Sunday, February 13, 2011

AAOS: February 16th - 19th San Diego Here We Come

This week, the beautiful city of San Diego welcomes the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons to its annual bone fest.  Considering the amount of social events that have been planned, it's a wonder any surgeon will be walking the exhibitor hall at the SD Convention Center.  The AAOS has planned cooking classes, tours of SoCal vineyards, visits to the naval shipyard, bike rides etc., etc., and so on.  TSB has always wondered why some spine companies attend this Orthopalooza, and why some do not? The only explanation is those that attend find an inherent value, while those that do not leave many unanswered questions and skepticism about their future existence.  For instance, TSB noticed that the V Brothers are missing.  We could understand not showcasing Centinel or Paradigm Spine, but no Small Bone Innovation?  Contrary to the recent "feel good" press releases from Centinel, word on the Street is that there may be some executive management movement in the near future.  If there ever was a venue to showcase a company that you are looking to sell, what better meeting than AAOS?  It is the orthopaedic equivalent of NASS.  Some other interesting news that has surfaced is that there is some grumbling coming out of Biomet Spine.  Last week,  it was reported that some distributors had lost their spine lines.  Could Biomet Spine be sailing into some strong headwinds?  There must be something in the air in Warsaw, Indiana.  Zimmer and Biomet Spine seem to be more of a curse than a psychological burden for these companies.  But then, when it comes to spine, both of these companies truly resemble the gang that couldn't shoot straight.  If these rumors bode well, this could be a great opportunity for some of the smaller companies in our industry to pick off additional distribution resulting in new business.  Globus will be showcasing its new VP of Sales in addition to the recent whooping it took from Medtronic.  The only question that exists is how many more lawsuits will they lose?   Unlike sports or music, in spine imitation is not the best form of flattery.  But then Globus has developed an industry reputation for behaving like a recidivist.   In addition to some of the aforementioned scuttlebutt, rumor has been swirling for weeks that Amedica is on the verge of announcing a new VP of Sales, if true, a rolodex full of former consultants will definitely help the cause.  In closing,  as an FYI for those non-Californians, we've had a bit of cool weather, so bring those jackets and sweaters for the evenings festivities.   The evenings have been in the 40's and the days have been in the 60's and 70's.   See you on Tuesday and don't forget Valentine's Day.  

25 comments:

  1. Word on the street is that Paul Sendro will be VP Sales at Amedica.

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  2. Wonder if he will institute those 50/50's for the distributors consultants. He was schooled by the best.

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  3. Does anybody have idea of the money that Globus Medical paid for Facet Solutions? Is it less than $20 million?

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  4. Who is Paul Sendro?

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  5. Word on the street is the V Brothers have been forced to enact cost cutting measures to reign in their massive spending.

    Hence no booths at AAOS

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  6. The V Bros. will not be exhibiting at the convention center,, however, you will be able to find them in the Gas Lamp, not far from the Hard Rock showcasing their fantastic line of BBQ sauces & flavorings.

    Eat well & be merry!!

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  7. Last year it was Cuban cigars and Crystal. This year it is smoked Brisket and PBR.

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  8. I'm a distributor spine rep carrying a bone graft and instrumentation line.

    I'd like to have access to a bone stim and bracing line for my current customers. Any suggestion on which company/products would allow this type of arrangement or any advice would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

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  9. 5:03pm

    distributor/spine rep

    Go to AAOS and find the products you need.

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  10. 5:03, stims are past technology with few players and bracing is a dime a dozen. Insurance compnies and medicare are currently questioning the cost of stims, their effectiveness and if they can rent instead of purchase. Proof? You don't see globus coming out with these products.

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  11. Needing a Stim and Brace LINE--

    Please provide contact info.... we can help..

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  12. external spinal stim, visit orthofix booth for stims, both cervical and lumbar. braces cybertech

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  13. SBI not at AAOS LOL

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  14. we know the V bro's create a lot of the SBi hype. However, STAR seems promising. What do you guys think about SBi?

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  15. SBi is a train wreck ocurring in slow motion.

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  16. 5:03--

    check out www.laceit.com

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  17. Confirmed that Paul Sendro is the VP of Sales at Amedica. Their prior VP of sales has moved into another role. Seems that they do not know what they are doing with sales, constant switching and the US Spine acquisition hasn't gone as smoothly as I've heard.

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  18. AAOS is a complete waste of time for Spine Companies. Its all hips and knees. My company goes to the rest (even SAS), but skips AAOS because few spine surgeons go to AAOS. NASS, AANS, CNS, Joint Sections, and even the cabo show are better for spine companies than AAOS.

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  19. An abnormally high percentage of the spine docs in my area are attending AAOS this year (50-60%). Anybody out there have any idea as to why? I'm thinking that the location (San Diego) might have something to do with it, but surely there is something else luring them out this year. Or is there?

    ~Tired Old Man

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  20. let's see AAOS in San Diego in February or NASS in Chicago in November. You don't have to be a spine surgeon to figure that out and more ceu's to boot

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  21. 6:42 is a wise man......C'MON MAN - San Diego in February or Chicago in November. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out!!!!!

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  22. 7:07pm, you basically just re-posted exactly what 6:42pm said, except for with a couple Chris Berman "c'mon mans" sprinkled-in. C'mon man!!

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  23. Tired Old Man ~

    Apparently you are aptly named. If you had any type of relationship with some of your surgeons you might just ask them.
    Knowing your customer is good for business...Food for thought.

    Rich Old Man

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  24. 6:21 PM, 'cause we're moving right out of babylon!

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