A federal judge on Jan. 24  rejected Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics' bid to make two orthopedic surgeons pay $2.4 million after their whistleblower case related to the company's Pinnacle hip implant portfolio was tossed.

Stryker has initiated a cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera Communications for $79.25 per share in cash, the company said Jan. 25.

Sebastian Koga, MD, a neurosurgeon in Covington, La., completed the first cases with Aurora Spine's Apollo cervical plate.

Johnson & Johnson orthopedic sales in the U.S. and worldwide decreased year over year in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to financial results posted Jan. 25.

Seven orthopedic leadership appointments made since Jan. 1:

In the last 30 days, construction was completed or announced for four multimillion-dollar spine and orthopedic projects at hospitals.

The orthopedics team at Tri-County Health Care completed their 500th joint replacement since adding the service three years ago.

Tampa-based Florida Orthopaedic Institute became the largest orthopedic practice in the state in 2021 after merging with MD Healthcare Partners in 2019, Business Observer reported Jan. 24.

Medtronic's Intellis rechargeable neurostimulator and Vanta recharge-free neurostimulator were approved by the FDA for treating chronic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Spine surgeon Nitin Khanna, MD, received two lifetime achievement awards from Vitals.

In the last year, spine and orthopedic practices have turned to consolidation and aligning with management services organizations to keep up with the shifting healthcare landscape. For patients, outpatient surgeries and forgoing hospital stays have become favorable, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of trends are expected to gain momentum in spine surgery in the coming years, such as the growth of minimally invasive procedures and technologies, shifting hospital strategies and site-of care changes.

UAMS Orthopaedic & Spine hospital in Little Rock, Ark., is one of two major construction projects that the health system expects to complete within the next 18 months, Arkansas Business reports.

Terrence Piper, MD, has joined Signature Orthopedics and is practicing at its new location in St. Peters, Mo.

Chris Fronk, who worked at Stryker for 17 years, has been named Think Surgical's vice president of U.S. sales.

Two cities in Alabama are among the top paying cities for mid-career orthopedic surgeons, according to the Medscape physician salary calculator.

Tyler, Texas-based Azalea Orthopedics named John Priddy, MD, as its new president, CBS affiliate KYTX reported Jan. 21.

CMS and insurer policies are areas Mark Schwartz, CEO of Warrenton, Va.-based Blue Ridge Orthopaedic & Spine Center, is watching closely in 2022. 

Healthcare real estate firm Montecito Medical acquired the Windsong Medical Park, a 72,000-square-foot property in the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Williamsville.

Here are 10 physicians performing orthopedic surgery: