Friday, December 14, 2012

Family Affair

Yes siree Spinebloggers, "the ability to promote from within is culturally invaluable."  Yet, it depends on ones interpretation of what type of culture one would like to promulgate.  When one thinks of something quick and agile, TSB suspects that the proverbial 800 pound gorilla is not what comes to mind unless one wants unquestionable power. Yet, after years of chewing up and spitting out employees and convincing sales reps and distributors to drink the purple kook-aid, the Bear is at a proverbial public relations cross roads.  Will he survive or will he walk the proverbial gang plank?  As one great sage once said, "all things must pass."  One can use only so many metaphors until it begins to fall on def ears. Yet, between the Cheetah being an endangered species,  how does a 14 year old company still considers calling itself a start-up?  What's it starting up?  Is that what Nuvasive pays its New York based public relations firm for?

Let's face it, NuVasive is no longer the Cheetah that it was seven years ago, it resembles the elephant that it detested in its old mentor and training ground Medtronic Sofamor Danek.  It has become top heavy and resembles a sever layer cake, fat with bureaucrats and administrators who like to tell one another and the lackey analysts  how great they are. How does a company build a unique culture when it recruits from DePuy? US Surgical? or Medtronic? Are you really building something unique? Is it a "new" culture or is it really just building the mirror image of what it has told the street and its investors    it wasn't going to be? It was only yesterday, a day in the lives of some of Nuvasive's bureaucrats, that they wanted to be something different, they took pride in being different than their former employer.  In many respect  Nuvasive has become everything it said it would not.

Mr. French can only coddle Jodie and Buffy so long before he no longer sings as the tenor.  TSB is sure that Mssrs. Link, Powers, and Durall are probably good citizens whom have now been tasked with attempting to make right what has gone wrong. Yet, if Mr. French is now going to be quoted as saying that he is "pleased to be engaged with his sales executives," does that mean that up until this point he wasn't?  Our readers have to love those corporate buzz words, "making progress on multiple initiatives, sales force penetration deeper into accounts (TSB bets that sends a tingle down the ladies spine), efforts that are not expected to hinder the company's profitability."  Who knows with a press release like that cigarette sales will be up across the board.  So as Sly Stone once sang,

"Newly wed a year ago, but there still checkin' each other out, Nobody wants to blow, Nobody wants to be left out, You can't leave cause your heart is there, but you can't stay because you've been somewhere else.................It's a family affair, It's a family affair.

156 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Stryker strikes again only it's worse this time! Their latest batch of victims, the Cervicore victims, were injured even more grievously than the hip implant victims and there was even more criminality involved. CerviCore is an artificial disk implant meant for implantation into the cervical spine. Not only is it a metal shedding Frankenstein design like the Stryker hip implants, the Cervicore disk never received FDA approval for use in patients. It gets worse, the Cervicore disk never even received FDA approval to be used in clinical trials or IDE (Investigational Device Exemption). The Cervicore disk is such a piece of shit that it could not even get and IDE from the FDA but that didn't stop Stryker's doctors from implanting them in the spine of patients.

      Currently the is a class action lawsuit being filed against Stryker Medical.

      file:///C:/Users/Chris/Downloads/File%20Stamped%20Copy%20of%20Complaint.pdf

      On Friday April 11, 2014 the law firm of Zoll, Kranz & Borgess, LLC filed a lawsuit behalf of a group of fourteen plaintiffs against Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (which does business as Stryker Spine) alleging Howmedica’s trial device called called CerviCore injured them.

      Stryker Howmedica Facing Class Action Law Suit

      Delete
  2. Screw that, how's the Globus Secure-c disc selling?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like NUVA stock..it sucks!

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    2. Sells great until screws back out. That has been a problem for them. Under reported of course.

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    3. Superior-ly!! I know most sales reps are stupid but this board takes it to the next level.....ie. 6:25AM. The one good thing about PODS is that they would eliminate YOU!

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    4. 6:25 - Come on. At least, AT LEAST know what you are talking about before you talk trash. Here's some reporting for you - Secure C ain't got no screws.

      Delete
    5. No sense of humor?

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    6. Ahhh I see. Not that funny.

      Delete
  3. Who has heard of this new "pay a surgeon for collection of his outcomes" scam? There is a guy out of Cleveland paying surgeons for them to enter into a "study" of implants and/or biologics. It's the new POD. I hope this guy goes to jail!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That isn't new. There have been surgeons touting their years of patient data that have demanded payment for years. They are still getting it today. Circles aren't going to become straight arrows over night.

      Delete
    2. I know that guy from K2..nice guy, but doesn't have any original thoughts..has been copying other peoples ideas for a long time. He's a nice guy, but is threading in some dangeruos territory! Anyone thinking of working with him should think long and hard.

      Delete
    3. I know the guy as well and he is a turd. Got waxed by Lanx and K2 in the same year for the love of God. How does one do that?

      Delete
    4. The pathetic K.L.? Still slithering around?

      Delete
  4. I agree that it does seem the refugees from DePuy US Surgical and Medtronic are sought after and they are the ones who only had to take orders. There was no innovation or original thought required to work for those plodding behemoths.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lesson one: Get a lot of Capital from crooked bankers or private investors.

      Lesson two: Buy up any upstarts that could possibly be a threat to the status quo.

      Lesson three: Stifle any innovation by filing phony patent infringement lawsuits.

