The Orthopedics Industry Is it time to add “AI” to your ortho company name?
The 2000s were the boom boom days of “spine”. Every orthopedic company wanted “Spine” in their name for the hype, […]
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An FDA clearance ≠ “safe” for a NEW total shoulder system.
The following argument is made by Dr Frederick Matsen, Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Washington;
The Great Data Grab of 2025.
We all know that implants are becoming commodities with a downward spiral in pricing. The device companies copy each other
Are you built for a career in Big Ortho or Startup Ortho?
Sharing some thoughts to help you figure out if you are built for a Big Ortho career…. or a Startup
Why the obsession over AI, VR, and AR?
There are already dozens of global medical conferences focused on the topic of VR, AI, and AR (like this one
25 Ortho Startups to watch this year
https://www.medtechpulse.com/article/infographic/25-orthopedics-startups-to-watch-in-2022 When industry experts discuss the most promising innovation in the context of MedTech, they often refer to trends such
Can Roam Robotics delay a patient’s total knee replacement indefinitely?
https://www.medtechpulse.com/article/insight/roam-robotics-introduces-a-soft-knee-exoskeleton Website – https://www.roamrobotics.com/ The story Roam Robotics, a San Francisco-based robotics company, unveiled a $7,000 fabric exoskeletal knee brace
The role of Robotics, AI, and automation in healthcare
Robotics and automation are the future of healthcare (MedCity News) Advanced technologies, such as AI-guided robotics and automation, offer a
Surgical Robots will look stupid!
Robots are everywhere! Robots are now used in 5% of knee and hip procedures. MAKO has installed 1,500 robots in
A surgeon’s perspective of why orthopedics is not invested in improving the patient experience.
Reposting a thoughtful and objective article from Dr. William Kurtz to explain why healthcare has not invested in improving the
Processes in orthopedics can be cumbersome. Let’s make it easy.
In any business, we all tend to over-complicate things. We expect it to be hard. Others who came before before
Choice is killing orthopedics!
I keep reading about the multiplicity of device options that orthopedic surgeons have with all the choices of implants, trials,
What happens to a Startup when VCs replace the Founder?
Research: What Happens to a Startup When Venture Capitalists Replace the Founder (HBR) Summary. When a startup founder seeks external funding, they
Amazon moves one step closer to entering Orthopedics.
Amazon Makes Moves In Healthcare With Plans To Acquire One Medical (Forbes) We OrthoStreamers tend to think that disruption will
The lure of a Monopoly in Orthopedics.
Yes, there are Monopolies in Orthopedics, and they are fantastic! A few savvy orthopedic companies create a new category or
Spineway acquires one-piece viscoelastic ESP disc prosthesis from French company Spine Innovations
Acquisition of Spine Innovations a specialist in disc protheses (press release) Continuation of the targeted external growth strategyAcquisition of Spine
A few thoughts on non-competes
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. This is not legal advice. These are just observations. “Individuals change jobs in orthopedics
Is Orthopedic tech recession proof?
There is no question that we are in a recession now. We have all been reading about the consumer tech
Smith+Nephew introduces smart glasses into the OR to enable remote technical support
Tiger commentary – This is the wrong application for smart glasses, but at least S+N is trying. The winning application
How design iterations reduce risk.
I am not a fan of Class III devices. I believe that you can build company value faster and with
Magnetic bandages with stem cells to be used to repair OA and fractures
FUTURE OF MEDICINE: Magnetic bandages with stem cells to be used to repair worn joints and mend broken bones (The
The killer app for smart implants… is it too early to figure it out?
Companies see a future for smart implants. Doctors are waiting for proof. (MedTechDive) Zimmer Biomet and Canary Medical are rolling
If you want to see where orthopedics technology is going… follow the new money.
Proximie just raised $80M to accelerate it’s full-service connected surgery platform. This future is all about smart ecosystems, not devices.
Why digital health companies turn into patient management companies
(written by Bill Hunter, MD, President & CEO, Canary Medical for OrthoStreams) After a little over a decade of participating
The current state of digitizing orthopedic surgery.
