According to new research from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, USA, 36.5% of patients undergoing surgical treatment for adult spinal deformity in the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) has been coded with at least one psychological disorder catalogued in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: 5th Edition (DSM-V). Adult spinal deformity patients displayed the highest prevalence of psychological impairment, when compared with three other disabling chronic diseases.
The research—which was presented at the International Meeting for Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST; 13-16 July, Washington, DC, USA) by Bassel Diebo (Brooklyn, USA)—aimed to “investigate incidences of psychological disorders in adult spinal deformity patients undergoing surgical treatment.” The condition is a growing problem in the USA, according to the researchers, who attribute its increasing prevalence to the country’s ageing population. The disability associated with adult spinal deformity has been noted as “concerning” in the literature, “when compared to other self-reported chronic conditions.” Diebo explained that the psychological burden of the condition—a major factor in disability—“remains unclear” in comparison to many disabling diseases.
Diebo et al performed a retrospective review of NIS data from 2002 to 2012, using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision coding to identify patients with adult spinal deformity undergoing more than four levels of fusion (n=17,536). The research team also searched for patients with cardiac diseases (n=2,675,767), type one and/or two diabetes (n=1,137,435), and lung cancer (n=363, 334). The total population included from the NIS database during this period was 4,194,073.
Using the DSM-5 manual, Diebo and colleagues identified incidences of depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, stress, somatic symptom, sexual dysfunction, substance abuse, delirium and personality disorders in patients within each chronic disease group.
Results showed that adult spinal deformity patients had “the highest prevalence of any psychological disorder” amongst the groups (p<0.001). Thirty-six point five per cent of these patients experienced at least one psychological disorder, followed by cardiac disease patients (33.3%), diabetic patients (28.3%) and lung cancer patients (24%).
When stratified according to age, researchers found that, amongst adult spinal deformity patients with psychological disorders, “61.7% were between 55 and 74 years old”. Six point two per cent were between 25 and 40 years old, with 12.2% over seventy-five years of age.
Amongst the patients, the most common disorders for 55-74 year olds were depressive, anxiety and sleep disorders. Amongst the younger age bracket of 41-54 years, however, the most common psychological disorders were substance abuse-based. Of the four most common psychological disorders amongst the population—depressive, sleep, anxiety and substance abuse—adult spinal deformity patients exhibited the highest percentage of the former three.
In conclusion, Diebo highlighted the prevalence of psychological disorders amongst this group, emphasising that “one in every three adult spinal deformity patients” was coded with at least one psychological disorder. Diebo recommended that “proper psychological screening, patient counselling and appropriate support” should be a part of adult spinal deformity treatment.
ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — St. Teresa Medical, Inc. today announced the appointment of Richard Guyer M.D. to its scientific advisory board. Dr. Guyer is a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon and one of the founders of Texas Back Institute and serves as its President. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Texas Back Institute Research Foundation and has been Director of the Spine Surgery Fellowship program since its inception in 1986.
Dr. Guyer did his medical school and residency training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed two spine fellowships, one at Case Western Reserve University with Henry Bohlman, M.D. in Cleveland, Ohio and the other with Leon Wiltse, M.D. in Long Beach, California. He holds many patents in spine surgery and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and 45 chapters presenting his research at national and international spine conferences. While the majority of the research work has dealt with the diagnosis and treatment of painful degenerative spinal conditions, he is also one of the pioneers in minimally invasive surgery and lumbar and cervical disc replacement. In the early 1980s he worked with his former mentor Parviz Kambin who pioneered endoscopic discectomy. In 2000 he performed one of the first disc lumbar disc replacements in the USA and has been an investigator in nearly a dozen U.S. IDE studies of both cervical and lumbar disc replacements. He continues to research and publish in this area as well as in motion preservation and minimally invasive treatments.
Dr. Guyer has been very active with various spine societies including North American Spine Society (NASS), Cervical Spine Research Society (SSRS), International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) serving as President of NASS during the 2006-2007 year and various committees of the ISASS. He was recently appointed to the board of directors of the American Board of Spinal Surgery.
