Medtronic misses sales targets but beats earnings expectations

By  Star Tribune – August 22, 2017

Medtronic missed quarterly sales targets because of a weeklong computer outage and slow manufacturing of glucose sensors, but the Minnesota-run medical device company still beat earnings expectations after a decline in its sales tax rate.

Medtronic shares dipped about 2 percent to $81.88 in early morning trading Tuesday.

Revenue from sales of medical devices from pacemakers to heart valves increased 3 percent to $7.39 billion in the three months ended July 28. Wall Street analysts had forecast $60 million more in sales than Medtronic reported.

However, the company beat earnings expectations by four cents per share, with adjusted diluted earnings of $1.12 per share. Adjusted net income climbed 6.7 percent to $1.54 billion, and the operating margin climbed half a percentage point, to 27 percent.

“We have now entered a period of clear acceleration in our innovation cycle, and we expect to see increasing momentum coming from several new product launches over the balance of the fiscal year,” chief executive Omar Ishrak said on the conference call Tuesday.

 

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EIT Emerging Implant Technologies Acquires 22 Patents for 3D Printed Expandable Cage Technology Based on Living Hinges from Dr. Morgan Lorio

Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH (EIT), a German medical device manufacturer exclusively focused on creating innovative technologies for spinal applications by utilizing additive manufacturing (“3D-Printing”), today announced the acquisition of a full patent portfolio of 22 issued and pending patents for 3D printed expandable spinal fusion cages based on living hinges from Morgan P. Lorio, MD. These patents cover the United States, Europe and many other global markets and provide EIT the option to offer a complete product range of fully 3D printed cages for both vertical and lateral expansion.

Dr. Morgan Lorio is triple board certified in spine, orthopaedic and hand surgery. Since recovering from a significant spinal injury, he has become a renowned advocate for patients with spinal injuries, an expert in spine policy, and a notable pioneer in spinal technology. He has special interests in cervical spine pathology affecting the upper extremity, artificial discs, motion preservation, and minimally invasive spinal surgery, as well as in issues particular to the female spine, such as sacroiliac joint disease and vertebral augmentation. Dr. Lorio practices at Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics in Nashville,TN.

Guntmar Eisen, CEO of EIT says “This IP is our platform to take fully 3D printed fusion cages to the next level by adding functionality to our EIT cellular titanium® cages. This will give the surgeon more options intraoperatively, reduce inventory and support MIS techniques – and at the same time reduce cost of expandable cages.”

Morgan Lorio, MD believes that “The combination of 3D printed cellular structures with functionality is disruptive game changing technology. It will give me better tools to restore my patients´ spinal balance and enlarge the cage footprints for better endplate coverage while experiencing faster spinal fusion. I am thrilled that these technologies will be advanced by the German engineering team of EIT.”

The first functional spinal fusion cages based on the patent acquisition will be launched in 2018.

About EIT

EIT is the first medical device manufacturer to exclusively focus on implants for spinal alignment, that are designed according to latest published science on optimal bone ingrowth in porous titanium scaffolds and produced with additive manufacturing methods.

The EIT implants are made of EIT Cellular Titanium®, that addresses the clinical shortcomings of the current cage designs and materials (non-fusion, biocompatibility, subsidence, migration and imaging distortion), thereby obtaining very promising fusion results and improved clinical outcome due to the qualities of the porous 3-D printing of titanium. The highly porous titanium scaffold ensures extensive bone ingrowth as a result of its specific design and elasticity close to the cancellous bone. Due to its unique design with a porosity of 80% the EIT implants ensure uncompromised imaging on X-ray and MRI and enabling excellent follow up on defining bone ingrowth and fusion with CT.

A complete portfolio of SMART Spinal Implants™ based on EIT Cellular Titanium® is available for the cervical and lumbar spine, with an extensive choice in footprint sizes, heights and lordosis angles to support the recreation of sagittal balance and alignment.

In July 2017 EIT has received full approval from the FDA to commercialize its spinal interbody product offerings for ALIF, TLIF, PLIF and Cervical procedures.

EIT was founded in 2014 by Hans Eekhof and Guntmar Eisen. Since then more than 10.000 EIT cases have been performed in over 15 markets globally.

 

MiMedx Signs Definitive Agreement to Divest Stability Biologics Subsidiary as Company’s Strategic Focus on Biopharma

MARIETTA, Ga.Aug. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG), the leading biopharmaceutical company developing and marketing regenerative and therapeutic biologics utilizing human placental tissue allografts and patent-protected processes for multiple sectors of healthcare, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with the former stockholders of Stability Inc. to divest the Company’s subsidiary, Stability Biologics LLC (f/k/a Stability Inc.) back to those stockholders.