Digitizing Surgery (LinkedIn article by Peter Verrillo, CEO @ enhatch) Imagine, as a total joint replacement orthopedic surgeon today, that
A better business metric for Ortho startups – “The Burn Multiple”
The Burn Multiple (by David Sacks on substack) How Startups Should Think About Capital Efficiency As the economic crisis deepens,
The solution to the Orthopedic device “last-mile problem” sprouted from military logistics experience.
Founded by former U.S. Army Logistics Officer Ethan Lauer, ImplantBase helps the Spine and Orthopedic medical device companies improve profitability
How do orthopedic startups create value? 18 thoughts.
Startups shouldn’t solve technically hard problems (InvertedPassion) 1/ Startups get funded when they’re expected to be valuable, and they’re valuable
The Leverage Problem
Let’s talk about an unpopular topic in orthopedic circles – profitability. Many orthopedic device companies can deliver world-class products that
The Osso story, and its amazing growth from conception in 2016.
How Osso Became One Of VR’s Biggest Companies (Interview) – UploadVR Surgical education platform Osso VR recently announced $66 million in funding
The future of surgical training is actually already here.
Osso VR nets $66 million for surgical training (Axios) San Francisco’s Osso VR collected $66 million in Series C funding
What is the future of orthopedic surgery?
A wonderful part of my role as a retained recruiter for early-stage orthopedic companies, is that I get to see
3Spine raises $33M for clinical trial for the 1st ever joint replacement for lumbar spine
website – https://3spine.com/ 3Spine raises US$33 million in Series C funding round (SpinalNewsInternational) 3Spine has raised US$33 million in an oversubscribed Series
Run away!
I believe that surgeon-founded/owned orthopedic startups are doomed from the beginning. This belief is based on decades of ortho history.
The challenge of training your orthopedic surgery AI.
Contrary to popular belief, training an AI for surgery is not easy. So how long does it take for a
Can virtual surgery support occur on demand anywhere in the world? Yes it can.
The following is a case study of how Zimmer Biomet supported a total knee case in Holland from Warsaw Indiana.
Deep review of AI in orthopedics from the physician’s viewpoint.
Artificial Intelligence in the Musculoskeletal Space (presented by Ingrid Vasiliu-FeltesCEO Softhread) published by the Journal of Orthopaedic Experience & Innovation
10 questions executives should ask before joining an ortho startup.
Startups are messy, and exciting, and the work incentive is different. Working for a startup is awesome, and I think
“I don’t hate Big Ortho”
Allow me make a clarification. Some readers and friends have accused me of “throwing Big Ortho under the bus”. I
Moats
Many successful orthopedics companies create moats to give themselves a temporary competitive advantage. These moats are thought of as “defense”
Startup to bring sub-millimeter-accuracy radar tracking into joint replacement.
website – cairasurgical.com Caira Surgical is developing new standard of care navigation and robotic solutions for joint replacement surgery. Caira
A high level overview of the US Medical Device Industry
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT (SelectUSA) The United States remains the largest medical device market in the world: $156 billion (40 percent
Back to the future, Exactech buys into Hip Resurfacing with poly
Exactech Announces Shareholding Acquisition of JointMedica, Signaling Return of Hip Resurfacing (press release) Exactech, Inc., a developer and producer of
Paragon 28 acquires Disior’s imaging analytics software for $26M
Paragon 28 Announces Acquisition of Disior (press release) Disior advances Paragon 28’s SMART 28™ strategy, providing a comprehensive 3D analytics
What if an Orthopedic company built valuation like a consumer tech company?
I have never seen an orthopedic company measure and optimize customer-by-customer analytics. Orthopedic companies are usually born with a product
Transitioning from Scarcity to Abundance in Orthopedics
Orthopedic Business Review written by Will Kurtz, M.D. Scarcity and Supply Sided Monopolies In 1890, people lived in a world
5 trends for 2022 medtech
OPINION: Five trends that will rule med-tech sector in 2022 (The Week) COVID-19 has catalyzed technological innovations and discoveries While
The power of AI in surgery
The power of AI in surgery (republished from mobihealthnews) Artificial intelligence’s potential role in preoperative and intraoperative planning – and
The 5 stages of orthopedic technology
Most new technologies in orthopedics come and go. There are 5 stages in their life-cycle. It goes something like this.
4 startups that caught lightning in a bottle
Very few orthopedic startups ever catch lightning in a bottle. The vision and formula has to be right and the