Philip Messina, President and CEO said, “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Guyer to our Scientific Advisory Board. He is considered to be among the top spine surgeons in the world. We could not be more pleased to have him on board. “
Timothy Floyd, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board said, “Dr. Guyer is a world leader in cutting edge spine surgery and techniques. His counsel, as we move into our global clinical trial on SURGICLOT will be important.”
About St. Teresa
St. Teresa Medical, Inc.®, based in St. Paul, MN., is a medical-device company developing SURGICLOT®, a new unique dissolvable hemostatic dressing for use during orthopedic surgery. SURGICLOT® is uniquely fabricated from nanoscale electro-spun dextran fibers infused with fibrinogen and thrombin. SURGICLOT® works by supplementing and enhancing the body’s natural clotting mechanism. SURGICLOT® utilizes thrombin and fibrinogen obtained from human sources.
Zimmer Biomet’s $1 billion acquisition ofLDR and its Mobi-C cervical disc assets and Medtronic’s FDA Premarket Approval for the Prestige LP 2-level application changed the game in the U.S. 2-level cervical disc replacement arena.
Mobi-C had been the only 2-level disc approved on the U.S. market. Prior to Zimmer Biomet’s purchase of the technology, LDR was able to expand reimbursement coverage, update label claims and publish peer-reviewed papers that resulted in Mobi-C’s sales growth, which increased 80% in 2015 vs. 2014.
Further, in April 2016, LDR reported that Mobi-C had surpassed $100 million in cumulative U.S. revenue since its 2013 launch. Half of the Mobi-C units sold address 1-level indications and half are for 2-level indications.
The acquisition of LDR allows Zimmer Biomet to increase its share of the worldwide spine market from 4% to 5%, according to ORTHOWORLD estimates. While the purchase also expands Zimmer Biomet’s traditional cervical and lumbar offerings, Mobi-C is presumably the technology that attracted Zimmer Biomet to LDR, primarily.
Medtronic’s entry into the 2-level market is expected to put competitive pressure on Zimmer Biomet’s purchase. The 2-level discs will be sold in a small market that faces a lack of reimbursement, compared to 1-level discs and fusion. To dive into specifics, >50 million lives are covered for Mobi-C’s 2-level procedure. The total artificial disc market is expected to reach ~$275 million in 2016, according to estimates in the ORTHOWORLD report, Cervical and Lumbar Artificial Disc Profiles.
In light of the recent news that New York Mets’ third baseman David Wright elected to undergo neck surgery to repair a herniated disc, there has been a buzzing discussion on the impact of such a decision on Wright himself, the team, and the season. And most of the questions swirling distill to one: Is this the right choice given the circumstances?
Professional athlete or not, this is a question most patients grapple with when it’s time to consider spine surgery—it’s a mentally taxing topic. There are a million questions that dance around in a patient’s head.
Have we really exhausted all other options?
Will I make a complete recovery?
Will what I’m giving up be worth it in the end?
As a spine surgeon, I can tell you that the patient’s health and quality of life to come are the major drivers of our treatment recommendations. And though some sacrifices may have to be made, sometimes surgery may very well be the answer that will supply the best outcome. It is equally important, however, for patients to be on the same page with the course of treatment recommended—both surgeon and patient must move forward hand-in-hand.
I can say with confidence, that for almost any patient (and I’ve treated many) surgery is not something that is even considered until other treatment options have been fully exhausted and have failed to provide adequate relief. In Wright’s case specifically, his treatment team made the decision to proceed with surgery after many tests, rest and anti-inflammatory medications and injections were administered and did not sufficiently alleviate his pain or improve his ability to move his neck properly. This kind of assertive nonsurgical treatment is delivered with the hope of providing a suitable resolution of symptoms that would deem surgical intervention unnecessary. Immobilization, medications to reduce inflammation, swelling and pain, slews of diagnostic tests (X-rays, MRI’s), and intense physical therapy are all front-runner treatment options delivered with the hope to avoid the next more serious step.