The recent announcement by the Company to transition into a biopharmaceutical company was an impetus for this divestiture initiative.  Acquired by MiMedx in January 2016, Stability Biologics developed and processed bioactive bone graft products and tissue allografts including structural/particulate bone, structural allografts, demineralized bone matrix (DBM), skin products for burns and traumatic wound care, and Physio®, a bone grafting material. MiMedx acquired Stability Biologics with a combination of cash and stock paid at closing, with future contingent consideration to be paid through a two-year earn-out arrangement.

Parker H. “Pete” Petit, MiMedx CEO, said, “We remain very confident in our growth trajectory continuing and in our ability to meet or exceed the revenue projections we have previously set for 2017. In our press release of July 26, 2017, we raised our annual revenue guidance to the range of $309 million to $311 million. Assuming this transaction closes in the third quarter, we will maintain our full year revenue guidance. Even without the Stability Biologics revenue contribution in the fourth quarter, we are confident in our ability to meet our increased revenue guidance for the year. As such, we are also reaffirming all other guidance ranges for the third quarter and full year 2017 as communicated in our July 26 press release.”

Petit added, “We have determined that the Stability Biologics business is not a strategic fit with our new focus on becoming predominantly a biopharmaceutical company. While we believe the potential of Stability Biologics products continues to be significant, we expect to have better return on investment (ROI) opportunities in biopharma compared to those in the cadaver tissue category. A major incentive for the MiMedx acquisition of Stability Biologics was its independent sales representative organization. As part of the transaction, MiMedx will retain access to this sales rep organization via a distributor agreement with Stability. This group of sales reps will continue to focus on certain areas of our surgical business.”

Petit continued, “Our human placental tissue allografts are the source material for our primary asset base, which is a key technology differentiator in regenerative biologics. We are focusing our efforts on continuing down the Investigational New Drug/Biologics License Application (IND/BLA) regulatory pathways for numerous new therapeutic applications of our placental-based technology.  MiMedx will continue to demonstrate, through scientific and clinical studies and trials, the clinical and economic effectiveness of our regenerative biologics and therapies. After this divesture, MiMedx’s gross profit and operating profit margins are expected to improve.”

Mike Senken, MiMedx CFO, commented, “The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2017, and the consideration will include a promissory note issued by Stability Biologics in the principal amount of $3.5 million in favor of MiMedx and a waiver by the former stockholders of Stability, Inc. of all claims and rights to the Earn-Out consideration. The Company expects to book a one-time gain on this transaction of approximately $8 million to $10 million.”

Bill Taylor, MiMedx President and COO, commented, “Our infrastructure has been carefully adjusted and assembled to pursue our biopharma strategy. With this new strategic focus, the long-term strategy of Stability Biologics is no longer a strategic fit for MiMedx. That said, through a new “private label” distribution agreement with Stability Biologics, we have retained their key sales relationships for the spine and orthopedics areas of our surgical business.”

Brian Martin, CEO of Stability Biologics LLC, added, “We have enjoyed our association with MiMedx and believe we have benefited a great deal during our time as part of the MiMedx organization. We believe this transaction is a very positive event for both companies.”

About MiMedx

MiMedx® is a biopharmaceutical company developing and marketing regenerative and therapeutic biologics utilizing human placental tissue allografts and patent-protected processes for multiple sectors of healthcare. “Innovations in Regenerative Medicine” is the framework behind our mission to give physicians products and tissues to help the body heal itself. We process the human placental tissue utilizing our proprietary PURION® Process among other processes, to produce safe and effective allografts. MiMedx proprietary processing methodology employs aseptic processing techniques in addition to terminal sterilization. MiMedx is the leading supplier of placental tissue, having supplied over 1,000,000 allografts to date for application in the Wound Care, Burn, Surgical, Orthopedic, Spine, Sports Medicine, Ophthalmic and Dental sectors of healthcare. For additional information, please visit www.mimedx.com.

Important Cautionary Statement 

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s confidence in its overall growth trajectory in 2017 and ability to meet revenue projections for the year even without revenue from Stability Biologics, the Company’s expectations regarding the gain on the transaction, the Company’s belief that the potential for Stability Biologics continues to be significant, the Company’s belief that it will have better return on investment in the biopharma category compared to cadaver tissue, that the Company’s placental tissue allografts are its technology differentiator, that the Company will continue to be able to demonstrate the clinical and economic effectiveness of its regenerative biologics and therapies, the Company’s belief that its gross profit and operating margins will improve post-divestiture, and the Company’s belief that the distributor agreement with Stability Biologics retains key sales relationships for the Company. Forward-looking statements also may be identified by words such as “believe,” “except,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “will” and similar expressions, and are based on our current beliefs and expectations.

Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and we caution investors against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Among the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include that any of the Company’s growth, revenue, and gross profit and operating margins may not continue as expected or may decline, Stability Biologics may not continue to have great potential post-divestiture, that the financial impact of the transaction may not occur as predicted, that the Company may not experience better return on investment in biopharma over cadaver tissue or may not be able to adequately transition into the biopharma space to realize its perceived advantages, that the Company’s placental tissue allografts do not continue to be a technology differentiator as competition increases and/or new and different technologies are developed, and that the distributor agreement may fail to retain key sales relationships for the Company. For additional risks that might affect the Company, please review the Risk Factors section of our most recent annual report or quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE MiMedx Group, Inc.

Medovex Corporation Appoints Gorlin Companies Managing Partner Jesse Crowne Director and Executive Co-Chairman of the Board

ATLANTA, GA — (Marketwired) — 08/21/17 — Medovex Corp. (NASDAQ: MDVX) (“Medovex” or the “Company“), the developer of the DenerveX™ System, a new and novel device designed for enduring relief of Facet Joint Syndrome related to back pain, today announced it has appointed Jesse Crowne as Director and Executive Co-Chairman of the Board.

Jesse Crowne has been acting as a Vice President of Business Development for the Company since January 2015. Mr. Crowne has been a Managing Partner at Gorlin Companies; a healthcare focused single family office specializing in founding and funding early ventures since July 2015. Crowne replaces Steve Gorlin who will remain with the Company in a consultancy role.

Between August 2015 and January 2017, Mr. Crowne was the President of Vavotar Life Sciences, a private clinical stage biotechnology company developing antibody directed oncology products. Since 2016, Mr. Crowne has served as an Adjunct Professor at Westminster College teaching a course on financing new ventures to MBA students. From October 2013 to March 2014, he was the Co-Founder of Virtual Clinic Trials, LLC, a cloud based document management solution for clinical trials until it was sold to Global Deal Market in 2014. From 2010 to June 2014, he was an associate at White Pine Medical, a subsidiary of Essex Woodlands, which was a private equity investment fund seeking late stage medical device opportunities.

Steve Gorlin, Medovex Co-founder, stated, “I’m pleased to have accomplished my initial goal of seeing Medovex successfully progress from the development stage to the commercialization phase. I’m also extremely proud of our entire management team and their collective effort in getting us to the opportunistic place we find ourselves today. At no point in the Company’s history have I ever been more confident in its future. Over the years, I’ve been intimately involved in many small healthcare related companies which eventually went on to experience sizeable value creation, but few were as personal as Medovex. My continuing commitment to the company can be no better evidenced than by my Form 4 filing made Wednesday memorializing my open market purchase of an additional 200,000 shares of our stock.”

Gorlin continued, “I’ve worked closely with Jesse Crowne at my own company for some time now and I handpicked him based on a steadfast confidence in his ability to finish what we’ve started. I view him as the ideal person to assist in taking Medovex to the next level and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him, the board and management as we together seek to accomplish my ultimate goal of maximizing shareholder value.”

The Company’s DenerveX System recently received CE Mark approval and clearance for commercialization in the European countries and offers a unique way to perform a Facet Joint Syndrome treatment.

Facet Joint Syndrome (FJS), also known as spinal osteoarthritis, spinal arthritis, or facet joint osteoarthritis, is a significant health and economic problem in the United States and other countries in the EU and Rest of World affecting millions each year. Current treatment options are generally temporary and there is no proven long-lasting option for FJS.

The DenerveX System is a highly differentiated technology. It denervates and removes capsular tissue from the Facet Joint in one single procedure. Treatment results from the combined effect of a deburring or polishing action and RF ablation treatment on the Facet Joint. Using this new technique, the slowly rotating burr removes the targeted facet joint synovial membrane and joint surface while the heat ablation destroys tissue and denudes any residual nervous and synovial membrane overlying the joint, removing the end point sensory tissue of the joint.

The DenerveX System consists of the DenerveX Kit which contains the DenerveX Device, a single use medical device and the DenerveX Pro-40 Power Generator. DenerveX system is not yet FDA cleared.

About Medovex
Medovex was formed to acquire and develop a diversified portfolio of potentially ground breaking medical technology products. Criteria for selection include those products with potential for significant improvement in the quality of patient care combined with cost effectiveness. The Company’s first pipeline product, the DenerveX device, is intended to provide long lasting relief from pain associated with facet joint syndrome at significantly less cost than currently available options. To learn more about Medovex Corp., visit www.medovex.com

Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Medovex Corp.
Jason Assad
470-505-9905
Email Contact

 

© 2017 Marketwired

Exactech’s Truliant® Knee System Instrumentation Honored with International Design Excellence Award (IDEA®)

August 21, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exactech (Nasdaq:EXAC), a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products and biologic solutions for extremities, knee and hip, announced today that the new Truliant® Knee System’s surgical instrumentation received a bronze award in the 2017 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®). Sponsored annually by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the 2017 winners were recognized on Aug. 19 in Atlanta, Ga.

