Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for Nov. 20, 2014.
Will Republicans kill the medical device excise tax?
The medical device excise tax is having an impact on device companies and healthcare reform, according to GlobalData Analyst Rob Littlefield, MSc. And the new Republican Congress could be in a position to do something about it.
Spine device company goes national with "rep-less" model
The rep-less model eliminates the sales representative — who earns huge commission on sales — from the equation so providers purchase implants directly from the device company. Royal Oak Medical Devices in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., manufactures and distributes orthopedic spinal implants and instrumentation at 40 percent to 70 percent less than the previously considered "lowest" nationally contracted price points, according to a Herald Online report.
Medtronic's 2Q: BMP sales up 9% showing continued 'stability' & 'demand'
Revenue hit $4.3 billion, up 5 percent over the same period last year. United States revenue was up 5 percent to $2.4 billion; international revenue was also up 5 percent to $1.9 billion. Reversing the previous trend in declining revenue over the past few years, BMP revenue increased 9 percent to $120 million.
Baxano files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; sells product lines
The company will sell its product lines — which includes the AxiaLIF family of products for single and two-level lumbar fusion, VEO lateral access and interbody fusion system, iO-Flex minimally invasive lumbar decompression system, iO-Tome facetectomy system and Vectre and Avatar posterior fixation systems — through a court-supervised auction process.
Adjacent segment disease: What are the risk factors for more spine surgery?
The retrospective analysis, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, examined a consecutive series of 1,358 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery performed by a single surgeon. The study found that there was a relatively constant adjacent segment reoperation rate of 2.3 percent of patients per year.
Aurora Spine's ZIP 51 MIS interspinous fixation implant gets FDA clearance
The ZIP 51 was developed as an alternative to pedicle screw fixation and designed for stabilization and load sharing during the TI-S1 thoracolumbar fusion procedures. It is also intended to be an adjunct to interbody fusion specifically for the treatment of degenerative disc disease spondylolisthesis trauma and/or tumor.
NASS awarded more than $400,000 in research grants in 2014
The Clinical Traveling Fellowship and Research Traveling Fellowship awards were given to three individuals, totaling $21,920. The remaining research grant award winners include David Bumpass, MD, and Kevin Carneiro, DO.
NASS names new president — Dr. Heidi Prather
Dr. Prather is currently the chief of the section for physical medicine and rehabilitation at Washington University School of Medicine in the orthopedic surgery department. She is the sports medicine fellowship co-director and director of the Chesterfield Orthopaedic Spine Center.
More articles on spine:
5 thoughts on predictors for longer hospital stays after spinal surgery
8 trends in the cervical disc replacement market
How to grow in the era of healthcare reform & payer scrutiny: Spine destination centers