Becker's Spine Review

25 Executive Briefing: and the market will naturally adjust as companies find ways to become more cost-competitive." Many in the industry are also concerned about new re- search and development; the past decade brought an innova- tion boom to spine that will take considerable capital to contin- ue. "Research and development is a major driver of the cost for bringing new products to market," says Gregory Hoffman, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Orthopaedics Northeast in Fort Wayne, Ind. "Up until the last decade, there were only a handful of companies that produced spinal implants. Due to the lack of competition, these companies were able to set a high price point for their implants. With the introduction into this market by innovative companies like GS Medical, the cost of implants has dropped dramatically. Because of this phenomenon, hospitals, surgery centers and patients have directly benefited by lowering their cost of medical care, without sacrificing the quality of care." There are some who worry the focus on lower costs will stifle future innovation, but that fear hasn't come to fruition. "Innovation will not be jeopardized with focused develop- ment and budget cuts on non-essentials," says Dr. Datta. "Many companies may learn that it's more effective to specialize in certain treatment options and do those extremely well. We may not require a complete 'toolbox' for every need." With his training in pediatric and adult deformity, Dr. But- termann focuses his practice on anterior procedures, including anterior lumbar interbody fusion. His training was in pediatric and adult deformity and he uses GS Medical devices with both his deformity and degenerative cases. The GS Medical technology provides a large array of lumbar interbody PEEK device sizes to fill the interbody space giving rigidity to promote fusion. "They have the largest number of footprints with available sizes in height and I can position the implants wherever I need for deformity correction," Dr. Buttermann says. "This allows me to use facet screws posteriorly to achieve the goal of minimal muscle damage giving better outcomes in the short and long term. With these types of minimally invasive procedures, we can perform one- and two-level cases as outpatient. That's really revolutionized my practice." Functionality is another factor changing spine practices today. Historically, when patients achieved fusion and reported less pain, surgeons considered the procedure a success. Now, success hinges on the patient's ability to return to work and resume the activities of daily living, as well as achieve a desired range of motion postoperatively. "Unlike hip and knee outcome measures, spine doesn't in- clude range of motion or function. Our outcomes are based on pain and we can improve pain, but we still need to make sure patients can highly function, such as participate in sports or do all the necessary chores at their house," says Dr. Buttermann. Timing is also important in the operating room to deliver quality care. "GS Medical has been very responsive if and when we needed something changed or adjusted," says Dr. Hoffman. "This responsiveness to the requests from surgeons makes it easier for us to complete our surgical cases and thereby posi- tively affects the outcome for the patients. The quality of their implants is exceptional. I have been using GS Medical implants and instruments for a number of years, even in very complex degenerative cases, and have been completely satisfied with the product portfolio." Dr. Hoffman feels comfortable scheduling cases knowing the implants will arrive on time, and a knowledgeable compa- ny representative will be present for the case. This confidence is important, especially for surgeons who are collecting data and publishing their results for clinical outcome studies or data registries. Hoffman concludes, "GS Medical exemplifies the successful integration of product engineers, research and development scientists and innovative leadership to create economically-conscious, high-quality spinal implants." n Sponsored by: GS Medical USA is an innovative medical device company focused on developing surgical products and procedures for the spine. Our mission is to improve the treatment of patients with back, neck, or leg pain by creating economical and quality products and procedures. Through effective development, refined engineering and process, GS Medical has successfully launched many new platforms that focus of reproducible results, and reducing procedural costs. GS Medical USA is an emerging US spine company, with a much larger history in the global spine industry. We feature many products spanning lumbar, thoracic, and launching new cervical applications. Our products have been used in thousands of spine surgeries throughout the USA, and hundreds of thousands globally. Corporate headquarters are in Irvine, California and additional offices are in King of Prussia, PA, with international offices located in Soeul, Korea. Reducing the Cost of Spine Care

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