NASS claims in their prospectus that 74% of attendees have the ability to authorize, specify or recommend products and services for purchase. Where? At a physician owned hospital? For a physician owned distributorship? Most attendees are not interested in seeing another commodity product. They are either selling their medical background to the highest bidder, or sponging off of some local rep so that they can pay for their lap dance at either Baby Dolls, the Diamond Club, Rachel's, Crystal Cabaret or the Doll House. What is it about tits and steak that attracts surgeons? You would think they never got any at home. Yet, the funniest commentary is that NASS actually propagandize that its attendees say that seeing a product or service at the technical exhibit is influential in decision making.
How ridiculous is it that NASS has the audacity to charge what it does, when it has been extorting money from vendors for the last twenty-five years? TSB has had the luxury of attending other industry related trade shows, never have I seen badges cost as much as they do at NASS. I guess someone has to subsidize Dr. Famous having a great time while they bitch and moan like little girls about how much money we make. You know maybe if they think that we make so much money, maybe they should pay us to listen to their insanity. TSB wants to know what our readers think? Yeah or Nay to this meeting this year?
AMEN brother!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI promise that if I go this year I will genuflect and kiss the ring of every surgeon that I speak with. I promise to respect NASS core values, I will offer consultancies to any surgeon that likes my product, I will gladly pay for their dinner and lap dances and when the meeting is over I will carry their bags to the airport and thank them for allowing me the opportunity to be in their presence. Isn't it time that some of these people got their asses kicked?
ReplyDeleteIt appears as though the Men's and Women's Locker Rooms at the SERC are still up for naming rights!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spine.org/Pages/Philanthropy/NassHeadquartersSERC/SERC_NamingOpportunities.aspx
I wonder how much one would have to donate to get a craper named after his or herself???
Speaking of taking a dump, have they made any progress in getting a code approved for XLIF?
one of your best blogs yet> Way to go MM
ReplyDeleteI understand everyone’s point of view. I also hear individuals that are only looking at the bad side of our industry. Many surgeons that I deal with work with our company without a whisper of repayment. There will always be bad apples in any industry, Gordon Gekko, etc
ReplyDeleteIt's time to clean up this industry, I'm with TSB, boycott the meeting unless mandatory for you to perform community service. We can show our solidarity by not showing up.
ReplyDeleteBut if we don't show up, Globus will! Maybe we should just let them.
ReplyDeleteI guess David Paul would be lonely, he then could offer a deal to every surgeon that comes to his booth.
ReplyDeleteDavid Paul aka Monty Hall
ReplyDeleteBut if I don't go I can't F' with Rick Bacon....hahahaha
ReplyDeleteRick Bacon complete dweeb!
ReplyDeleteHmmm TBS, "Baby Dolls, the Diamond Club, Rachel's, Crystal Cabaret or the Doll House." Are you stalking these surgeons’, or are you contributing to the unclaimed tax dollar? No need to answer, it’s our little secret. Make it Rain! HaHa,nice post. S.S.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. As you mentioned, it would seem that every dbag doc has never been to a Mortons, Ruths Chris, or insert name here restaurant without it paid for by a company or rep. They always have their hand out and are pissed even more now that pharma can't supply them with all their crap as well. Makes me want to vomit
ReplyDeleteHaha. At one of my sales meetings taking docs to nudie bars was endorsed. Nice. I'm a chick and taking some doc there is last on my bucket list. I hate this job sometimes. But I love medicine and the OR. I wish it was really more about the patient and less about $$$$$.
ReplyDeleteMy company has half the floor space this year and budgeted 25% of last years budget because ROI isn't there. No "bio-skills" lab because ROI is better with video, and those that engage can be invited to a nice location for a cadaver lab experience. Docs have to get real with the Manufacturers of implants just as they've had to accept their workplace providers (OR/Hospitals) telling them whose implants they'll be using. We cannot continue handing out all these percs to individuals that do not have decision making ability anymore, whether or not they have an MD or DO suffix. Smart companies are going to start focusing on relationships with the Admin's of Hospital systems.
ReplyDeleteA Clinic Manager told me they had to purchase pens for the office. First time she's done that in 15 years of running offices. BooWhooooo.
ReplyDeletePoor clinic manager had to order pens, welcome to the real world. How many of us have gotten roped into buying lunch for these slugs only to find out that the doc could care less and all you end up doing is feeding 'em fat bitches? This ridiculous practice still exists. Some even have the audacity to ask where the dessert is. The only reason docs are nice to us at the annual Pig Roast is because they want companies coming back and subsidizing their alumni gathering. If the government had any balls they would cut their Medicare reimbursements and slap the shit out of em. Surgeons always complain about everyone except themselves. They're starting to behave like attorneys, you want to talk to them you have to pay them for the privilege, and they complain about attorneys. Maybe Ray Baker will send them their annual notice to not forget about the little people standing around like lap dogs in their booths hoping to discuss the features and benefits of a physician owned distributorship, despicable.
