Scott Laster, CEO and co-founder of MiCare Path, discusses the present and future of monitoring patients between office visits in an interview with SmartTRAK

Scott Laster is the CEO and co-founder of MiCare Path, a leading platform to connect patients with their providers between visits. Scott is a medical device industry veteran with 15+ years of experience in the trenches launching products and supporting clinicians. In this interview with SmartTRAK, Scott shares his thoughts on the benefits of monitoring patients between office visits, the evolution of reimbursement of remote monitoring and where MiCare Path is going in the future.

To find out more, including Scott’s take on how MiCare Path benefits orthopedic and wound care patients and clinicians, click on the following video recorded live via Google Meet (17:04 min). Specific interview topics by timecode are outlined below. To download a complete transcript of the interview, click here.

Soft Tissue Fixation Takes A Hit In Q421

After two quarters of significant growth, Soft Tissue Fixation took a hit in Q421, with another spike in COVID cases negatively affecting procedure volumes. 2021 was a year full of ups and downs due mainly to the COVID pandemic and Q4 was no different. COVID once again brought a new wave of cases, with the Omicron variant taking its toll on Soft Tissue Fixation case volumes resulting in modest YoY revenue declines over 2020.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q421 Soft Tissue Fixation Market Recap* are:

As the world continues to adapt to the "new normal", even with the possibility of a new variant ahead, SmartTRAK keeps calm and carries on, reporting daily on the challenges still ahead, covering all aspects of the Orthopedic market: Extremities, OrthoBio, Spine, Computer Assisted Surgery, Total Joints, Trauma, Soft Tissue Fixation and EU Extremities and Trauma. And, if you are in Chicago for the big Orthopedics conference this week, make sure you visit us at Booth #4350, or you can schedule a meeting with us...just click here.

SmartTRAK features curated content by our team of industry experts, bringing the most relevant information and insight directly to you in real time. Learn about the latest news, emerging technologies or start-ups to watch, conference happenings and more via articles, videos and interviews.

The following is just a small sampling of recent Orthopedic updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted daily by our SmartTRAK analysts.

New Products:

• Nexxt Spine* 
  

  Nexxt Spine launches a product-line extension to the NEXXT MATRIXX 3D Printed Porous Titanium portfolio of implants indicated for use in stand-alone ALIF procedures, which features Nexxt Spine’s proprietary 3D laser printed titanium technology. LinkedIn.com

• Attune Total Knee* - JNJ/DePuy Synthes*
  

  DePuy Synthes announced two new additions to its Attune Knee line, Attune Cementless Fixed Bearing Knee w/ AFFIXIUM 3D porous coating (tibial component) and Attune Medial Stabilized Knee.(medial stabilized fixed-bearing insert), that can be used with other Attune components.

• Life Spine*
  

  On FY21 performance, Biogennix’s CEO Chris MacDuff also mentioned the Company saw increasing sales for its newest product, Agilon Moldable, esp in the F&A surgery market. The company also continued to see consistently strong growth of Agilon Moldable in the spine market segment.

Patents:

• Medtronic*
  

  Warsaw Orthopedic’s US Patent Application “SPINAL IMPLANT WITH FEATURES FACILITATING INDEPENDENT EXPANSION OF PORTIONS THEREOF & METHOD FOR USE THEREOF” was published describing an implant which facilitates adjustment of lordotic/kyphotic &/or coronal angulation. 20220079770

• One-Way Adjustable Loop Suture Constructs  
  

  US Patent “One-Way Adjustable Loop Suture Constructs And Methods Of Forming And Using The Same” was issued describing surgical constructs & methods of use for a one-way adjustable fixation loop for a fixation device, such as a cortical button or plate.11,272,920

• Acumed*

  Acumed’s US Patent Application “HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW HAVING AN ATTACHMENT MECHANISM” was published describing a cannulated headless compression screw w/ an attachment mechanism that enables coupling various attachments to the screw. 20220079642

In this article, SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and profiles four companies implementing AI-driven imaging in these spaces.

The US Orthopedic Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS) Market is one of the fastest-growing markets in orthopedics and is expected to reach revenues of $1.14B by 2025, according to SmartTRAK estimates. The Orthopedic CAS market includes a range of enabling technologies including robotic platforms, navigation systems, surgical planning tools, augmented/virtual reality technology and artificial intelligence (AI). AI is being increasingly incorporated into diagnostics and planning to assist in optimization of surgical decision making and anomaly detection.
 
The prominence of AI and machine learning technologies in medicine has snowballed over the past decade. Diagnostic Imaging and navigation is experiencing a new paradigm of technology through the emergence of AI-driven 3D reconstruction, segmentation and navigation applications. Two areas seeing quick implementation and adoption of these new systems are orthopedic planning/navigation and neurovascular diagnostics. In this article, SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and profiles four companies implementing AI-driven imaging in these spaces.

As the world slowly adapts to the "new normal",  SmartTRAK continues to report daily on the challenges still ahead, covering all aspects of the Orthopedic market: Extremities, OrthoBio, Spine, Computer Assisted Surgery, Total Joints, Trauma, Soft Tissue Fixation and EU Extremities and Trauma. And, if you are going to Chicago for the big Orthopedics conference in March, visit us at Booth #4350 or you can schedule a meeting with us...just click here.

