Friday, October 8, 2010

NASS' Revelry!

Good Morning

What a night for a dance, you know I'm a dancing machine, with fire in my bones and the sweet smell of kerosene, I got lost in the night so high, I didn't want to come down, to face the loss of the good thing that I once found.

In the dark of the night, I could hear you calling out my name (NASS, NASS, NASS) With the hardest of hearts I still feel your pain, So I drink and I smoke, and I ask if you're ever around, even though it was you who drove us into the ground.  See the time we shared, it was precious to me, But all the while I was dreaming revelry.

Fellow bloggers, do you remember the days when each and everyone of you were excited about making that arduous trek to the industry's annual pilgrimage, the mecca of the spine industry, NASS?  A necessary evil, but always a worthwhile experience?  Not only did you get the opportunity to spend time with surgeon/customers, and fellow spineophiles,  people actually enjoyed each others company.  Somewhere along the journey, something happened.  At times you almost feel like you are a character in the Book of Eli.  Based on many accounts by viable sources, NASS is on the verge of having to re-invent itself, or lose the interest of its patrons. This meeting is no longer the darling of the industry.   It makes going to the dentist a welcome respite.  You know what Linda Richmond use to say on SNL, can we talk?   We are no longer the visionary industry that use to amaze people with our creativity and talent.  As one of your own peers opined, "All the presenters are bought and paid for, and there are no new toys to exhibit."  Today, the industry has become a by product of Wall Street.  Rather than questioning social utility, we should be asking ourselves whether we are providing any clinical utility to the patient public?  We are resting on our laurels.  The leaders of NASS and its slavish followers, the spine company CEO's, the analysts, and people like the Robin Young's and Viscogliosi's of this world,  dominate over who can show the least innovation and vision, show the least concern about the future of spine, with a willingness to pander to short-term narrow minded selfishness.  It's all about enhancing one's portfolio.   It's all about smoke and mirrors.  It is all about the Benjamin's.  Yet, our bloggers are crying out for something new, and something breakthrough.  But when will that happen, and how will that happen?  Part of the challenge will be to re-focus and understand that the industry needs to stop worrying about politics, and reinvest in its future. That's what made this industry great.  You know what they say, you have to spend money (sometimes some of your own) to make money.  This industry needs to wake up and realize that they need to stop behaving like they are part of Wall Street, and start spending more time worrying about long-term viability.  Stop pontificating about Obama care.

Many of you have blogged that you love your job, the fact that you are part of the O.R. team that plays an integral role in caring for people, even if that role is peripheral.  Please continue to believe.   Many people in this industry do not share that vision.  Yet, don't be discouraged.  Some people will blame you, and your right to earn a living as the reason for an out-of-control healthcare economy, don't despair, this is the new entitlement generation that is not accountable for anything.  As you walk around today, ask yourself this question, is there anything really innovative at this meeting?

As for consultancies, all one has to do is attend a scientific or clinical presentation to understand the absurdity of the industry.  Everyone is a consultant.  If surgeons believe that reps are driving up the cost of healthcare, whom do you think absorbs the cost of paying consultants?   Many of you have had the same out of body experience listening to a surgeon on the dais pontificate about their clinical experience with a product, only to walk away thinking, either I'm an idiot, or  did that person say anything new?  The surgeons have become corporate lackeys, bought and paid for.  Lobbyists at best.  As the legacy companies complain about the "ankle biters" creating a pernicious business environment, you have only yourselves to blame. Today, you all hide behind AdvaMed, while flagellating yourselves, crying out Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa!  Do you hear us Medtronic, Stryker?  Biomet? DePuy? Zimmer?  Synthes?   As the teachers, you taught your students well.

So in closing, maybe its time the people that work in the trenches and on the street take back this industry.  If the CEO's aren't willing to do it, then it's time for us to throw the garbage can through the pizzeria window, and  say DO THE RIGHT THING.  If you really believe that we need change, don't plan on going to NASS next year.  Don't attend the Spine Technology Awards.  Besides, the cost of these meetings are criminal.  Bacon and Baker should be embarrassed.   Hurt the powers that run NASS where it hurts, in their pocketbook.  They have become complacent and fat.  Don't pander to a surgeon's demands for a consulting agreement.   The next time you get your quota, don't be afraid to ask the Regional Manager, the VP of Sales or even the CEO "where is the innovation" to justify such an increase in quota.   TSB wants to know what you think?  Will you run, or will you fight?