      Lesson four: After reps have established business relationships with customers and are making a decent living fire them.

      Lesson five: Continue death grip on the FDA.

      Lesson seven: More PODs mean less needs for reps.

      Lesson eight: Don't kill business with any product that works too well and never forget that this is about profit not patient because the money is not in the cure it's in the medicine and the comeback.

      Lesson nine: The Hippocratic Oath is a socialist idea.

      Lesson ten: Surgeon are customer and patients are end users but the customer is not always right so when one of our Tinker Toys fail blame the surgeson and the customer.

      This above is just for you reps. The following as the rules your bosses follow: They are based on the Ferengi Rules on Aqusition


      Once you have their money ... never give it back.
      Never pay more for an acquisition than you have to.
      Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.
      A man is only worth the sum of his possessions.
      Keep your ears open.
      Small print leads to large risk.
      Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.
      Greed is eternal.
      Anything worth doing is worth doing for money.
      A deal is a deal ... until a better one comes along.
      A contract is a contract is a contract (but only between other snakes).
      A Republican without profit is no Republican at all.
      Satisfaction is not guaranteed.
      Never place friendship above profit.
      A wise man can hear profit in the wind.
      Nothing is more important than your health--except for your money.
      There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman.
      Never make fun of a Republican's mother ... insult something he cares about instead.
      It never hurts to suck up to the boss.
      War is good for business.
      Peace is good for business.
      She can touch your lobes but never your platinum.
      Profit is its own reward.
      Never confuse wisdom with luck.
      **Expand, or die.**
      Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own.
      The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.
      Ethics and finance don't mix.
      Never ask when you can take.
      Good customers are as rare as platinum -- treasure them.
      There is no substitute for success.
      Free advice is seldom cheap.
      ** Keep your lies consistent.**
      The riskier the road, the greater the profit.
      Win or lose, there's always coke.
      Home is where the heart is ... but the stars are made of money.

      Delete
    2. Continued..

      Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.
      Beware of the science's greed for knowledge.
      The flimsier the product, the higher the price.
      Never let the competition know what you're thinking.

      Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits.
      Ethics and finances don't mix.
      Enough ... is never enough.
      Every man has his price.
      Trust is the biggest liability of all.
      Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever.
      Sleep can interfere with profit.
      Faith moves mountains ... of inventory.
      There is no honour in poverty.
      Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.
      Treat people in your debt like family ... exploit them.
      Never have sex with the boss's sister.
      Always have sex with the boss.
      You can't free a fish from water.
      Everything is for sale, even friendship.
      Even a blind man can recognize the glow of platinum.
      You can't make a deal if you're dead.
      Wives serve, brothers inherit.
      Only patients pay retail.

      There's nothing wrong with charity ... as long as it winds up in your pocket.

      Even in the worst of times someone turns a profit.

      Know your enemies ... but do business with them always.
      Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.
      Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money.
      Hear all, trust nothing.

      Never cheat a the government ... unless you're sure you can get away with it.

      It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in the door.

      **The justification for profit is profit.**

      New customers are like razortoothed grubworms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they can bite back.

      Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.

      **Employees are rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them.**

      Never begin a negotiation on an empty stomach.

      You can't free a fish from water.
      Always know what you're buying.
      Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox.
      Money lasts longer than lust.
      You can't buy fate.
      **Never be afraid to mislabel a product.**
      More is good ... all is better.
      A wife is a luxury ... a smart lawyer is a necessity.
      **A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience.**
      **Never allow doubt to tarnish your love of money.**
      When in doubt, lie.
      Deep down everyone's a Republican.

      Delete
    3. Yikes... Look how long your post are and please look at your time stamps Bally?!? Please stop the Meth!!!

      Delete
    4. Go here to check out classy Bally.

      http://pixelzen.blogspot.com/2012/10/thinspo.html

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    5. Scary, it takes all kinds.

      Delete
    6. You reps don't even know your own products and your doctors know even less. It's really scary that you bozos are in the OR telling them how to apply the goo and the screws while you masters apply the screws to all of you.

      The goons that you defend and the industry that you defend sees you reps as disposable and in a sense you are because anyone with a high double digit IQ can do your job. When your bosses screw up and you end up out of a job you can always try Home Depot or Ace Hardware.

      Delete
    7. And you can continue doing phone sex.

      Delete
    8. The phone sex industry is more honorable than what a lot of the spine companies do. Other than big pharma that is less reputable than the device industry.

      Delete
  5. Nuvasive is just like the Dallas Cowboys, you can change the head coach all you want, but when the problems w/ the organization start at the top, there's very little chance of success until those issues are addressed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Family Affair reference - nice! Now all we need is a H.R. Pufnstuf mention. Do I see witchiepoo coming?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Alex, likes to surround himself wiith yes men. Rydin being asked to step aside would have been a good opportunity to bring someone fresh into the organization. Sometimes you need someone to look you in the eye and say, "damn your baby's gotten ugly!" NuVasive has becoming the sloth in the jungle. Who am I kidding, its been more than a few years of this. When Globus beats you to market with their cervical arthroplasty device, you need to examine your process. Much less, it is not until 2013 that NuVasive makes a good perc screw system. Why is it if a Sales Rep is struggling, first thought is kicking him off the ferris wheel, but one of these horrible managers or pseudo execs is asked to take some golden parachute role. Seriously why do you need Rydin to be a consultant for the next 3 years? At least Yapp moved on after being put in a useless role. Well deserved by the way. The only thing saving NuVa is some very quality sales guys, who in spite of a company that says no in ever question, keep forging on. Can't wait for Bendini! ?

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  8. Whoever made the Cowboys analogy=Douche

    ReplyDelete
  9. Man someone at Nuva must have really owned you in the past... You cant stop taking about Nuvasive in every post.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is sad when the end result of growth and success is becoming top heavy with managers: RSM's, ASM,s, RDM's, ADM's, RMM's, AMM's...it's ridiculous. It gets to the point where it takes 6 months for a simple decision to be made. Even when there is apparent immediate gain for snap decisions, the trigger cant be pulled bc there are to many managers involved.
    A good manager makes timely decisions and supports the salesforce and their customers. And a great company has a few good managers. It's that simple. And good managers are few and far between. Just bc someone put up good sales numbers for a few years doesn't necessarily mean they will make a good manager. Yet this is often the only criteria used for promotion within.
    Here is my solution for maintaining a company that will continue to grow and get good sales numbers from their sales force: rather than promoting successful salespeople to manager as a pitiful way to reward them for their efforts and success and pay them less money, keep them as sales people and PAY THEM MORE MONEY. Sales people like being sales people! Sales people like MAKING MONEY and having the FREEDOM that comes with being in sales. They don't want to be managers, thats why they SUCK at it! And managers that suck, slow the company down!
    Instead, keep the few good mangers you have and pay your successful sales people MORE MONEY. Don't cut a successful salespersons commissions or promote them to manager bc you don't want them to have fuck you money. If you treat your sales force right and reward them MONETARILY for their efforts, they'll never say FU and they will never leave you for another company.
    And riddle me this: why is NUVA going after LANX for raiding some of it's sales force when NUVA has done the same over the years with MSD, Synthes, and US Surgical.
    Face it NUVA, you have become slow and bloated. You will loose marketshare in the coming years to those companies that are what you were 5-6 years ago. Your stock will languish around $12 and your sales force will become numb and demotivated by all of your idiot managers (that should be salespeople) and corporate BS that's going to be crammed down their throats. Your salesforce is already looking to jump to another company that is leaner and pays more, I guarantee it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nuva and Globus will be fine in the next 5 years. MDT, DePuy, and Stryker has seen a exodus of talent only to be back filled by college grads looking to build a resume.

      Lanx has another thing comming... They may have picked off "B team" proctors from Nuvasive and former greedy distributors in TX... Their VC money is drying up fast. A spinous process clamp is not going to save a company that will be out of cash by end of 2013.

      Delete
  11. Who runs the POD in Greenville /Spartanburg? Out of Atlanta?

    ReplyDelete
  12. When is Globus going private?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hilarious! (i couldn't bring myself to write lol... damn... oh well)

      Delete
  13. Interesting: Kevin Foley's number of patents on which he gets royalties from the Evil Empire went from 13 to 2, yet the amount of money remains constant at about 4.1 million a quarter.. No math like fuzzy spine math!

    ReplyDelete
  14. whats the latest with the BioD takeover (or take back)..Webb crash and burn yet?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jesus Christ.....I wish I the time on my hands that Bally Balldez has!!! My God, was she up all night snorting an 8 ball or what??? 4am postings!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. If she was it was probably with Kyle, another one hit wonder, can you spell crash landing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyle who? Or kind of like "Elvis" or "Pele" or "Madonna" ... in spine there really is only one "Kyle".

      Delete
    2. When will Elvis leave the building em boys at BioD are brilliant hiring him can anyone say crash and burn

      Delete
  17. MSM,

    I dare you to shed light on what part of the country you are a burt out rep/Mid level manager in? Will target you and your Dinosaur product line.

    Love,
    Alex's Hentchman

    ReplyDelete
  18. Food and Drug Administration officials posted a warning Tuesday saying they'd found apparent widespread contamination throughout RTI Biologics in Alachua, Fla.

    http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/12/15870092-tainted-human-body-parts-prompt-fda-warning

    ReplyDelete
  19. So, the top five aside, who are the good companies out there? Who's up and coming? If you tenured spine jocks were to go rogue and leave your MSD, Globus, Depuy/Synthes, Stryker, Nuvasive...who would you go with and why?
    Who are the companies that have picked all of the low hanging fruit they could and are now poised to start grabbing some serious marketshare because of the products they have. Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is only one place. But you better be ready to climb a mountain.

      Delete
    2. LDR, Lanx, K2M in no certain order.

      Delete
    3. If you have the relationships, go out on your own and pick up one of the small lines with solid hardware. They usually pay higher points and will allow you to carry other lines. I carry a small line as my main line and 2 other even smaller niche lines along with a solid biologics line and do quite well. The small companies tend to appreciate and support distributors a bit more in my experience.

      Delete
    4. K2M or Maybe Integra Spine.

      Delete
  20. Eminent Spine hands down. They have the "Cottonmouth" ALIF cage, the "Texas Sidewinder" TLIF, & of course the "Black Mamba" lateral system.

    Does it get ANY better?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are more crooked than a barrel of snakes.

      Delete
    2. Isn't their moto..... Wait for it...... "Bad To The Bone". Not sure I trust any product that is bad to the bone. Idiotic

      Delete
  21. I'd have to say LANX. Not only is Aspen the most comprehensive line for SP fusion, they have gone all out with their Timberline LF system. Sure, Cappuccino was surely compensated well to come over but still there must be something to Timberline for him to do that. And LANX obviously believes in it as they are investing in multiple training sites. Not sure about their pipeline but they should be capable of converting some business with current portfolio

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you actually seen the Timberline and the retractor? If you can't find it on the Lanx website, just pop on over the Nuvasive's page and check out their lateral system. You'll then have a pretty good idea of what the Timberline looks like.

      Delete
  22. Does anyone know what is going on with the Globus stock price??? Had a solid run, now can't get above $12.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Referring to the Globus stock price. Bad management direction. They launched Algia division telling everyone it will be a $100 million division and it has bombed. I hear the whole thing might be shut down. That coupled with a mass exodus of tenured reps and managers(dozens went to Lanx), management selling lots of stock and the fact that a hundred million shares/options become available to sell in Feb and this dog is being crushed.

      Delete
  23. The Globus staock will never get above $15 again. Period. Dude....are you kidding??!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Let's talk about all the douche-bag's distributors and reps in this business who are successful by cutting all corners of honesty and morality...not to mention the law. Let's call these a-holes out once and for all!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bally?

      Is that you tryin to post anonymously?

      Delete
    2. Go here to check out classy Bally.

      http://pixelzen.blogspot.com/2012/10/thinspo.html

      Delete
    3. It's parody you moron.

      Here's some reality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a58gcE6Jp7A

      Only a real slime can sleep at night knowing that there are better alternatives for spine patients than they crap they promote to American butchers.

      Delete
    4. So embarrassed it can't use its pseudonym... Fat Bastard.

      Delete
    5. You lose again. Ambien will make you forget all the unethical your masters do.

      Delete
    6. Hospitals are already responsible for nosocomial infections. The implant is generally not the source of the infection and will have no effect on an actual in situ infections other than the implant will be free from organisms.

      Bally, do you do phone sex also? Or just posts?

      Delete
    7. WRONG! http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243261.php

      Only 20 states report SSIs so there is no way to know for sure.

      Here is what Google Scholar reports on SSIs and spine surgery
      http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=surgical+site+infection+spine+surgery&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=fLLUUKiGJ4mc8QTy8oD4Bw&ved=0CFUQgQMwAA

      Here is what the NIH says.. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20433302

      CONCLUSIONS:

      Minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques may reduce postoperative wound infections as much as 10-fold compared with other large, modern series of open spinal surgery published in the literature.

      If you factor out minimally invasive surgery the rate are about 6%. Stop believing the industry propaganda and get the facts droid.

      Delete
  25. 'It aint illegal till you get caught' - Tickle..Moonshiners

    ReplyDelete
  26. cigna is now covering cervical disc

    ReplyDelete
  27. Maybe we could do something constructive and actually talk about promising new technology that will actually aid patients, instead of bashing people over developing phenomenal new products like Precept and XLIF. Lanx is copying everything NuVasive is doing, while the spinous process arena is falling apart at every step..and if you are a sales rep in spine you know I am right! How many revisions have you done, and converted to pedicle screws....This site is a F*&^ing joke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps you should start your own blog.Just saying....

      Delete
    2. Precept is a joke..keep working on this system. It needs much help!

      Delete
    3. I have a surgeon that ties to use Precept. He is always saying he'll never use it again after each case, but his consultancy agreement says otherwise.

      Delete
    4. The screws had heads popping off, and NUVA had to get all product back from feild and re-work the design to try to fix it. Any one know if the problem persists?

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    5. From what I hear, Nuvasive changed the design to be bullet-proof. The company has had a footprint in many markets with XLIF, but not in the screw business. The preliminary reports say the system is as good or better than Sextant II, Longitude, Pivot, and Viper. If they penetrate the posterior perc market, it could change the dynamics of the company. Any thoughts?

      Delete
    6. Sure Alex, whatever you say.

      Nobody believes you anymore...not even the analysts...

      Delete
    7. I was a user..Precept is Junk!

      Delete
  28. Amedica's Silicon Nitride interbody fusion devices. That's promising new technology. Superior osteointegration and bacterial resistant properties when compared to PEEK or Titanium. It's been used in the spine for over four years and has a proven record of safety and efficacy. Faster fusion and fewer infections. What's not to like here?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no osteointegration! Polish the product and they say it is an ideal materila, because nothing can grow on, or into it. Do your reseach before you post crap!

      Delete
    2. That's been "promising new technology" since macauley culkin was a "promising young actor." $130 million down the shitter later, that product is not gaining market share. The Amedica braintrust (talk about an oxymoron) is incapable of selling it, and it is not "promising" enough to sell itself. Its no longer a question of whether the Amedica investors will lose, its now a question of whether they will lose all of their money or just most of it.

      Delete
    3. It is an intersting technology and would gain more share, but they priced it to a premium to PEEK and accounts are not to thrilled on white paper data. Plus, the company is designed to be bought. We all know if you do not have a decent product line, you can't have a sales force or distributors selling only the cage.

      Delete
    4. If it has lower surgical site infection rates and fuses better then financially it is not a good thing.

      Like Axiomed's freedom disk, Paragigm's DCI, Neo Disk and the M6 it might work too well. There's big money in failed back surgery and post surgical infections.

      A lot of these companies really don't care about the US market and why should they. The screw and goo companies have most of the US market.

      Delete
    5. There won't be big money in post surgical infections under Obamacare. Hospitals will be responsible for the cost of care for any patient that contracts a nosocomial infection and will come right off the hospitals bottom line. Surgeons, and hospital administrators, should be interested in this material for that reason alone, not to mention faster, more solid fusion rates. I don't carry these spacers but I would damn sure like too.

      Delete
    6. Obamacare will not be implemented until 2014. It's about time that hospitals can no longer profit from nosocomial infections. I bet we see a huge reduction in these infections.

      We also need to crackdown on sloppy surgeons and their revision rates.

      Delete
    7. What do you mean "profit" from nosocomial infections? They cost the hospital money! Tell me how they profit? What are you talking about?

      Delete
    8. Currently hospitals get paid to treat these infections. They are very profitable. The patient is on an IV for 7 to 10 days and the hospital cashes in.

      Estimated Hospital Costs of
      Hospital-Acquired Infection in the United States

      2,000,000

      Estimated infections per year

      X

      $15,275
      (Average additional hospital costs when a
      patient contracts an infection)

      = $30.5 Billion

      Infecting Americans is a 30 billion dollar industry.

      Delete
    9. You are an idiot. Who pays them? It comes off there bottom line. You are misinformed. But that appears to be nothing new for you.

      Delete
    10. I hate to say it but Billy Boy is right. Not only do hospitals profit from it, but surgeons doing the revision profit from it as well. And though Obamacare doesnt start until 2014, Medicare will start lowering payments to hospitals that provide lower quality of care in 2013, determined by process metrics, patient satisfaction surveys, and # of patients readmitted for post surgical infections. And Medicare will actually increase payments to hospitals that do well in these areas. So you can bet your ass that administrators will be addressing the problem of hospital acquired infections and ways to mitigate them. Silicon Nitride IFD's should make sense.

      Delete
    11. Silicon Nitride IFDs are better and that is why they are not the cages of choice in the US.

      Delete
    12. Your statements truly are the most blatantly false that I have ever read.

      Sing it with me Blly... "If I only had a brain." I hear Obama, I mean Oz is giving them out to everyone in need.

      Delete
  29. The interbody fusion devices aren't polished you idiot. Only the orthopaedic products that are used for bearing surfaces like femoral heads and tibial inserts are polished. Do YOUR research before you post.

    ReplyDelete
  30. DepuySynthes execs are having their own interbody devices polished by the reps. Nice screw job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! That's hilarious! I calculated my paycut thanks to implemented Obama tax JNJ is passing on to the reps...6k. But hey, we got iPads bro, iPads.

      I'm waiting for the next sales force slam announcement next month.

      Delete
    2. Agree! I stayed for the merger to see what would happen...team selling, commission cuts, obama tax....what a joke! I hate to bail on a territory that I put a lot of hard work into, but at some point, enough is enough.

      Delete
  31. I see other D/S peeps loved the memo/con call on the 2.7% taken off the top of sales. I already called my "options". That was the last straw for me.

    The distributorship model definitely hid the reps from the deception that corporate propagates.

    It's no wonder why they cancelled the NSM, did they really want all the reps together after that bomb!? Hahahaha!

    Down 8% and that's supposed to motivate a sales force? See ya!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Why does every blog on here to into some bitch session instead of commenting about the topic at hand? This blog should just become a chat room as it rarely sticks to the topic.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Not sure what you mean by ' The distributorship model definitely hid the reps from the deception that corporate propagates'. Please explain.

    ReplyDelete
  34. It was pretty clear...the reps who stayed drank the red koolaid....now they are f***ed. Enjoy the ipods w the lowjack tracing software and your team splits and paying your fair share of the new device tax. Ha ha idiots. Jackasses....lambs to slaughter. Its just sad...but hey things are looking up because you get Mad Max back....he is a real peach. Max plays real well in the south w his fancy suits...weird accent and is direct model. Morons.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Without all of the hyperbole, what does the merger really mean for the new D/S reps in the field? How does it all shake out? Are Synthes reps still making 12%? What's the new sales plan moving forward?

    Anyone with some legit insight??

    ReplyDelete
  36. The tail wags the dog. Synthes leaders are clearly protecting their own and have assumed most of the manager/vp roles. Underperforming Synthes reps are placed into strong Depuy territories and all is made equal. The Synthes manager/avp gets a pat on the back and his bonus for towing the company line. All the leaders are checking the boxes to get bonuses and not looking out for the field. It's not a surprise. I left 3 months ago and none of this previously expressed frustration is a shock. The majority of Synthes sales came from biologics and allograft, they couldn't sell a pedicle screw to their mom. Thank god I didn't believe a word the "new co" leaders had to say. All aboard the death train! Is this the slaughter house of failure we heard about...

    I think what the other post said about the distributorship model was that you are only reporting to your distributor and not the bs at corporate. And if you have a good distributor, he/she will create a solid working environment with teamwork and strong expectations, but also fair. You won't get jerked around every 60days like the corporate schmuck world.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The topic can't be maintained because its not sustainable for that long. We get Nuvasive has issues, but it leads to others talking about issues at other companies such as D/S. I'm sure we can all gripe, it's tough sledding but we still have a place to work with real opportunity. There are more changes on the horizon that we haven't even thought about, just cross that bridge when we get there.