CTL Medical Corporation, a Dallas-based medical device manufacturing and service company, announced that it has established a General Services Administration partnership with Firehouse Medical Inc. to sell its line of innovative spinal implants and devices to the U.S. government. GSA contracts allow commercial companies to establish long-term, government-wide contracts and sell their products and services at volume discount pricing.
“Partnering with Firehouse Medical Inc. was a no-brainer for us. Their extensive experience working with the U.S. government is something we value, and we are thrilled to provide our products to a new customer base,” said Daniel Chon, president and CEO of CTL Medical Corporation.
Firehouse Medical Inc. is a full line distributor of medical/rescue supplies and training simulators, currently holding three long-term, fixed-price GSA contracts; a Defensive Logistics Agency Med/Surgical contract; a Distribution and Pricing Agreement with the DLA; and multiple state contracts.
“We are extremely pleased to enter into a partnership with CTL Medical Corporation,” said Brent Poole, CEO of Firehouse Medical Inc. “Because of our multiple GSA contracts, VA hospital relationships and the value of CTL Medical Corporation’s product offerings, we expect to see excellent sales penetration in the government markets we serve.”
For more information on CTL Medical Corporation visit www.ctlmed.com. For more information on Firehouse Medical Inc. visit www.firehousemedical.com.
About CTL Medical Corporation
CTL Medical Corporation was established in 2015 by Daniel Chon, former president & CEO of AccelSPINE®, with the vision of creating a fully integrated, industry leading, global medical device design, development, and manufacturing company. CTL has assembled a world-class executive team, bringing together some of the industry’s most exceptional talent, further extending their position as a leader in medical device design and manufacturing.For more information on CTL Medical Corporation visit www.ctlmed.com.
About Firehouse Medical Inc.
Founded in 1995, Firehouse Medical Inc. and its subsidiary, FHM EMS Supply LLC, are headquartered in Southern California, with sales and warehousing in Huntsville, Alabama. Firehouse Medical Inc. holds three long-term, fixed-price General Services Administration contracts, a Defense Logistics Agency Med/Surgery contract, a Distribution and Pricing Agreement with the DLA, and multiple state contracts. Firehouse Medical consistently ranks in the top 200 GSA contractors in sales performance out of a total of 22,000 GSA contracting companies. For more information on Firehouse Medical Inc. visit http://www.firehousemedical.com.
LEESBURG, Va., Sept. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — K2M Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTWO) (the “Company” or “K2M”), a global medical device company focused on designing, developing and commercializing innovative and proprietary complex spine and minimally invasive spine technologies and techniques, today announced management will present at the following investor conferences in September:
The 2016 Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts
Management will present on Thursday, September 8 at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time
The Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference at the Grand Hyatt in New York, New York
Management will present on Monday, September 12 at 1:05 p.m. Eastern Time
Live audio webcasts of the presentations will be provided under the ‘Events & Presentations’ section of the Company’s investor relations website at http://investors.K2M.com/. It is recommended that listeners log on 15 minutes early in order to register and download any necessary software. An archive of the webcast will be available for replay following the conference.
