SmartTRAK discusses the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) migration – a multi-billion-dollar redistribution of capital, the mandatory Ambulatory Services Model (ASM) and the companies best positioned to benefit in 2026 and beyond. 

The US Spine Market is navigating a structural shift in the site of service, a regulatory-driven financial squeeze and the arrival of the mandatory Ambulatory Service Model (ASM) in spine care. This value-based model holds specialists financially accountable for the "total cost of care" for Medicare patients with low back pain (LBP). Shifting hospital-based procedures to the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) is one of the most significant opportunities for healthcare savings, and it is especially important in 2026 for procedures such as lumbar fusion and total disc replacements (TDRs). 

This downloadable article highlights the key catalysts SmartTRAK expects to shape the US Spine landscape in 2026 and beyond, including:

•  Landmark Changes in CMS Reimbursement Accelerating Lumbar Procedures to the ASC - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the removal of 285 musculoskeletal codes from the Inpatient-Only (IPO) list as part of a three-year phase-out ending in 2028, intended to ... (read more)

• Companies Innovating To Capture ASC Share -  Pure-play spine companies, like ATEC Spine (ATEC), and incumbents are tailoring ASC solutions—offering simplified, modular instrument sets and flexible financing for ... (read more)

SmartTRAK Launches New Software and Service Solutions, Creating a Unified "Smart" Insights Platform for Faster, Smarter Decisions

As the orthopedic industry prepares for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), SmartTRAK today announced a major expansion of its "Smart" portfolio of orthopedic market intelligence and advisory solutions. These enhancements are designed to help MedTech leaders move beyond fragmented data and make faster, more confident strategic decisions.

As orthopedic markets grow increasingly complex, success requires more than information. It demands expert interpretation, integrated intelligence and decisive strategy. SmartTRAK continues to combine proprietary data, advanced analytics and deep analyst expertise to power confident growth across MedTech.

Throughout 2025, SmartTRAK empowered MedTech professionals to Be The Expert by providing timely, data-driven insights across key markets. From orthopedics and wound care to regenerative medicine and neurotherapy, our analysts delivered meaningful real-time analysis you could act on. Scroll down to see a dozen of SmartTRAK’s most impactful blog posts of 2025.

These blog posts are just a glimpse of the data we cover every day. Want to see the real-time analytics and deep-dive reports behind these headlines? Schedule a demo today to see how SmartTRAK can help you master your market in 2026.

1. The Future of “Skin Substitutes” - What’s the Alternative?
   SmartTRAK reviews possible alternatives to LCDs and CMS’ proposed payment model for Cellular, Acellular, and Matrix-like Products (CAMPs) commonly referred to by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as “skin substitutes” and the potential impact on the market.
   
   
2. Terumo Neuro: Aiming for #1 in Neurovascular 
   Carsten Schroeder, president and CEO of Terumo Neuro, discusses the company’s plans to capture share and become the market leader in neurovascular.
   
   
3. What's Next in Orthopedic Trauma? 
   SmartTRAK reviews the evolving trauma startup landscape in 2025, spotlighting five innovators, followed by a comparative chart mapping 19 emerging companies.
   
   
4. Impact of Final Physician Fee Schedule on US Skin Substitutes in 2026
   Wound GM Kris Flinn and Senior Analysts Elizabeth Anderson and Jay Merkel discuss the impact of the final physician fee schedule on US Skin Substitutes in 2026.
   
   
   
   

Chance Leonard and R. Sean Churchill, MD, MBA, of Genesis Innovation Group and Capitan Orthopedics, discuss their SupraSpacer implant for treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears in an interview with SmartTRAK. 

In an interview with SmartTRAK, Chance Leonard and R. Sean Churchill, MD, MBA, of Genesis Innovation Group and Capitan Orthopedics, discuss the innovative SupraSpacer implant for the treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears and how it can provide a minimally invasive procedure that delivers stable, pain-free range of motion and helps preserve future surgical options.

To find out more about Capitan Orthopedics and the SupraSpacer implant, click on the following video (37:07 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is provided below. 

Interview Transcript:

Hey everybody. It's Andy Knapik here from SmartTRAK. I am senior analyst for soft tissue fixation and arthroscopic technologies. And today I'm really excited to be joined by a couple of gentlemen who are designing what I think is a pretty unique and very much needed product right now in the rotator cuff space. So I'm joined by Chance Leonard, who's the CEO of Genesis Innovation Group. And then Doctor Sean Churchill, who is a board member of the Genesis Innovation Group. Gentlemen, thanks for joining me today. It's nice to meet you.

Chance Leonard: Very nice to meet you as well.

Dr. Sean Churchill: Thanks for taking the time with us today.

So let's just start with an introduction. So maybe, Chance, start and talk to us about what is Genesis Innovation and your background a little bit so people get to know you a little.