SmartTRAK features curated content by our team of industry experts, bringing the most relevant information and insight directly to you in real time. Learn about the latest news, emerging technologies or start-ups to watch, conference happenings and more via articles, videos and interviews.

The following is just a small sampling of recent Orthopedic updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted daily by our SmartTRAK analysts.

New Products:

• Journey ll* - Smith+Nephew*
  

  Smith+Nephew announced the first completed surgery using its JOURNEY II Medial Dished (MD) System for total knee arthroplasty. The procedure was performed by Dr. Ran Schwarzkopf, Orthopedic Adult Hip and Knee Reconstruction at NYU Langone Health.

• Zimmer Biomet*  
  

  Zimmer Biomet is anticipating the launch of Persona* cementless knees later in 2022 incorporating a design for improved press-fit fixation. The Company has < 10% penetration in cementless w/ runway ahead for the new knee to take off. ZBH Q421 Earnings Transcript on Unhedged.com

• Biogennix*  
  

  On FY21 performance, Biogennix’s CEO Chris MacDuff also mentioned the Company saw increasing sales for its newest product, Agilon Moldable, esp in the F&A surgery market. The company also continued to see consistently strong growth of Agilon Moldable in the spine market segment.

Patents:

• CONMED* 

  Conmed’s US Patent Application “Dual Expansion Anchor” was published describing a suture anchor with an expanding function for biceps tenodesis. 20220039792

• Expandable Intervertebral Device
  

  A US Patent Application “EXPANDABLE INTERVERTEBRAL DEVICE,” submitted by the Moskowitz Family, LLC of Rockville, MD was published describing a universal zero-profile expandable intervertebral spacer device for fusion & distraction throughout the entire spine. 20220039963

• Stryker*

  Howmedica Osteonics’ US Patent Application “ORTHOPEDIC SURGICAL PLANNING BASED ON SOFT TISSUE AND BONE DENSITY MODELING” was published describing virtual surgery planning using a mixed-reality headset display. 20220039868

OsteoCentric Technologies' CMO Gavin Sontag discusses the Company and its OssiMI mechanical integration technology in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Gavin Sontag, CMO of OsteoCentric Technologies, discusses OsteoCentric's OssiMI platform technology, company growth rates and plans for expansion in an interview with SmartTRAK. To find out more, including why OsteoCentric acquired an SI-Fusion system, click on the following video. A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Covid-19 Delta surges shatter dreams of strong Q321 market recovery

Surges in COVID-19 Delta cases shattered any dreams of a strong Q321 Total Joints market recovery. Postponement of elective procedures in various areas of the US again negatively impacted Companies pushing out hopes for a return to normal into 2022. In addition to procedure recovery challenges, China’s Volume-Based Procurement program that aims to reduce implant pricing may headwind to the WW Total Joints market in the coming year.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q321 Total Joints Market Recap* are:

• Complete Q321 Total Joints Market Overview and Highlights
• SmartTRAK's Expert Analysis and Insights
• Total Joints News including Revenues, Data, Charts and Shares
• US Market Growth Comparison Q321 vs Q319
• New Products Hitting the Stage
• Q321 Regulatory Highlights 

What seems to be on everyone’s mind – COVID-19 recovery and ASC trends

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the attendance at the 2021 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon (AAOS) annual meeting to an estimated 1/5 ^th of its usual number. Many international surgeons found themselves under travel restrictions while some US surgeons were asked by their institutions to forego the meeting. The pandemic also impacted the conversations taking place on the convention floor with two topics seeming to be top of mind – the recovery from COVID-19 and the ongoing move of joint replacement procedures to the outpatient setting.

At AAOS 2021, SmartTRAK spoke with clinicians and industry executives to obtain their view regarding the pandemic and recovery from COVID-19. Although speculation varied depending on individual circumstances,  some companies and healthcare institutions shared that supply chain issues are holding back the increase in business while others are facing regional shutdowns of elective procedures due to the surge of the Delta variant.

We are pleased to announce that Shelly Caruso has joined the team at SmartTRAK as a Market Analyst/Medical writer. Shelly has 8+ years in clinical healthcare, 4+ years neurosurgical and orthopedic intraoperative nursing working with medical devices at trauma centers and outpatient facilities, including cranial, spine, sports med, total joint and extremity. Shelly has a BA in economics and BSN in nursing and is a certified editor and member of The American Copy Editors Society.

Silicon Valley-based Panther Orthopedics provides nitinol superelastic fixation devices for the orthopedic trauma and sports medicine markets

Panther Orthopedics is an orthopedic medical technology company focused on developing superelastic fixation devices for trauma and sports medicine applications. The company’s first product, the PUMA system, is the only FDA-cleared superelastic fixation device and is indicated for syndesmosis fixation, hallux valgus reconstruction, and tarsometatarsal fixation. The PUMA System is the first and only FDA cleared superelastic fixation device that maintains continuous compression without creep.