About K2M
K2M Group Holdings, Inc. is a global medical device company focused on designing, developing and commercializing innovative complex spine and minimally invasive spine technologies and techniques used by spine surgeons to treat some of the most difficult and challenging spinal pathologies. K2M has leveraged these core competencies to bring to market an increasing number of products for patients suffering from degenerative spinal conditions. These technologies and techniques, in combination with a robust product pipeline, enable the Company to favorably compete in the global spinal surgery market. Additional information is available online at www.K2M.com.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect current views with respect to, among other things, operations and financial performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts such as our statements about our expected financial results and guidance and our expectations for future business prospects, including with respect to our international distribution partners in Australia and Japan. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “guidance,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties including, among other things: our ability to achieve or sustain profitability; our ability to successfully demonstrate the merits of our technologies and techniques; pricing pressure from our competitors, hospitals and changes in third-party coverage and reimbursement; competition and our ability to develop and commercialize new products; the greater resources available to some of our competitors; aggregation of hospital purchasing from collaboration and consolidation; hospitals and other healthcare providers may be unable to obtain adequate coverage and reimbursement for procedures performed using our products; the safety and efficacy of our products is not yet supported by long-term clinical data; our dependence on a limited number of third-party suppliers; our ability to maintain and expand our network of direct sales employees, independent sales agencies and international distributors and their level of sales or distribution activity with respect our products; the proliferation of physician-owned distributorships; concentration of sales from a limited number of spinal systems or products that incorporate these technologies; loss of the services of key members of our senior management, consultants or personnel; ability to enhance our product offerings through our research and development efforts; failure to properly manage our anticipated growth; acquisitions of or investments in new or complementary businesses, products or technologies; ability to train surgeons on the safe and appropriate use of our products; requirements to maintain high levels of inventory; impairment of our goodwill or intangible assets; disruptions in our information technology systems; any disruption or delays in operations at our facilities, including our new headquarters facility; our ability to ship a sufficient number of our products to meet demand; ability to strengthen our brand; fluctuations in insurance cost and availability; extensive governmental regulation including by the FDA; in the United States and foreign jurisdictions; failure to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals and FDA clearances; requirements for new 510(k) clearances, premarket approvals or new or amended CE Certificates of Conformity; medical device reporting regulations in the United States and foreign jurisdictions; voluntary corrective actions by us or our distribution or other business partners or agency enforcement actions; a recall of our products; withdrawal or restrictions on our products or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products; possible enforcement action if we engage in improper marketing or promotion of our products; the misuse or off-label use of our products; delays or failures in any future clinical trials; our reliance on the performance of third parties who assist us in clinical trials and pre-clinical development; the results of clinical trials; procurement and use of allograft bone tissue; environmental laws and regulations; compliance by us or our sales representatives with FDA regulations or fraud and abuse laws; U.S. legislative or regulatory healthcare reforms; medical device tax provisions in the healthcare reform laws; our need to generate significant sales to become profitable; potential fluctuations in sales volumes and our results of operations over the course of the year; uncertainty in our future capital needs; failure to comply with restrictions in our revolving credit facility; continuing worldwide economic instability; our inability to protect our intellectual property rights; our reliance on patent rights that we either license from others or have obtained through assignments; our patent litigation; the outcome of potential claims that we, our employees, our independent sales agencies or our distributors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors; potential product liability lawsuits; operating risks relating to our international operations; foreign currency fluctuations; our ability to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws associated with our activities outside the United States; possible conflicts of interest with our large shareholders; increased costs and additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a public company; our ability to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future; volatility in our common stock; our current plans not to pay dividends; potential dilution due to our issuance of common stock under our incentive plans, for acquisitions or otherwise; the amount of common stock held by our pre-IPO owners; the impact of anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and under Delaware law; our status as an emerging growth company, our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards; the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, investments or other strategic transactions we may make; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and our filings with the SEC.
We operate in a very competitive and challenging environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. We cannot assure you that the results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
Investor Contact:
Westwicke Partners on behalf of K2M Group Holdings, Inc.
Mike Piccinino, CFA, 443-213-0500 K2M@westwicke.com
LES Society announced today it has granted its support to AxioMed, LLC, manufacturer of an advanced viscoelastic disc replacement for the spine. The LES Society has made a commitment to the advancement of spine surgeries through the application of viscoelastic total disc replacement technologies, such as AxioMed’s Freedom lumbar and cervical discs.
As part of this commitment to the advancement of spine care, LES Society has appointed Jake Lubinski as Director of Less Exposure Spine Surgery in Motion (LESSinMotion). The LESSinMotion task force, in collaboration with the LES Society, will focus exclusively on motion preservation research and development.
“As President of AxioMed, I’m honored to bring industry expertise to represent the total motion business and raise awareness through education and philanthropy at LES Society.” Mr. Lubinski said “LESSinMotion was founded as a task force to fill the void left by spine societies who no longer focus exclusively on disc arthroplasty and motion restoration.”