    I do feel that the industry has changed where we not only compete against our competitive reps (naturally), but we are also wasting tremendous time battling with our respective company for resources, compensation that was promised, true leadership, flexibility and awareness of our individual markets. Whether its D/S, MSD, Stryker, etc. they seem to be always screwing around and waiting to the last second to do what's right for the reps. The non-competes are what they hold over your head if you leave, even though more and more legislation is passing to nullify those contracts, it's the bat they like to swing.

    15 years in this gig and its been a roller coaster, but I still feel that there is tremendous talent working to do whats right by the patients and there are people in corporate that realize the field sales rep is not a commodity (albeit, those people are less and less).

    ReplyDelete
  38. What is is the deal with some of the larger legacy companies allowing their distributors to carry other companies even when they have a full bag? MSD and Stryker distributors carrying LDR, Centinel Spine among others. I know a Synthes spine rep that has more side businesses than Tony Soprano and Huggie Bear combined. I can't imagine the new Mckinsey consultant CEO with Medtronic could be happy with those divided loyalties. Imagine all of the surgeons that Medtronic handed over to these distributors through the years? MDT is above the POD model they just used to write the surgeons a check -$200,000 for 2.5 hours of "consulting" work, and then gift wrap the $2 million implanter to their ungrateful distributor.Come on Memphis "drop a pair" . You guys look like chumps and these multi- millionaire distributors who never did an honest days work to begin with are sticking it to you by cherry picking other spine products. I think this would be an interesting topic to explore and we could leave Nuva and Globus alone for a few days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Syk rep in South Carolina now carries spinewave, LDR, x-spine... List goes on. Perhaps it says something about the main product line?

      Delete
    2. S/D reps carry more lines than anyone in the industry... They probably make more from their secondary bag than their primary.

      Delete
  39. Att: Rep

    The bottom line is; if US surgeons were more skilled, better trained and ethical and if they had the tools that surgeons outside of the US and North America have most of you would be out of a job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bally the Predictable. We can always count on you to add nothing to the conversation. You are so monocular!

      Delete
    2. "...if US surgeons were more skilled..."

      HA! Hey, "Smelly Baldez", exactly what is YOUR skill? Hmm?
      Other than being a vulgar, misinformed, laughingstock of the internet? LOL!

      Delete
    3. Yeah... And if I were better looking, had more cash and had a Porsche I would date hot chicks and have friends

      Delete
    4. It diesn't take any skill to report the fact that Americans go outside the US for spine surgery and no foreigners come to the US. Stenum anyone? India anyone? Beta Klinic? Louis Pimenta? Karsten Ritter-Lang? Shall I continue?

      Delete
    5. Two of your references are the same entity. "Louis" is actually Luiz. By the way "Louis" uses the PCM disc that is available in the US. As well, did a fellowship in Florida to learn MIS and continued his deformity training with Dr. Akbarnia and Dr. Mundis in SD. Unfortunately for you and your "facts" a major population of Spine Surgeons come to the US to learn from the Lenke, Riew, Fessler, Kebaish, Bohlman RIP, Carragee, Moe RIP, and countless others who further patient care.
      Your like boxing a one armed blind man.
      -STL
      Another two minutes wasted on your pathetic posts.

      Delete
    6. Smelly Baldez swings.... and whiffs AGAIN !

      Smelly Baldez is a clown- the more they post, the more clownier they become!

      Delete
    7. Bally,, really? come on.. At least try to be accurate and insightful, not so negative during the Holidays. If you think our spine care is so poor why dont you come up to Mayo in Minnesota. We get em from all over the world for their spine and crani care.

      Delete
    8. Smelly Baldez is not inconvenienced by the truth.

      Smelly Baldez is obviously resentful and spiteful, having been denied acceptance from medical reps. But Smelly will deny it....

      Smelly Baldez craves any attention, even negative.

      Smelly Baldez is nothing more than a vulgar troll.


      Delete
    9. FACT TIME!

      Medical Tourism Statistics: Where People Go and Why

      The top ten destinations for medical tourism include Turkey, Brazil, Thailand, Costa Rica, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Korea, Mexico and Israel. These destinations are popular for a variety of reasons, including having private sectors and governments that invest in healthcare and a commitment to quality assurance, international accreditation and transparency of outcomes. These countries also have a potential for cost savings, ease of access to tourism infrastructure, internationally-trained medical staff with significant experience, a sustained reputation for excellence and a history of innovative healthcare and achievements. These countries are also relatively stable politically.

      The Market Size

      The medical tourism market is definitely growing, and it is estimated that the market is worth close to $15 billion. Each year, an average of $3,000 is spent per surgery by approximately five million patients. About 550,000 of these patients are from the Untied States. These figures do not include tourists who require emergency care, expatriates, companions with medical travelers or multiple appointments that take place within one trip. This figures only reflect actual medical spending, not funds spent on accommodations or transportation within the country.

      The US is NOT a medical tourism destination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism

      Spine patients get the best care in India, Brazil, Germany and England.

      There is a lot of crooked stuff going on at the Cleveland Clinic. https://www.google.com/search?q=cleveland+clinic+scandal&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

      Delete
    10. Pimenta teaches Americans not the other way around. http://www.aimisspine.com/doctors/62

      Considered a world-renowned expert in MIS and motion preservation, Dr. Pimenta has been developing new techniques and technologies, since his spine fellowship, to improve surgical treatment of different spinal pathologies.