ReplyDeleteNASS is no longer a real medical conference. It's become an industry tradeshow. There's a big difference. The real goal for attendees is to build industry contacts. It might actually be better if the surgeons didn't come.
ReplyDeleteLate breaking news from the streets of Boca. Seems U.S. Spine's deal with Amedica isn't sunk after all. Is it possible that U.S. is willing to take the leap with a silk parachute over the golden version they were hoping for? Let's see where this goes folks, in this economy, any deal may be a great deal to get out of the spine business and open a smoothie stand next to the beach. A few other surgeon owned companies will be willing to ditch their shares for gift cards at Barnes and Noble, opting to buy the book, "Check your Ego at the Scrub Sink!"
ReplyDeleteMaybe they could take some of that capital and torpedo it into another sinking ship in Boca, Disc Motion Technology. What is it about opening shop in Boca. Could be the sun melts everyones mind, or is it that when they came up with these companies it was all a mirage. DMT and USS two peas in a pod.
ReplyDeleteNASS last educational meeting was Minneapolis 1994. The transformation to a brothel started the next year in DC, and was complete in 2000 in New Orleans. No intentional irony with these locations that I know of.... In NO, Zdeblick set the new standards when at the plenary session he shared 6-months 95% fusion rates in ~20 patients with his LT cage (even BEFORE Infuse!) while at the same time downgrading the previously reported fusion rates for the Novus cage from 94 to around 60%. (For those of you who are too young to remember, the LT is a Novus with a few degrees of lordosis, and that brilliant design modification has yielded Dr. Z some serious royalties.)
ReplyDeleteWith the increased scrutiny and economy the brothel business is suffering. It was about time.
wow! I couldve written that one m'self.
ReplyDeletewow every single person hides behind an anonymous comment... the same people who suck up to the bigwigs when they show up at the meeting anyway? hmmm....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 8:58
ReplyDeleteAren't we being a bit disingenuous castigating the masses? How do you know whether all of the commentators suck up to the bigwigs? Could it be that you speak from first hand experience? Think of how ridiculous you sound passing judgement on others while you are culpable like the rest.
LMFAO i don't even work in spine care, moron. but nice use of big words, you sound so smart.
ReplyDeleteDavid Paul could always play with the A hole from UK
ReplyDeleteWhats the answer then? Boycott? There will always be some sniveling little shit looking to undercut your relationship with a tit bar and a beer. The more important thing is that these guys aren't our friends. You can claim to have the best relationship in the world and the bottom line is you can be sold out just like it happened to someone else for you to get the business. I've done and so has everybody on this site. There is no loyalty in this business anymore. Service and product used to carry the water in spine. Now its $$$ and perks. Good luck not playing the game. Easy to judgmental and rich. A lot harder when you are broke with no business.
ReplyDeletedo you work for lmfao spine?
ReplyDeleteit's a company with a great deal of lmfao products.
unions are coming.
There never has been any loyalty in this business. Once the generation following the true pioneers started to appreciate how much money was involved, they overnight all became consultants, teachers, investigators, scientific advisors, and, most importantly, INVENTORS! A name on the inventors list justifies royalties, and reduces scrutiny. Never before were so many people needed to screw in a light bulb, sorry, I meant to have a light bulb go off to come up with a screw.
ReplyDeleteIMHO ---- Let's face it, the larger companies could boycott the event and other than the obvious 'holy crap, can you believe XYZ isn't here??" it wouldn't be too much of a sales ripple for them. The smaller companies have to be there --- out of sight...out of mind. Unfortunately it isn't whether you play the game or not, it's how much do you play the game. Everyone does it to one degree or another.
ReplyDeleteI vote YA for NASS. Especially if a 10'x10' booth is out of your budget. Why not rent a suite at the nearest hotel and have your dog & pony show there? It's been done before. Invite only of course.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, 3:03 you must be referring to Spine360?...Well played crooks, well played.
ReplyDeleteSpine360? What did they do?
ReplyDeleteNuVasive's Special Lateral Access Society Meeting on Tuesday to honor surgeons who make their reps the most money. Is that ok?
ReplyDeletefunny shit about USS and Amedica
ReplyDeleteGotta go see the sleazmeister aka Sendro continue to shop his bag of broken toys. Has he ever been legit? Say it ain't so that Amedica bought that crap- can you imagine the humiliation of having to share a booth with USS! btw- what's taking the DOJ so long- indict the sob already.