CL: You bet. Well, thank you, Andy, for the opportunity to connect. My name is Chance Leonard, and as you mentioned, I currently serve as Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Innovation Group. We are a medical device development company, solely focused on med tech and in orthopedics, particularly. And we basically provide ...

Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of our interview with Chance Leonard and R. Sean Churchill, MD, as they discuss the innovative SupraSpacer implant for the treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears, conducted by Andy Knapik, SmartTRAK Sr. Analyst, Soft Tissue & Arthroscopic Technologies.

The Musculoskeletal New Ventures Conference meeting offers a glimpse into emerging and promising technologies that are shaping the US Spinal Hardware Market.

The Musculoskeletal New Ventures Conference (MNVC) took place on November 4-5, 2025, in Memphis, TN. This annual conference highlights new and emerging technologies focused on the orthopedics space, and this year alone had over 45 companies present. In this article, SmartTRAK highlights four spine-focused companies with novel technologies that will impact the broader US Spinal Hardware Market, which is projected to grow at a 5-year CAGR of +4.0% by 2029E, according to SmartTRAK estimates.  

The companies covered in this article are:

• ZygoFix
  Since its presentation at MNVC last year, ZygoFix has begun surgeries in the US and currently has five surgeons incorporating the zLock into their practices. The company plans to expand access in ... (read more)
  
  
• Nanohive
  Nanohive is focused on providing patient-specific interbody implants built on its proprietary soft titanium lattice platform, which has a lower modulus of elasticity than other titanium metals and is closer to ... (read more)
• Lenoss Medical
  Lenoss Medical offers a novel biological allograft implant, Osteopearl, for the VCF market, which eliminates the need for ... (read more)
  
  
• Synergy Spine Solutions
  Synergy Spine Solutions is currently participating in FDA clinical trials to bring its Synergy disc to the US market. This unique disc preserves motion and actively corrects alignment in the cervical spine due to ... (read more)

According to SmartTRAK Product Explorer, there are over 219 companies and approximately 1,150 products competing for market share in the US Spinal Hardware Market today. The MNVC meeting provided a glimpse into new and promising technologies for the US Spinal Hardware Market.

To learn more about MNVC 2025 and the companies presenting, click the button below to download the complete article by Erin Dorgan, SmartTRAK Sr Analyst, Spine & Bone Replacement.

The high costs and complexity involved in manual manufacturing hinder the commercial viability of regenerative cell therapies. Octane Biotherapeutics seeks to remove these barriers by integrating its automated "Cocoon" production system with the well-established Novocart 3D and Novocart Inject platforms. SmartTRAK interviews Dr. Robert Spiro, CEO of Octane Biotherapeutics, to explore the company's strategic acquisition of assets from Aesculap Biologics and TETEC AG, and their plan to make a significant entry into the US Cartilage Repair Market. 

Click on the following video to learn more (09:37 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

SmartTRAK: Hi, this is David Shepard with SmartTRAK, and I'm here with Dr. Robert Spiro, the CEO of Octane Biotherapeutics. Thank you for taking the time, really appreciate it.

Robert Spiro: Good to see you, Dave. Thank you.

Yes, good to see you as well. Tell me a little bit about Octane and the acquisition of Novocart 3D and Novocart Inject by Octane.

RS: Sure. It's a journey. It really started about 2010, '11, when I first started with Aesculap Biologics in this space. And having been in the cartilage regenerative space through several companies, really knowing that the scale-up of any type of manual culture, cell culture system was a big challenge from a commercial standpoint. We have always been looking for ways to automate this process. We started some on our own, but I encountered this technology with Octane, which was back in 2011—started that collaboration to transfer our manual autologous chondrocyte culture process to an automated system. They had already really started on this Cocoon technology, but we started to marry it to the Novocart program that long ago.

The relationship was there, all along, with the divestiture away from B. Braun Aesculap as they restructured all of their portfolio. It was really a natural progression for Octane to step in and acquire the company, not only Aesculap Biologics, but our sister company in Germany, TETEC AG, that developed the same technology. Octane Biotherapeutics is fully global, both German as well as US. And so, the Cocoon technology is an important step for us to commercialize both Novocart 3D and Novocart Inject for a number of reasons, and anyone in the cell culture space understands that scale up, scale out of those kind of manual process is expensive. It's one of the things that drives the cost of these products so high. So, it's been a great collaboration, and the fact that they stepped in through the acquisition just made a lot of sense for everybody.

RS: The hallmark of this is why it's really ideal for autologous cells. It's this ...

Want to learn more about how integrating the automated "Cocoon" cell production system with Novocart 3D and Novocart Inject platforms will disrupt the complexity and costs of the US Cartilage Repair Market? Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of our interview with Dr. Robert Spiro, CEO of Octane Biotherapeutics, conducted by David Shepard, SmartTRAK GM/Sr Analyst, Orthobio & Regen.

Dr. Silverman discusses key takeaways from the AOFAS meeting, along with insights into his practice's shift to ASC settings and the major hurdles of fair reimbursement and staff recruitment.