      I know some of the surgeons in the US who learned from Luiz.

      American spine surgery is still in the Dark Ages.

      Delete
    11. Your so far off that rebuttal is nearly worthless. Even Pimenta would be ashamed to read that he leaned nothing from his time with AB, GM, RF and the countless other Surgeons who have helped refine his techniques.
      As for Medical Tourism, it is a great program for the rich. It does little for the quality of health care for the citizens of those countries you mentioned. It's also nice to not have to worry about that pesky liability insurance. Cosmetic Sx and Dentisty has done well in that environment.
      However it is a shame what some Surgeons do in this country for a dollar. Even more so the insurance companies dictating healthcare and coverage benefits to those in need.
      -STL

      Delete
    12. It is also interesting that you reference a web site for "medical tourism" spine care, that is staffed by a VAST majority of US Surgeons. Do you even take the time to review the references that you site? Using Google search to copy and paste your "facts" is astonishingly naive. Not everything you and FB say is without some merit, but your complete lack of researched argument and looney toon babble does your argument no favors.
      -STL

      Delete
    13. Luiz Pimenta, born in 1947, completed all of his education in his homeland, Brazil. He had graduated in Medicine at the Medical School of the University of São Paulo in 1971. He started his residency in Neurosurgery in 1972 at the Paulista Medical School, currently Federal University of São Paulo. During residency, Dr. Luiz Pimenta participated in various research projects in Neurosurgery. He finished his residency in 1977, starting his PhD in Neurosurgery in 1978 at the same university, finishing his project in 1980.
      In 1997, Dr. Luiz Pimenta made training in Spinal Endoscopic Surgery in Gainesville, and in 1998 he underwent a fellowship with Dr. Daniel Rosenthal in Frankfurt, Germany. Since then, Dr. Pimenta has been developing new techniques and technologies to improve the surgical treatment in different spinal pathologies. He is now focused in minimal invasive spine surgery and motion preservation, participating in various research and development projects in these subjects, being a reference in spine surgery around the world.

      Affiliations:

      Clinical Director of the Instituto de Patologia da Coluna, Brazil - Department of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
      Associate Professor of University of California San Diego (UCSD) – San Diego, USA
      President of World Spinal Column Society (WSCS)
      Board of Directors of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (SAS)

      Delete
    14. There are retired doctors in the US who help Americans find the best treatment outside the US. That's how medical tourism works. There are some doctors who still care about the Oath.

      To the right wing hypocrites here, consider this. You all hate the federal government but it is the federal government that won't allow Americans to have the American made DCI by Paradigm Spine, The Freedom Disk by Axio Med, the M6 by Spinal Kenetics and the NeoDisc by Nuvasive.

      You greedy reps will abandon your free market fantasies and personal liberty when it might hurt your bottom line. You all know darn well if patients were offered the option of have some plates and screw or some other tinker toys you sell of the good ADR I mentioned, they would opt for the good ADRs and reject the barbarian crap you jokers sell. You know that the good ADRs would put an end to most revision surgeries adjacent degeneration, and heterotrophic ossification and all the other money making condition that screw and goo surgery causes.

      You don't think that the stewardship of an American patient's body is between him and his physician. You do not want patients relying on the medical judgement of their doctors but instead think it is OK that the criminals at the FDA and the industry criminals that own the FDA can tell an American what they can do with their body. Admit it. If you CON actually had a libertarian core you would lay waste to the FDA and the medical device industry for their violation of our rights.

      NeoDisk, M6, Freedom Disk and DCI are all proven technology that are superior to the made in China hardware store junk that gets put into Americans and you all know it. If you had a core and an ounce of humanity and integrity you would not work in an industry that exploits suffering.

      Delete
    15. Besides NeoDisc they are all the same stuff. Very similar to what's on the market in the US. Looks like most are in data collection with the FDA. To bad Surgeons in the US have to wait for that horrible FDA to approve products or we could simply stop by Home Depot and get some lagging deck screws and picture hanging wire...wonder what we can use for interbody...maybe stone or pieces of brick...landscaping is always on sale and I need to big up some grass fertilizer anyway.
      Glad to see FB, EL, BB, WRL switching up the alias again. By the way, can you post specific data in this products you mention so frequently? Maybe, 2+ year post hoc data from a multi center study? That would be wicked!

      Delete
  40. After 10 years in the screw game I'm looking to get into the interventional spine market. Currently work for the one of the big boys and am looking to set up a distributor on the side and develop enough business to eventually leave the metal. Any suggestions on products or companies who go through distributors. I don't know a ton about the inventional spine/pm market but am looking for a new challenge and this seems to be a heating segment.
    Thanks for the help

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The interventional spine market are run by the same dirty distributors as the metal market. Jumping from one pile to another. It's the same game. Pay to play or unethical tactics. At least that my area. Maybe better areas out there.

      Delete
    2. The interventional spine/ pain market sucks. MDT is the worst when it comes to products(old technology, horrible compensation). Boston Scientific has best technology and better compensation. St Jude is somewhere in between. The worst part about this therapy is the constant follow-up/ reprogramming of pain patients. It never ends.
      If you want to get in this space start looking into companies like Nevro that are bringing some new technology to the therapy and might use the distributor model.
      Deep brain stimulation would be worth looking into as well, especially with BSCI bc they will take all of MDT market share when they get FDA approval for their device, which will be soon.