Total disc replacement technology adoption rates will continue to grow through partnership between LESSinMotion and surgeons that use Less Exposure Surgery techniques and technology. The evolution of total joint technology now enables restoration of joint motion with a high degree of patient satisfaction. LESSinMotion believes it can replicate this success in spine with innovative and advanced viscoelastic total disc replacements like AxioMed.
Mr. Lubinski plans to immediately bring together top minds in the spine industry. “During my first 90 days as Director of LESSinMotion, we will host a symposium dedicated to the research and development of spine motion preservation, inviting surgeons and businesses to discuss the advancement of spine care,” stated Lubinski. “Additionally, we are partnering with surgeons in Europe and Australia, where disc arthroplasty has been commonplace for years. We hope this will increase awareness in the United States”
About LESSinMotion
LESSinMotion was founded on the principle that spine motion technology and adoption must evolve for the better of the patient. LESSinMotion is an international task force of spine surgeons seeking to advance motion preservation technologies, education, and research to improve patient care.
About LES Society
The LES Society was established to be a modern organization positioned to challenge the status quo. The LES Society’s mission as a global 501c(3) not for profit is to organize physicians and patients to focus on supporting entrepreneurship, research, education, techniques, technologies, advocacy and philanthropy. The LES Society is leading the charge to prove, through bench and clinical outcomes research, that Less Exposure Surgery (LES) treatment options are the best solutions to lowering the cost of healthcare. In addition, LES options improve outcomes and patient satisfaction. These procedures are being done safely and routinely in an ambulatory surgery centers around the United States
Last year, I wrote an article called The Distributor Dilemma. Fortunately, the article received very positive feedback so I thought I’d write something else to further elaborate on a few key points. If you didn’t want to take the time to read (or re-read) my previous post, here is a quick recap:
As a manufacturer, you have to differentiate yourself from the competition to prevail at the end of the day. There are obviously a few ways to do that but they generally fall into one of two categories. The first is manipulation. That isn’t as sinister as it sounds. You can differentiate by using manipulation via price cuts, increased commissions, sales inducements, etc. These can be effective but are generally not sustainable and transition the relationship with your distributor from relational to transactional.
The second way you can differentiate is through inspiration. At first, that sounds fairly altruistic, but here is my explanation. You can inspire a business partner through uncommon customer service that makes their job easier, unparalleled support in helping them develop their business to achieve their own personal goals and/or a true alignment in goals and objectives.
UNCOMMON CUSTOMER SERVICE
Every single company does their best to service their customer. I am a firm believer that no one in the professional world would wake up each morning with the intention of alienating the very customers that help them grow. If that is true, why do so many distributors have such legitimate gripes with the manufacturers they currently represent? It is my analysis from working with many companies, some with great reputations of working with their distributors and others that can’t say the same thing, that the fundamental issue here is knowing who the real customer is.
A spine company with an independent sales force has to view its primary customer as the distributor because they are the one with the key relationship. They are the ones that you want to approach a surgeon with their head held high and excited to have the honor of representing you. Without that level of enthusiasm, the sales process if often reduced to “Hey Doc, what do you think of this widget?” and that isn’t compelling at all.
Here are a few quick questions you can ask yourself to determine if your customer service is a positive for your sales story or if its holding you back?
Do we have a good game plan to ensure that we can support any surgery with implants, instruments and technical guidance if necessary?
Do we equip our field sales agents/reps with well-made demo kits to help turn a lecture into a show and tell?
Does our company have a cohesive and easily understood marketing strategy?
Once we have signed up a distributor, what is the specific process we use to help ensure they have everything they need?
Once they have obtained interest from a surgeon, how do you support them throughout the hospital approval process?
What kind of communication do you expect from (and offer to) your distributor customer?
If you are unsure how your process works compared to others in the industry, feel free to reach out for a quick conversation. I have a strong passion to help companies succeed in this space and have been granted the gift of perspective to help you potentially avoid trouble that is in your blind spot.
