Hi Scott, welcome back to OrthoStreams. Can’t believe it’s been 20 months since our Q&A.
Many readers asked for a follow-up after learning about GEO.
1. Looking back on our first interview which one of your market predictions were most accurate and least accurate?
Thank you, Tiger, always great to get together and talk shop with you. Hindsight is a very powerful thing, right? I feel best about those assertions regarding RFID technology and its ability to dramatically alter how we deliver sterile implants and instruments into ASCs and hospitals. That has been a game changer in the intra-COVID world we now find ourselves in. 20 months ago, I would have talked to you about circumventing the sterile processing department (SPD)…now, we talk about the use of RFID and proprietary software to limit non-essential rep activity.
Where I missed the mark from that initial interview was the proverbial crystal ball. Who could have predicted the impact COVID had on healthcare in the US and its effect on our segment of medical device? Still, COVID presented GEO with the opportunity to shift from primarily being a device manufacturer to being a software company focused on technology and implementation. Our concept and methodology keep emergent, extremity cases going at our partner health systems because each GEOcart lived in its assigned facility, reps weren’t required to drop trays off, instrument sets don’t need to be cleaned by an SPD tech, and the proprietary case management software routed electronic charge sheets directly in to inboxes.
2. So with RFID as the cornerstone of GEO’s technology, would you say that others in the space are following your lead?
We are seeing others entering this niche, yes. Some nimble companies like ours and even a few industry heavyweights. We all differ with how we deliver the technology and whether our solutions and implants are proprietary or not [GEO’s are proprietary], but it’s good to see more adoption. The most impressive new entrant, in my opinion, is the SmartStorage System from Medtronic.
3. Another focus at GEO is sterile-packaging. What is GEO doing differently with sterile-packaging?
Yes, sterile packaging is an essential focus for us, as is sustainability. GEO is actually proud to report that all implant and instrument trays used for sterile implant delivery are 100% recyclable. This is a conscientious move on the company’s part to not only create green efficiencies with water conservation [not washing non-sterile, re-usable trays & caddies] but to have the option of recycling the overwhelming majority of our end-user packaging.
4. Every ortho company has been affected with Covid. How did COVID affect GEO, specifically?
Great question and, to be honest, we’re still measuring and assessing the impact of the pandemic. The easy answer may be similar to what, I assume, many of my contemporaries might say… it hit our revenue in the short-term, but we bounced back. To dive deeper, I would say that COVID offered GEO a unique opportunity to demonstrate its technology, software, and solutions. We can create a number of efficiencies for centers that might not have given us a shot if social distancing, contactless shipping, and reduced rep presence weren’t a priority. But, we did get that chance and we have shown what our carts can do and that’s made an incredible impact at large IDNs and health systems, all the way down to independently-owned ASCs.
5. Let’s talk product. Are there any new solutions in the pipeline that you can share as a first look for OrthoStreams readers?
Thank you, Tiger, we get so excited articulating the salient points of the RFID-enabled technology that we sometimes leave our products to the end. Last time we spoke, we were awaiting clearance of our FirstFUSE MPJ plates and our FifthFUSE Jones Fracture system. Both are launched, available in our carts, and customer feedback has been excellent. To answer your more immediate question, though, we are expecting FDA clearance for our new ankle fracture system in Q4, probably November. We also have a few projects looking at enhancing disposable instrumentation for a variety of indications. Very exciting times!
For more information about GEO – Gramercy Extremity Orthopedics, visit – https://gramercyortho.com/