Downsides to robots + 2 other thoughts on spine tech from Dr. Stephen Hochschuler

Spine
Carly Behm -

Stephen Hochschuler, MD, co-founder and chair emeritus of Plano-based Texas Back Institute, talked about spine innovations, technology and private practice on the "Becker's Healthcare Spine and Orthopedic Podcast."

Three quotes from the conversation on spine innovation:

1. He said he was impressed with Alphatec CEO Patrick Miles for his work at the company and previously with NuVasive. "He just is a forward-thinking guy who gets on great with surgeons," he said. "He's done a great job taking the stock from $2 per share to close to $17, and it's interesting to see how things are shifting." 

2. He said he sees negatives to robotic technology because of cost. "It's a huge capital expenditure, and the add-on costs for doing a case is not inconsequential," he said.

3. Augmented reality has benefits over spine robots, including cost and workflow advantages. "Rather than having to look at a computer back and forth, you concentrate totally on the surgery itself because of the superimposition of their technology over the anatomy," he said.

Listen to the full podcast here.

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