UNPARRALLED SUPPORT IN HELPING THEM DEVELOP
Anyone that has seen the changes in how manufacturers engage with distributors for the past 10 years can see an almost seismic shift. Companies used to want to find a distributor organization that could support a large geographic territory. These distributors took on the risks of hiring sales reps to develop the geographic territory on your behalf. This type of distributor might still be present for the larger, full line companies but if you are a smaller manufacturer with a niche line or gaps, they aren’t interested in you. So now what?
What you have the ability to capitalize on is that many of these distributors trained reps that later figured out that they can make more than 7-10% on an ever shrinking territory by signing up with a manufacturer directly. By doing so, they could almost quadruple their income and reduce their workload by 50%. We call this type of “distributor” a rep principal. What most manufacturers would say about this type of distributor is that they follow the path of least resistance in selling new products and services. What I think is that they are incredibly hard working individuals that are so focused on protecting the relationship with their surgeons that they are very careful to put that at risk for a company that might not be here next month. (Example: see LDR Spine distributors)
To be able to properly entice and support a distributor, you must first understand who they are and who they want to be. That may sound overly simplistic and I agree that it probably is. However, it is just the starting point. Understand where they want to be and offer help to get them there. Here is a short list of the most frustrating things distributors have to deal with:
Manufacturers want them to do all the heavy lifting to get products approved in their hospitals without any longer term commitment or up-front investment.
Sometimes products aren’t available when they need them and the person that bears all the political responsibility for such a failure is the distributor.
Due to the cost of sets, there is usually a shortage so companies want the distributors to be a team player and ship them to other locations without any real incentive to do so outside of goodwill.
Those are the most commonly complained about issues and I have to say, I totally get it. Take your time to understand their market and realistic possibility. Unfortunately for the manufacturer, the burden falls upon you and if you don’t support the distributor customer, someone else will be happy to. Also, consider looking into Ortho Sales Partners (www.orthosalespartners.com) to see the offerings they can provide on a consulting basis to help you and your distributor customer navigate the approval process in a win/win fashion.
ALIGN GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Ok, so this one is the biggest no brainier, right? If you both have the attitude of selling as much product as possible, that sounds like alignment but you might be worlds apart. How do you sell? How do you communicate? How do you support?
Transparency is a very important part of goal alignment. Companies often believe that they deserve to know every detail of a distributors business, which is a fact that most distributors will reject emphatically. Often times there is way too much scare tissue from previous experiences. Again, let’s look at the recent acquisition of LDR Spine. It’s my understanding that LDR had somewhere around 100 distributors in the field. All of them had tremendous success in helping the company grow to a $1 BILLION acquisition by Zimmer Biomet. What was their thank-you you ask? One day they received a call from a ZB AVP letting them know they are excited to work together and that they need all the historical data of their users and current inventory on hand. It’s obvious to everyone why they wanted that information. ZB has large scale geographic distributors. The LDR guy is not going to win that battle so they are beginning the transition process. So if you are that distributor, you can either comply and hand over your hard earned customers or you can quit on the spot and begin the hunt for another product line to replace that revenue. Neither of those options sound particularly enticing to me… you?
As a company, you must be sensitive to those situations and the stress that adds to the distributors business. If you invest in their business and give them tools that they can use to immediately succeed on your behalf, but also makes them a better distributor in the years after a potential take-out, you are all better off because of that relationship. A few things you could offer outside of standard points that will provide the distributor with long-term tangible value:
Sales skills development training. Most companies offer clinical training for their products, but what about a training program that helps develop the person and makes them a more effective sales agent.
A software infrastructure that will help them more efficiently run their business and eliminate mistakes. (Check out Surg.io)
If the distributor is on the right track, offer an incentive to help them afford hiring an associate/cover rep. The distributor is the rainmaker and needs to spend some time in the OR, but if he’s in the OR every single day, he’s limited in his ability to find new opportunities.
WRAP UP
I am completely aware that when you read articles like this, things can come across simplistic and elementary. My intention in writing these things is to make you take 10-15 minutes to think about how you view and treat your distributor customers. If you are experiencing great success, keep doing what you are doing! If you find yourself at times frustrated that it seems like you are spinning your wheels, then re-evaluate. You might need to change the way you are doing things.
