The Spine Industry: Guilty of Unrealistic Expectations?

TSB would like to thank all of our followers, on twitter, and those that continue to support us anonymously. Based on your feedback, those anonymous posters that do not contribute in a professional manner will be censored. No one is interested in reading baseless accusations regarding surgeon involvement with specific companies, unless that information exists in the public domain. Why?  In order to protect your anonymity, no one has the right to indict individuals by name, unless they are in the news, are under investigations, or have had legal charges levied against them.

MSM has had the privilege to travel and discuss the state of spine with many that carry competitive products.  Since the market crashed in '08, after the analysts' had downgraded growth expectations, your companies and their management teams continue to forecast revenue expectations that are unattainable. Why?  Slaves to the Street?  Most definitely, its about the stock and the shareholders  instead of the products. Adaptability? Not on your life. The reality is that these individuals are living in the past, or, they do not possess the ability to change.  How many of these individuals sold in the heyday of spine, still believing that some things have never changed?

No one ever said that man has the necessary skills to adapt to a changing environment. At the end of the day, man is a creature of habit, and old habits die hard. Your life's experiences are ingrained in your personalities. The spine market was already evolving before the Great Crash of '08.  Hardware innovation was grinding to a halt. With that in mind, everyone loves to say that they embraced change, they did it in the 2008 election, unfortunately none of us were are willing to make the sacrifice, because change is good as long as it doesn't effect you or me. Call it selfishness, call it greed, call it human nature. It's in our gestalt to deflect blame on someone else rather than look oneself in the mirror. But for those of you that compete in this "zero-sum market," contrary to what the new oracle of spine David Pavid may predict, exponential growth is not a sure thing, even if you believe that you can create 20 new products, or come up with creative ways to buy the business. MSM hears it from the distributors and their sales people who are sustaining marketshare but losing revenue, due to pricing pressures, to reimbursement issues, insurance denials, lack of innovation, in addition to having to compete in this cesspool that we call spine. Some of you will disagree. So how do you adapt and change in a hostile environment that has you pitted in a game of blink with your customers on one side, and your company on the other. The ability to sustain existing business or one's marketshare without losing a customer may actually be a testament to your character. Someone whom has built a reputation and a business on integrity, education, commitment, and a passion for one's craft. TSB can hear Doctor Famous ready to jump off the altar and attack. "What value do you bring?" "You are driving up the cost of healthcare!" Surgeons deride your skills, yet ironically, when their children do not possess the proclivity to follow their parents into medicine, where do they turn? Where else? The industry that they criticize, because by hiring their offsprings, you are going to drive down the cost of healthcare. They turn to the Medtronics, the DePuys, the Zimmers, the AlphWrecks, the Globus' to name a few. TSB calls them "children of entitlement" regardless that some will accuse TSB of envy. Walk a mile in my or your shoes and then you have the right to mouth off. Even in the adversarial climate that exists within America's hospitals your loyal customers know your true value.  Running sets around, getting up at 4:30 a.m. to cover a case, having to buy another lunch for an ungrateful office staff, even if its an outright violation of the laws. TSB does not see things getting better until we hit rock bottom, and only then will  the industry realize that the old ways of doing things just don't work anymore. Yesterdays dreams, are today's challenges.

So as we turn the corner and head into the last quarter of the fiscal calendar, who will be the market leader when we enter 2013?  Who will back up their promises with innovative products that will improve patient outcomes?  Where do we go from here?  Has spine's heyday come and gone or do we have some more life left in the old girl?  TSB wants to know?