Becker's Spine Review

32 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Minimally invasive spine implant market to near $3B by 2027: report By Carly Behm T he minimally invasive spinal implants market reached nearly $2 billion in 2020, and it's expected to hit close to $3 billion by 2027, according to iData Research. Three things to know: 1. The market saw a decrease in 2020 compared to 2019 be- cause of the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of trained physicians in minimally invasive spine surgery. iData's analysis looked at MIS interbody devices, pedicle screws, spinous process fixation, facet fixation, MIS sacroiliac joint fusion, spine endoscopes and MIS in- strumentation markets. 2. Growth is largely driven by the advantages of minimally invasive spine surgery, including reduced trauma and hospital stays. 3. Medtronic, NuVasive and DePuy Synthes were named as the dominating companies in the market. n Medtronic sees big Q1 growth in spine: 5 notes By Carly Behm M edtronic's cranial and spine technologies division grew 19 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of the 2022 fiscal year, and the company's total revenue hit $8 billion. The financial results were posted Aug. 24. Five things to know: 1. Cranial and spinal technology business saw a revenue of $1.1 billion, up 19 percent compared to the same period last year. 2. Spine and biologics grew in the low double-digit percentage, and neurosurgery grew in the low twenties percentage-wise year over year. The company noted the growing adoption of Medtron- ic's surgical robots including Mazor, StealthStation and O-arm im- aging. 3. U.S. revenue was $4.1 billion, a 22 percent increase year over year. Non-U.S. revenue was $2.6 billion, a 20 percent increase year over year. 4. Medtronic's cranial and spinal technologies, surgical innovation and cardiac rhythm management segments saw the largest gains in the first quarter, CEO Geoff Martha said. "Looking ahead, we have some big opportunities in front of us, with near-term milestones in both our renal denervation and sur- gical robotics businesses," he said. 5. Medtronic adjusted its earnings guidance and expects a 9 per- cent increase in total revenue in fiscal 2022. n 6 numbers making spine surgeons nervous By Carly Behm F rom fighting CMS policy proposals to challenges with rising COVID-19 cases, spine surgeons have faced multiple hurdles since 2020. Six numbers reflecting challenges ahead for spine sur- geons: 1. CMS' inpatient-only list: CMS' 2022 proposal would put 71 spine procedures on the inpatient-only list. ASC administrators have described the proposal as "an obvi- ous step backwards," and if implemented, the move would challenge outpatient migration for spine surgery. 2. e COVID-19 delta variant: e delta variant of COVID-19 is growing in the U.S. putting a strain on hospitals and health elective procedures at many centers. COVID-19 cases are rising in 42 states, USA Today re- ported Aug. 24. 3. Prior authorizations: A survey from the American Medical Association found 85 percent of all physicians described burdens associated with prior authorizations as high or extremely high. A July 1 rule from CMS requir- ing prior authorization for cervical fusions went forward despite opposition from surgeons and physician societies. 4. Undervalued spine care: e work relative value units assigned to open decompression and interlaminar stabi- lization are undervalued, according to a study from the International Journal of Spine Surgery. Open decompres- sion and interlaminar stabilization had a 13.5 work rel- ative value units while the most comparable procedure, laminectomy, has a 15.37 wRVU. 5. Orthopedic surgeon shortage: By 2025, orthopedic surgeons are expected to be in high demand. By 2025, there will be an estimated 24,350 orthopedic surgeons in the U.S., but a projected demand of 29,000, according to Merritt Hawkins' 2021 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives. 6. Recovering pre-pandemic salary: Less than half of physicians expect to reach pre-pandemic income levels in the next year, according to Medscape's "Physician Com- pensation Report 2021." Forty-two percent of physicians believe they will return to pre-pandemic income within the next year, and 41 percent expect to hit that figure in the next two to three years. n

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