30 comments:

  1. I was at NASS, actually saw something new. It's a steerable TLIF implant. Turn a knob - steer the implant. Plus Solvay just got approval for Zeniva PEEK in the spine. Guy doing the demo told me to check out the press release on steerabletlif.com

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  2. steerable TLIF is also old news. Has been around for 2 years!!!

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  3. Does that steerable TLIF company have a license to the cage rotating on inserter patents? If not, they won't be around for long. I've wanted to make one of these for years but the IP landscape was impossible.

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  4. TSB, You should have been here. What I saw innovative was a crazy ass ALIF Inserter from Spinal Elements that would take at least 5 surgeons to operate. No flying monkeys this year. : ) SS

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  5. Word on the street is the Office Depot rep was meeting at Morton's last night with key surgeons to gain a consulting agreement on Post-it notes (no longer available free from the Busty Bayer rep).
    ...SpineSeller

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  6. Thats far from new technology. Gloubs has the best articulating PEEK called Signature. There are also a few other companies that have this technology. Thanks for the info on the press realease though.

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  7. Your blog is really starting to grow on me, TSB.

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  8. Again, the globus steerable PEEK should be named Forgery, not Signature. Old news folks, nice to have but all systems seem to have an extra fiddle-factor with inserters.

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  9. so nothing to report on at nass??
    i feel like i just watched anderson cooper and got dummer. and i was already pretty dumb.
    you sound like a boozed up grandma from sopranos... have you lost your mind spineblogger? or are you becoming an idealogue...

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  10. Ok, we get it already. Globus copies other companies devices.

    Back on topic (and on point) -
    TSB, the only way any of this is going to happen is if the Spine Industry goes the way of the Recon Industry. I hope it doesn't get to the point of a DOJ series of lawsuits...but, imagine if all the companies had to report consulting fees paid to surgeons, set an industry-wide accepted rate per hour, and required evidence of consultancy?? While there are many folks on this blog that would say they know several surgeons willing to accept a consultancy, there are also several surgeons that know they industry is one lawsuit away from a massive about-face and they do not want to be even remotely associated with any money from industry.

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  11. Who did Globus steal the design from?

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  12. 8:11am.

    stuck in the midddle with you

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  13. That company wasn't at the show. I have been in the industry for over 10 years. Now I know the big companies will not abandoned the booth all together, but I would love to see a massive downsizing in the spectacle. Also, all field reps should avoid the booth, have your meetings/dinners but don't waste the almost 600 for the badge. At least Spine Smith gave some lowest common denominator entertainment, god bless ya.

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  14. Have Depuy Spine got a unique way of sponsoring so many surgeons without it being looked at with any scepticism by the FDA or considered as kickbacks? They got caught in Recon and not yet in Spine!

    "On 14 April 2010, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that Robert John Dougall, former vice-president of DePuy International Limited (a subsidiary company of Johnson & Johnson), had been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Mr Dougall had pleaded guilty to making corrupt payments amounting to approximately £4.5 million, to medical professionals working in the Greek public healthcare system"

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  15. A NASS 2010 impression: As I walked by the Medtronic display, there was a surgeon there making an oral presentation on an MSD pedicle screw system. While no one other than a couple company stiffs listed, this pathetic soul spoke earnestly about the benefits of the thread profile of what appeared to be a plain old CD Legacy screw. He explained this thread profile, in his experience so strong and benficial to his patients, to an empty area where no one cared because the talk was so meaningless. Yet, on he went, this wretched shell of man who sold his soul to the Machine.

    I congratulate MSD (and other big-spine players/payers) on their complete victory over the minds of their users.

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  16. I saw a few unique products at NASS. A jamshidi that uses the ultrasound technology to make sure it stays within the pedicle. A new guidewire that stops migration during MIS pedicle screw placement and finally a new discography that looks for genetic biomarkers. This seems very promising. I think you just have to look past all of the metal.

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  17. I did indeed forego NASS; the rerun saddens me. While manufacturers complain about price reductions, drop rep commissions based on required discounts, there continues to be duplicate products just outside, or even within, the patent. Perhaps the desire to maintain viable reimbursement for the products will force truly beneficial innovation. If every company expends resources to make a TLIF cage... you get it - supply and demand.

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  18. saw a computerized pedicle probe called pedicguard
    there seemed to be a large amount of surgeon interest at the booth. it seemed to be "innovative" enough to be worthy of mention.