I don’t think the answer is always “more points”. It is my conviction from the years I have spent in the business that if you can out-service, out-support and align your goals, you will see dramatic improvement in the relationships you already have and that will quickly lead to new business opportunities. If you’d like to speak with me, please reach out via private message or email me at js@orthospineco.com. I am always interested in helping work through these complex challenges and provide any support that I can.
LEXINGTON, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With the continuation of extremely positive clinical results at the 1-month juncture, Intralink-Spine, Inc. (ILS) explains why the early reduction of low back pain in each of its four safety study patients was expected, given the almost immediate device formation associated with the Réjuve System.
Initially conceived by Tom Hedman, Ph.D. while an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, the Réjuve device provides almost immediate mechanical support and stabilization to the spinal joint by the addition of numerous molecular bonds, which act as cross-ties in the tissue matrix. This immediate effect, according to ILS, is now being demonstrated in the clinical trial stage of its development.
According to Hedman, who is now the Chief Scientific Officer for ILS and Adjunct Associate Professor in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, “Four chronic low back pain patients were treated by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Harwant Singh at Pantai Medical Center (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) in an NMRR registered clinical safety study. Each of the four patients are pleased with their treatment and continue to have positive results at the 1-month juncture.”
“Patients experienced an average Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score reduction of 92% and an average Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) disability reduction of 88% at the 1-month interval. These positive one-month data are great news, especially as we move forward to our larger pivotal clinical studies,” says Hedman.
“All four patients are already enjoying a better quality of life than prior to the Réjuve treatment. And, they didn’t have to wait weeks or months, because the effects of Réjuve are almost immediate,” says Lyle Hawkins, CEO of ILS.
“The patients received fluoroscopic image-guided injections of the Réjuve medical device in the lumbar intervertebral discs, with two posterolateral injections per treated level,” states Dr. Singh. According to Hedman, “It’s unrealistic to think that all of our patients will achieve these same results, but these early data make us very optimistic that a single set of injections of the Réjuve medical device are all that some patients will ever need to receive permanent low back pain relief.”
According to Hawkins, “The Réjuve treatment is going to be very disruptive to how patients are currently treated for low back pain. Réjuve has the procedural simplicity of an epidural steroid injection, but with potential long-term positive effects. And, Réjuve is not patient dependent, complex, and expensive like most stem cell procedures currently in development.”
Posterior systems with transpedicular screws as basic element for stabilizing the spinal column have become the gold standard in surgical treatment of spinal deformities and are used in the majority of cases where correction of scoliosis or segmental fixation is required. What is to be done though in cases of severe kyphotic or scoliotic spinal deformities, particularly in connection with developmental anomalies such as hyperplasia or aplasia of the pedicles, which render it more difficult to introduce a screw? Not only does this often lead to an increase in the total time required for surgery, but the X-ray exposure time is also often increased considerably, resulting in unnecessary additional exposure of the patient and OR staff. The question arises whether other fixation methods can be resorted to.
Infralaminar hooks (LSZ) from SIGNUS Medizintechnik provide a useful alternative to pedicle screws in specific sections of the spinal column. Their stability is comparable to that of pedicle screws, as has been proven by a recent biomechanical in-vitro study [1]. The interaction between the infralaminar hooks and the pedicle screws is optimized in the DIPLOMAT Deformity system from SIGNUS Medizintechnik. Enhanced anchorage in cases of hypoplastic pedicles on the concave side, force transmission in translation too, extension of the posterior column and decreased implant density are achieved as a result of the hybrid technique.
You can download the biomechanical study from the SIGNUS website or view it directly on: www.signus.com, free of charge or directly on: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-016-4679-x. Further information on the hybrid technique with the DIPLOMAT Deformity system is also provided on the SIGNUS website.
¹Wilke HJ, Kaiser D, Volkheimer D, Hackenbroch C, Püschel K, Rauschmann M. A pedicle screw system and a lamina hook system provide similar primary and long-term stability: a biomechanical in vitro study with quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. EurSpine J, 2016 Jul 12. DOI 10.1007/s00586-016-4679-x.
