Increased wound prevalence meets new software and solutions at WCT 2022.

There was a positive energy in the room at the 5^th Wound Care Today (WCT) conference as industry and clinicians came together in Milton Keynes. COVID-19 infection rates remain high in the UK but this is not being reflected in hospitalizations or deaths, leading to a national determination to move forward without restrictions. The pandemic has, however, shaped the priorities of those present and in a range of discussions. SmartTRAK encountered a commercial eagerness to make up for lost time and a looming burden of chronic wounds.

The SmartTRAK team will be attending the upcoming European Wound Management Association (EWMA) event May 23-25 in Paris. We would love to schedule some time to meet and hear your perspectives and views and discuss how SmartTRAK can help you make more informed strategic business decisions.

From the impact of stringent regulations to the shift toward new indications and rising market segments, SmartTRAK explores some of the trends to watch for in 2022 and beyond.

Orthopedic regenerative medicine therapy as an emerging area of science holds great promise for treating and promoting faster healing in a variety of injuries. There is also a belief among some scientists and industry stakeholders that it may hold the key to halting or reversing degenerative chronic conditions through self-healing. In a previous article, SmartTRAK had highlighted several challenges that Regenerative Medicine therapies would need to overcome to become a fully viable business and recognized treatment solution for patients. In 2021, businesses, societies and health care systems across the world continued to experience disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent waves of variants. Furthermore, much greater scrutiny and tougher regulations for some of the injectable regenerative medicine therapies were put into place. The start of 2022 is also not quite as “rosy” as most had hoped for ...

Jason Winkler, Sales VP of cybersecurity startup Device Authority, discusses the state of cybersecurity in healthcare in an interview with SmartTRAK.

To find out more, including the devices most vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and how medical device manufacturers should think about designing cybersecurity measures into their connected products, click on the following video to listen to the full interview (17:29 min). A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

New products and signs of procedural recovery lighten the mood at AAOS 2022

The mood at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2022 Annual Meeting was upbeat despite scaled-back attendance and exhibit space. Surgeons and exhibitors alike were excited to get back to in-person discussions about issues in orthopedics, new products hitting the market and the potential for recovery from the impact of COVID. While at the meeting, SmartTRAK met with industry professionals from clinicians to company representatives identifying key takeaways from market drivers and limiters to new product introductions.

Kathleen “Kathy” Schaum, President of Kathleen D. Schaum & Associates, discusses her thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on wound care and reimbursement.

Kathy is a “go-to” provider of wound care reimbursement information, education and strategy to manufacturers and providers. In this interview with SmartTRAK, Kathy shares her thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery and reimbursement of wound care and the advancements in remote monitoring, diagnostics and sensors. To find out more, including Kathy’s take on skin substitute/CTP trends, click on the following video recorded live via Google Meet (25:13 min). Specific interview topics by time code are outlined below. A link to the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

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.

Despite the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 epidemic, SmartTRAK continued to keep you informed of everything that transpired in the MedTech industry in 2021. As the leading provider of real-time market data and analysis for the orthopedic, wound, regenerative medicine and neuro therapies markets, SmartTRAK is uniquely suited to make you the expert on all the latest developments. Our knowledgeable analysts covered a lot of ground, everything from breaking medical device event coverage to interviews with some of the industry's top thought leaders.

Here are SmartTRAK's Top 10 blog posts of the past year that garnered the most attention from you and your colleagues, plus 3 bonus posts, because at SmartTRAK we always strive to deliver more than what's expected!

Trends in OrthoBiologics & Regenerative Medicine: A Surgeon's Perspective
by Freddy Buntoum

In this wide-ranging interview with SmartTRAK, Dr. Wasik Ashraf, an Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine, gives his view of CMS' FY21 OPPS-ASC Final Rulemaking, and discusses emerging trends and innovation in OrthoBiologics and Regenerative Medicine.

Hashed Health CEO John Bass discusses how Hashed Health is bringing blockchain technology to healthcare in an interview with SmartTRAK

In an interview with SmartTRAK, Hashed Health CEO John Bass discusses the Company and the use case of blockchain and distributed ledger technology in the medical device industry. Hashed Health is a venture product studio that partners with healthcare and life science enterprises to introduce new blockchain-based healthcare solutions to market.

To find out more, including why blockchain technology is important for medical device manufacturers, click on the following video to listen to the full interview (25:42 min). A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

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.

Cheryl Blanchard, President and CEO of Anika Therapeutics, discusses the Company’s metamorphosis from a partnered, single product company into a customer-facing, global joint preservation market player, in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Cheryl Blanchard, PhD, discusses the Company’s remarkable achievements amid a global healthcare crisis and progress made as Anika continues to execute on its Transformational Growth Strategy and grand plan in an interview with SmartTRAK at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) 2021 in San Diego, California. To find out more, click on the following audio recording. A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.