      Delete
    3. Treating patients and right and having them revover quickly is bad for business.

      http://notsoconventionalnews.blogspot.com/2011/02/medical-journals-complicit-in.html

      Delete
    4. The exploitation and creation of disease and suffering of men, women and children by the medical industrial complex will not be tolerated.

      Delete
  41. David Crook is the worst person on the planet. Ask his kids.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Replies
    1. Nope just think he is a dick. If I reported the things he has told me as a surgeon we all would be in jail.

      Delete
  43. Xmas bonus? How about a set of steak knives? Merry F-ing Xmas to all!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Uh oh, I think something has happened to TSB.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Please please TSB, let this blog end. Lately, when a few weeks have gone by without a posting, I have hoped and prayed that you did the honorable thing put it out of its misery.

    But no, I once again have to scan through 100+ vile, spiteful and ignorant comments to confirm that my competition isn't currently slandering my company, my coworkers or myself in this "comment" hatefest.

    TSB, your writing is not bad, but your messsge is lost in this wreched forum you have chosen. Perhaps in the future, you could publish in a more legitimate forum. Until then I hope this is goodbye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the truth does hurt

      Delete
    2. When you don't like the message kill the messenger?

      TSB should get the Nobel Prize for shining the light on this loathsome industry.

      Keep telling the truth!

      Delete
  46. El, sounds like the entire liberal agenda, shout-down and intimidate those who don't agree with their views. Your twisted worldview will crumble around you sooner or later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a Reagan Democrat. Unlike the CONS of today who wrecked the GOP, we know right from wrong.

      Do any of you CONS ever post anything containing facts?

      Delete
    2. Fact: no one here likes you.

      Delete
    3. Liars, and criminals hate facts.

      Delete
    4. I love it, even Chris Christie is telling the truth on the GOP. Now Cry Baby Boehner has something to cry about. LOL!

      I have worked with several industries such as the petroleum and aerospace industry and for the most part they are quite ethical. The medical industry is a cesspool. My wife needed spine surgery and we went to Dr Zeegers in Germany and I am glad we did. The hardware that the hacks in the US use is some scary and pimitive stuff.

      The stuff that goes on in this industry and the FDA is jaw dropping. There is no free market happening here. The industry exists to exploit disease for maximum profits. US patients are cash vending machines. This industry is corporate socialism and that is why there is no innovation and health care inflation.

      Delete
  47. TSB please be more economical with the word "proverbial" in 2013.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Even Seinfeld and Cheers had to end eventually.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... yes, but "The Simpsons" are still going strong!

      Delete
  49. Can anyone tell me about Spine Frontier? Are they an up and comer, or just another surgeon owned 'me too' company?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surgeon Owned. Very much Pay to Play in my area. These days, who isn't? Kingsley Chin is a nice guy, developed Stryker Mantis. Any company that markets a 5-1 XLIF is off the radar for me! They probably pay obseen points, as the companies out of the top 5 usually pay 2x+.

      Delete
    2. WTF does a 5-1 spinous process fusion device have to do with your decision to represent a company? That's 'obscene" (cut your spell check on dumbass).
      LANX markets a flared device designed specifically for 5-1 fusion. They have other great products as well and they do pay decent points from what I understand. But you wouldn't represent them bc they market a 5-1 device? Whacked out thinking.

      Delete
    3. 5-1 xlif grammar police...learn to read

      Delete
    4. 9:53 - dude. Even Lanx wouldn't hire you to sell their spinous process fusion xlif device. Wow. I am new to this but I know 1 thing: I wish you were in my territory.

      Delete
    5. 9:29, is anyone really even doing those trans-iliac cases? Seems like a nightmare to manage those patients. I just don't see any show stoppers in their line up. It's all me-too.

      Delete
    6. 5:00- I am not sure, I haven't seen data being presented on the procedure. However, I have seen the marketing literature. If it is being developed and marketed, I would guess its being done. In my humble opinion, the risk would not be worth the reward or patient morbidity, due to the nature of the approach. Perfectly reasonable alternatives out there that have known results and low morbidity and complications. Who knows though, the guys doing them could be getting fantastic results and patient satisfaction 2+ years post op. I personally can not understand the risk vs reward. As luck would have it, I will never have to make that decision as a sales rep.

      Delete
  50. This blog is moribund. TSB, be humane and kill it off.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Can anyone tell me why any surgeon would use LDR?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They have some good products..

      Delete
    2. Those LDR Kyphon homos could F up a wet dream...

      Delete
  52. In my opinion, this blog is a very valuable resource for spine patients who want the straight story on the goings-on in the spine industry. I for one applaud MSM for shining light of day on this industry. Sunlight sanitizes.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I think we all have great cause to celebrate. The economy must be roaring back so strong that TSB got a real job.

    Either that or Globus took him out.

    ReplyDelete
  54. TSB is alive and on assignment for another publication, David Paul LMAO

    ReplyDelete
  55. Yes siree Spinebloggers, "the ability to promote from within is culturally invaluable." Yet, it depends on ones interpretation of what type of culture one would like to promulgate.

    Peptides for sale
    IGF1 LR3

    ReplyDelete