    Nuvasive had a lot of activity compared to other booths,
    Medtronic had a huge footprint exhibit; traffic through their booth was scarce. They have to 'keep up' the image i guess, but no one really seems to care anymore.
    as for that 2:11pm comments- he is dead on about Medtronic. they have their Waco type brainwashed surgeons who will put in any type of implant medtronic tells them to..

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  19. Dude, Pedigaurd has been around for 6 years now...It's mention is only as worthy as it's irritating beep on the website! Glad I wasn't part of the circus this year. ...SpineSeller

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  20. Spineseller i was out to dinner with several of your customers. they said you got tired of the travel and cynical with the business, they liked my new entusiastic blood, my optimism, my energy, they enjoyed the wine too
    Glad your tired old self stayed home, opens up opportunities for the new guys

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  21. Did anyone else see OsteoFab, that direct digital manufacturing technique using PEKK that those guys at OPM were presenting?
    I saw some pretty impressive structures at their booth, they can even reproduce trabecular structures directly from a CAD file! This technology allows for complete design freedom...

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  22. My thoughts on Nass? Well, I circled the wagons several times to only find the same things over and over again! I saw the steerable PEEK implant,the ALIF inserter that needs four hands to operate, and the clear notice that Synthes Spine was not in attendance. (I wonder if this had to do with the Norian scandal?) I also observed that there were companies touting facet fusion products all over the place. It seemed as if one was on every corner.

    Now, for some more observation. I saw,

    -companies renting 20 x 20 spaces and just putting a few chairs and tables there. (I guess this may be the new method of marketing?)

    -companies that previously had 20 x 20, or larger booths, now in a 10 x 10 booth. (Like I said, I guess times are hard.)

    -the absence of a lot of people in the Medtronic booth.

    -a company touting a rectangular facet fusion implant study that was not an implant that I believe they are currently selling. At least the photos in the study were not of the implant they currently sell.

    - the lack of clearly new innovative products. (However, I did like the cage that VTI presented, even though it has been out for awhile.

    Coolest area of the show, in my opinion, was the lobby just before the entrance! I did think the Cuban fast food place had some new technology.

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  23. Show was disappointing and depressing and Orlando only made that worse. Unless they are getting that space for free, please don't ever go back to that pit

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  24. Who benefited more from this years meeting? The large or small companies or healthcare reform? It would seem that healthcare reform won because of all of the me-too products,the talk about discounting and how low can prices go.

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  25. Sent three reps from west coast, cost close to 10k no real advancement in business objective. Meeting was dissapointing! We see lower ASP every month and the meeting was disapointing! To many companies, need to consolidate to get ASP back up! What is happening to our industry? We have no inovation at all! Commodity is rulling the spine world! When will the big companies step in and get rid of Ankle bitters? We need competition but what we have now is just me too products! The players need to step up and take these companies out!

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  26. It is exciting if you work for NASS!
    The kickbacks and back door deals are amazing.

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  27. Even if something new and innovative comes along, the kickbacks and consulting agreements will prevent it from getting into the OR. Stop the kickbacks and innovation will have a chance to return.

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  28. We took more contact information this year over any other NASS previously. I only hope we can follow up with them all. All solid leads, it's all we can do to keep up. Stem Cells Rule!

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  29. The only thing that I experienced new at NASS was a group of guys that have a company called The Skyward Group. They are touted as Business Strategists, Funding experts, and domestic/international manufacturing capabilities. Interestingly enough, their pockets are deep and they are looking to fund new technology and manufacture it at a rock bottom cost... we are looking into them, they seem like a really good group of guys. I just don't know how innovative their team is since they are fairly new to the industry (They've previously worked in cardio/resp/ENT) Anyone else talk to them?

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  30. I'll tell you why Medtronic and the big boys don't take out the ankle biters, because they haven't been able to develop anything new with all of that R&D money. They try to justify higher prices because they develop all of the technology in the industry. Let's see, they bought the rights to BMP, they pay a license fee to Biomet for every pedicle screw they make, they bought Kyphon, Osteotech, macropore. At the biggest spine meeting of the year (albeit disappointing), they announced the launch of 2 pivotal products that will get their stock back over $40 (where it was in 1998) and those products are (drumroll please): a curette and a posted screw for Vertex!!! What a joke they have become. And all their reps bitching that the ankle biters are only getting business thru consultant agreements while the disclosure section of the NASS guide had big blue listed 14 times on the first page of disclosures. Give it a rest as you slowly join the ranks of the anklebiters!!

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