ReplyDeleteI say ya to NASS. it's not just steak and tits! if you're lucky you'll be whispered an invite to a tech suite (in defiance of NASS vendor fees) for fledgling companies like Symmetry, Spine Art, or Binder. Binder should be familiar to TSB readers as he admitted to downloading at least some of the alleged 2300 files the day before defecting from Synthes to Globus. His "new" Xgraft cortical ISD has hit the market, just don't give him access to your laptop.
ReplyDeletealleged thief to CEO. I love this business! http://wombletradesecrets.blogspot.com/2007/07/back-breaking-trade-secrets-trial.html
ReplyDeleteIf Wyss had any balls he would have Tony Soprano'd the dude along with David Paul. Would anyone expect any less
ReplyDeleteWyss? Balls? He is one of the top three biggest dbags to ever be in the industry. Successful - yes. Unfortunately he is despised by everyone at his company for being a skirt chasing dirty old man with a huge ego, hypocritical stance on the environment and someone that manages by fear, intimidation and scary eyebrows
ReplyDelete11:15, so what you're saying is that Wyss got what he deserved when he hired Paul.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a rumor about the demise of Impliant. A surgeon called me to tell me that they had stopped all enrollment in their US and EU trials. Any substance
ReplyDeleteI'm not a physician, or even in the medical field but is this really where I go for tits and steak?!
ReplyDeleteYou want any other recommendations?
ReplyDeleteSpinal USA and Choice are worse than Spine 360 and make Toad Staniford look like a saint
ReplyDeleteWho cares....it is in Orlando...What a waste of space
ReplyDelete5:19, exactly! It will be shuttle bus city, can't walk around, crap restaurants, do we need to go on?
ReplyDeleteToo bad some of you are so misinformed about the city of Orlando. Forget the theme park areas, which are not in Orlando but in Lake Buena Vista or Kissimmee, Orlando has great restaurants. And, most of us prefer the comfort of our cars, but we are not shuttle bus city either. Not unless you are lazy or unable to walk on your own.
ReplyDeleteWant good restaurants? Try DelFresco's, Flemings, Fuji Sushi, Houston's and Ravenous Pig all in Winter Park. Or in Orlando, off of Sand Lake Road, try Timpano's, j. Alexanders, Seasons 52, Christini's and Stonewood Grill. We have great weather, polite drivers, beautiful lakes and beaches close by. So stop complaining and whining.....
Whose complaining we are making an observation. Besides who holds a meeting in a swamp
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Orlando, take a breath. You have not traveled or experienced much of other cities and culture if you try to position central Florida and a bunch of chain restaurants (J Alexanders? Seasons 52? Are you fu**in kidding me?) with the San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Montreals (I could go on) of North America.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the orlando guy doesn't realize that location is half the pull for a lot of docs? Plus, Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee? Splitting hairs aren't we? They're friggin connected to Orlando and the only reason people come to that humid pit of an area. If it wasn't for disney you'd be a step above Ocala.
ReplyDeleteBTW, who wants to walk a mile in a suit with no sidewalk in humidity. No thanks
MM have you noticed that in the NASS final program that Synthes is boycotting NASS ---- no booth presence. There is a big statement
ReplyDeleteIf Synthes is boycotting NASS, more power to them. It's time someone made a statement, unfortunately, TSB finds it hard to believe that Synthes Spine would miss this opportunity.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nassannualmeeting.org/Documents/am10_finalprogram.pdf
ReplyDeletepage 191 and 200 of the final program = no Synthes
It's true. Synthes will not have a booth presence, but will look for other ways to support SURGEONS, not just meetings.
ReplyDeleteGood for Synthes!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletewhat does a badge cost anyway? why are you being so petty? Low on funds? child support eating you alive??
ReplyDeleteJust go to other venues or trade shows. NASS continually rips companies and sales people off. All they are doing is subsidizing what has turned out to be their own little love fest. PS: Not low on funds, children in college, nothing new at NASS, don't believe me, come back and tell me about it.
ReplyDeleteBig surprise :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/business/14devices.html?_r=4
Isn't NuVa doing a Double Secret XLIF Rep Training at NASS?
ReplyDeleteThere was talk about it.
ReplyDeleteDiamond Club and Rachel's have the bast darn steaks ever, and those are hard workin gals you're talkin about, please, while in Orlando stop by get some good food and enjoy a back-ally-hand-job
ReplyDeleteVendor badges are $1300 if you register on site. What a bargain.
ReplyDelete