Lance Silverman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist at Resurgens Orthopaedics in Roswell, GA, discusses trends and technologies in the Foot & Ankle Market in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Dr. Silverman discusses key takeaways from the recent American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Annual Meeting 2025, including the critical focus on avoiding revisions in total ankle replacements. He also addresses the role of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) surgical planning tools and the instrumentation and jigs used in foot and ankle procedures. Dr. Silverman provides insights into the current landscape of his practice, including his most common procedures, his shift to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) settings, and the benefits and biggest challenges he faces—such as securing fair reimbursement and the struggle to recruit and retain talented team members amid rising living costs and salary expectations.

To listen to the interview, click on the following video (17:46 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Interview

SmartTRAK: Hi, this is Natasha Weeks General Manager of Trauma and Extremities for SmartTRAK, and I'm here with Dr. Lance Silverman. We're going to take a deep dive into the foot and ankle segment. Dr. Silverman, thanks for being here and talking with me. And it was great to meet you at AOFAS in Savannah last month.

Dr. Lance Silverman: Nice to meet you there too, Natasha. It's a pleasure reconnecting.

Great. So reflecting on AOFAS and the meeting, for you, what was the most impactful message, whether that was clinical discussions you had, any specific posters or symposium talks or even products that you saw displayed? What did you believe coming off of that conference would really be most influential in the surgical management of foot and ankle?

LS: Well, there were a lot of conversations that people had both in lectures and outside of lectures on total ankle replacement. And total ankle replacement has been a growing increasingly performed procedure. And we have now started to see...

Want to learn more about the trends and technologies in the Foot & Ankle Market? Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of our interview with Lance Silverman, MD, conducted by Natasha Weeks, Managing Editor/Sr. Analyst Trauma & Extremities.

Conmed’s Lisa Donnelly, VP of Marketing for US Orthopedics, and Jeff Ott, Director of R&D, discuss their BioBrace technology in an interview with SmartTRAK at OSET 2025 in Las Vegas. 

Conmed’s Lisa Donnelly, VP of Marketing for US Orthopedics, and Jeff Ott, Director of R&D, sat down with SmartTRAK at the Orthopaedic Summit (OSET) 2025 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas (September 18–25, 2025) to discuss BioBrace and how its bioinductive technology sets it apart from the competition.

To find out more about Conmed and BioBrace, click on the following video (16:30 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below. 

Hey everybody, it's Andy Knapik with SmartTRAK, here at Ortho Summit in Las Vegas, and I'm happy to be here at the ConMed booth, and joined by a good friend of mine, Lisa Donnelly, who's VP of Marketing for US Ortho for ConMed, and then also Jeff Ott, who is a director of R&D. Why don't you just start by talking to us about how you started with the company? I'm just going to let you go with the intro part.

Jeff Ott: Yes, happy to do that. I joined a small company called Biorez about six or seven years ago as a small startup. We were focused on trying to find ways to help with tendon and ligament healing, and we developed a product called the BioBrace, which now is a part of ConMed.

So, when was that acquired? That was about a year…

Lisa Donnelly: August of 2022.

Okay. So a few years now. Wow. It's flown.

JO: Yes, time has flown by. So the BioBrace, which we developed, we designed a product that is a bioinductive scaffold with strength. What we did is we created a product that can both reinforce a tendon or ligament repair, and it also can ...

Want to learn more about the BioBrace technology? Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of our exclusive interview with Conmed’s Lisa Donnelly, VP of Marketing for US Orthopedics, and Jeff Ott, Director of R&D, conducted by  Andy Knapik, SmartTRAK Sr. Analyst, Soft Tissue & Arthroscopic Technologies.

Stephania Bell, a licensed physical therapist, ESPN senior writer, and renowned sports injury analyst, brings together her clinical expertise and media experience, exploring how sports injuries in professional athletes intersect with those seen in the general population.

In a recent interview with SmartTRAK, Stephania Bell, a licensed physical therapist, ESPN senior writer and renowned sports injury analyst, brings together her clinical expertise and media experience, exploring how sports injuries in professional athletes intersect with those seen in the general population.

Click on the following video to watch the interview (43:14 min). For more details, interview topics by timecode and a link to download a complete transcript of the interview are provided below.

Interview Topics By Timecode:

02:00 Stephania’s background.

11:15 Work with Arthrex on the education side.

18:50 Where do med device companies fit in with prevention?

21:51 Patient insistance on being treated like the pros.

29:24 Public perception of sports injuries.

The connection between sports injuries in professionals and those in the broader population offers valuable insight into treatment and recovery trends. Click the button below to download and read the complete transcript of our interview with Stephania Bell, ESPN senior writer and renowned sports injury analyst, conducted by  Andy Knapik, SmartTRAK Sr. Analyst, Soft Tissue & Arthroscopic Technologies.