it after use. Today, we know this to be a significant patient safety issue, and contemporary studies are confirming that very few healthcare providers have the time or proper disinfectant to ensure a clean stethoscope contact with their patients,” says Scott Mader, President and CEO, AseptiScope.
AseptiScope: Addressing a Century-Old Problem
Founded in San Diego in 2016, AseptiScope was born out of a recognition of the “enormous gap in patient safety” presented by the contaminated stethoscope. Stethoscopes are notorious for harboring the most dangerous microbes or “superbugs;” studies have shown contamination rates as high as 50-70%. The traditional method of swabbing with alcohol between patients is often ineffective against resistant pathogens, time-consuming for busy clinicians, and can even damage the diaphragm of the device. As Scott Mader succinctly put it, the contaminated stethoscope is “like the clinician touching patients with a dirty third hand”.
AseptiScope’s mission is to resolve this problem through elegant innovation: The DiskCover System.
The DiskCover System: A Simple, Effective Solution
The DiskCover System is an automated, touch-free dispensing system that provides single-use, aseptic barriers for a stethoscope’s diaphragm. The device, which has the small footprint of a soap dispenser, is designed for seamless integration into clinical workflows.
Key features and benefits of the system include:
- Touch-Free Application: State-of-the-art sensor technology ensures an aseptic application in about one second, promoting high hygiene compliance rates.
- Acoustic Integrity: The single-use disk covers are “acoustically invisible,” preserving the high-quality sound essential for accurate heart and lung auscultation, which is a major advantage over subpar disposable stethoscopes.
- Evidence-Based Validation: Multi-center clinical studies involving seven US healthcare systems have shown that over 93% of participating clinicians find the technology superior to other options. The system has been proven to break the chain of pathogen transmission, with one remarkable study at a VA medical center showing the complete elimination of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) over a 12-month span after integrating the system into their prevention strategy.
- Patient Reassurance: Post-COVID, patients are more concerned about hygiene practices in healthcare. The visible, touch-free delivery of the distinctive blue “disk cover” stethoscope barrier provides comfort and builds trust, leading to increased patient satisfaction scores,” according to a recent publication by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.
Growth, Funding, and the Future of Aseptic Technique
AseptiScope has gained significant traction since its founding. The company successfully closed an oversubscribed Series A funding round in 2021, raising $6 million. It is now preparing for a Series B round to support further commercialization. The company’s leadership team is composed of a mix of clinical innovation experts, medical researchers, and practicing physicians who are committed to the evidence-based approach.
The DiskCover System elevates patient safety and saves significant time for understaffed hospitals and clinics. Importantly, it does so while reducing the cost of care, a critical factor in modern healthcare delivery.
The vision extends beyond the stethoscope. AseptiScope has generated a patent family protecting their portfolio of solutions featuring the touch-free delivery of aseptic barriers to target vectors such as the stethoscope, ultrasound probes, hands, and more.
In a world where healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) claim the lives of thousands and cost billions annually, Scott Mader’s team of innovators is leading a much-needed charge for innovation. “We are determined to resolve this snake-in-the-grass problem of stethoscope contamination. The DiskCover System sets a new, elevated standard for patient safety,” Scott Mader confirms.
His career is marked by a history of transforming clinical innovations, and he is now determined to impact healthcare by reducing HAI risk to patients everywhere. “The DiskCover System elevates patient safety and saves significant time for understaffed hospitals and clinics. Importantly, it does so while reducing the cost of care, a critical factor in modern healthcare delivery,” Scott Mader concludes in his November 2025 keynote address at the PACT healthcare conference in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley tech corridor.
For more information about AseptiScope’s mission and technology, visit the corporate and brand website at https://diskcover.com/
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