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39 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SPINE DEVICE & INNOVATION HEALTHCARE REFORM 6 Ways Google's Verily is Making Strides in the Healthcare Industry By Allison Sobczak I t's not just a search engine; Google has grown into a corporate conglomerate with partnerships in sev- eral different industries, including healthcare. Verily, Google's life sciences division, has several projects lined up that could potentially change the healthcare field. Here are six Verily projects: 1. Smart contact lenses. On Jan. 16, 2014, Google an- nounced it was beginning to test a smart contact lens that could measure glucose levels in diabetes patients. In July 2014, Google formed a partnership with Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Novartis, which will license the technology. As of 2015, there were still about three-and- a-half years left until the duo projected the smart contact lenses would hit the market. 2. Smart spoon. Google launched its Liftware smart spoon in November 2014. The spoon, developed by the San Francisco-based startup Lift Labs, is designed to coun- teract tremors associated with medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and essential tremors. Google ac- quired Lift Labs in September 2014 and began selling the spoon at the initial price of $195 in November that year. 3. Baseline Study. On July 24, 2014, Google announced its medical and genomics project that aims to map a healthy human body, according to The Wall Street Journal. Known as the Baseline Study, the project first collected information from an anonymous 175 people during the summer of 2014 before expanding the sample size into the thousands in 2015. The study's purpose involves enabling physicians to predict the onset of diseases, such as cancer and heart disease far earlier than is currently possible. The study also intends to identify biomarkers that make certain people more or less susceptible to various diseases. Andrew Conrad, a molecular biologist at Google X, is heading the project and leading a team of 70 scientific experts to 100 scientific experts. Project collaborator Robert Califf, a cardiologist at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University, said he expects the Baseline Study to run for five years. 4. Nanoparticle pill. On Oct. 28, 2014, Mr. Conrad an- nounced Google's plan to develop a nanoparticle pill that could identify cancers, heart attacks and other diseases before turning fatal. The company has yet to begin testing the pill on human subjects. 5. Health-tracking wristband. On June 23, 2015, Bloomberg Technology News reported Google had created a health-tracking wristband that could measure pulse, heart rhythm and skin temperature as well as envi- ronmental information like light exposure and noise levels. The wristband can be used in clinical trials and drug tests, and won't be marketed as a consumer device. Trials to test the band began in the summer of 2015. 6. Surgical robotic advancements developed with Johnson & Johnson. In December 2015, Google part- nered with Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson medical device company, to form startup Verb Surgical to improve and advance robotic surgery. Verb Surgical appointed Scott Huennekens the company's president and CEO. In the coming years, Verb Surgical aims to develop a surgical solutions platform for operating room professionals. n AAOS to Collaborate With ASA on Perioperative Surgical Home Care Model: 4 Things to Know By Mary Rechtoris T he American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons will help the American Soci- ety of Anesthesiologists develop ASA's Perioperative Surgical Home Care Model. Here are four things to know: 1. e team-based PSH model works to guide patients throughout their episodes of care, starting at the decision to undergo surgery through return to function. 2. AAOS members Peggy Naas, MD, and Jeff Angel, MD, will represent AAOS on ASA PSH's Learning Collaborative Committee. 3. ASA created the PSH in response to health- care's fragmented surgical delivery system. e PSH model aims to meet healthcare's demand for a quality surgical system that works to min- imize costs and bolster patient satisfaction. 4. PSH also helps physicians comply with CMS requirements as CMS launches various initiatives, including Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement to transition health- care to value-based care. "ere is no greater priority for orthopedic surgeons than the safety of our patients, and we constantly strive to optimize and improve patient outcomes and care," said AAOS Presi- dent Gerald R. Williams, MD. "We are happy to explore the PSH model of care because we believe it will advance these concerns. n