Ortho world, I am sharing a quick review of 2019 and outlook for 2020.
First, thank you for reaching out. I was humbled by the number of Ortho professionals who connected with me last year.
Ok, here we go.
Blog
2019 was the biggest year ever for the blog with over 2 million visitors. Below are the MOST READ stories, a strange mix of topics.
Podcast
I launched and shared 32 podcast episodes of “Inside Orthopedics”.  Always ad free. The most listened to episodes are below.  Go HERE to listen on your favorite podcaster.
  • #27 – How can Orthopedic device companies leverage digital marketing? (58 mins)
  • #25 – Anatomy of a Startup – Q&A with Marty WynKoop, co-founder of OrthoHelix (58 mins)
  • #31 – Anatomy of a Startup – Q&A with Mark Foster, CEO @ Trice Medical (42 mins)
  • #26 – Anatomy of a Startup – How little Danek became the largest spine company in the world (68 mins)
  • #1 – The Future of Marketing in Orthopedics (10 mins)
  • #32 – The New Business Model in Orthopedics (10 mins)
Acquisitions in 2019
2019 was a wild year for acquisitions. There was the one big announcement of Stryker eating Wright, mainly for their upper extremity business. There were also big takeouts in biologics (Osiris), robotics (Verb), and spine (Titan & Vertiflex).
All key Acquisitions are listed by date here.
2020 Predictions
I have been watching these 11 TRENDS that I believe will grow stronger this year.
  1. More silly money will be spent on Robotics but focus will shift to software, not hardware [more].
  2. Software will infiltrate all areas of orthopedic care [more].
  3. 3D-printed implants will be used in most Orthopedic procedures [more].
  4. Single-use disposable surgery kits will come to most procedures [more].
  5. Same day procedures will expand beyond total joints [more].
  6. Wearables will come to all procedures for better outcomes [more].
  7. More acquisitions in the imaging and AI space.
  8. Startups will focus on “US first” because of the new EU regulatory mess.
  9. VR surgical training will start to replace many wet labs cadaver trainings [more].
  10. Seamless AR surgery is still years away for most procedures, but Augmedics will lead the way in spine [more]
  11. Hospitals and ASCs will start to leverage Virtual Physical Therapy [more]
Recruiting
Tiger Recruiting had another stellar great year injecting key talent into emerging Orthopedics companies.  A few startup CEOs wrote some flattering testimonials.

How can I help you in 2020?