Exactech’s Truliant Knee System offers a comprehensive portfolio of implants and instrumentation to help surgeons address the remaining clinical challenges of total knee replacement. The goal of the ergonomic instrumentation design is to help surgeons make accurate and consistent bone cuts and adjustments to the joint during total knee arthroplasty. The designs embody Exactech’s brand strategy and offer surgeons a reproducible and efficient experience through:

  • Texturing and blue accents which indicate touch points for adjustability and functionality,
  • Elegant black background for high-contrast markings and easily identified grip locations,
  • Dials that offer tactile and auditory feedback with every click, and
  • Textured surfaces on handles and specific points which provide a secure grip and accommodate mechanical and functional needs of the user.

The industrial design project, a first for the company, was led by Exactech’s knee business segment. According to Laurent Angibaud, director of knee and CAS engineering at Exactech, “Merging customer input with solid design principles, our industrial design and technical engineers optimized the function and appearance of new instrumentation to improve user experience, which is core to our surgeon-focused culture. This award demonstrates Exactech’s commitment to developing solutions to address real clinical needs.”

Design Team Surgeon Sudheer Karlakki, FRCS (Orth) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom commented: “Truliant provides a harmonious balance of both functional improvements and format enhancements with a color scheme that aligns with the Exactech brand. An important design emphasis was placed on users being able to pick up any instrument and easily get a sense of its important working features. With its ergonomic and intuitive design intentions, surgeons and hospital staff should have an instant connection to the system; that is the real beauty of Truliant.”

Surgical teams across the country have been experiencing the benefits of Truliant through the system’s initial rollout and first cases. According to Tomas Nemickas, MD of Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, “My impression of the new Truliant system is that Exactech has done a fantastic job at fine-tuning a new set of instruments to allow for a more predictable and reproducible outcome. The award is well deserved and demonstrates what I have experienced firsthand with the Truliant Knee System.”

Certified Surgical Technologist Mary Joy Tanada from Stanford University said, “I was unbelievably surprised with the ease of use and simplicity of the Truliant instrumentation. The tools are well balanced in surgeons’ hands and easy to understand. The system is modular and organized into four trays that are all interchangeable based on needs of the case, making it streamlined and efficient for the entire surgical team.”

IDEA is a premier international design competition sponsored annually by the IDSA and judged by renowned design experts from around the world. The 2017 competition attracted hundreds of entries from 54 countries on six continents.

About Exactech

Based in Gainesville, Fla., Exactech develops and markets orthopaedic implant devices, related surgical instruments and biologic materials and services to hospitals and physicians. The company manufactures many of its orthopaedic devices at its Gainesville facility. Exactech’s orthopaedic products are used in the restoration of bones and joints that have deteriorated as a result of injury or diseases such as arthritis. Exactech markets its products in the United States, in addition to more than 30 markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Additional information about Exactech can be found at http://www.exac.com.

A current investment profile on Exactech (Nasdaq: EXAC) is available online at http://www.hawkassociates.com/profile/exac.cfm. To receive future releases in e-mail alerts, sign up at http://www.hawkassociates.com/about/alert.

This release contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which represent the company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events of the company’s financial performance. These forward-looking statements are further qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the effect of competitive pricing, the company’s dependence on the ability of third party manufacturers to produce components on a basis which is cost-effective to the company, market acceptance of the company’s products and the effects of government regulation. Results actually achieved may differ materially from expected results included in these statements.

Contacts

Exactech
Investor contacts
Jody Phillips, 352-377-1140
Executive Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer
or
Hawk Associates
Julie Marshall or Frank Hawkins, 305-451-1888
EXAC@hawkassociates.com
or
Exactech
Media contact
Priscilla Bennett, 352-377-1140
Vice President, Corporate & Marketing Communication

DePuy Synthes, Wright Medical Lead US Market for Orthopedic Small Bone and Joint Devices Due to Increased Foot & Ankle Procedures

Vancouver, BC — (ReleaseWire) — 08/18/2017 –According to a new series of reports on the U.S. market for orthopedic small bone and joint devices by iData Research (www.idataresearch.com), growth in the market is led by the foot & ankle device and shoulder reconstruction device segments. The fastest growing segment is the foot & ankle market, which grew roughly 9% in 2016. The foot & ankle device market features by far the greatest number of procedures, but many of them use relatively inexpensive implants. There is a trend towards arthroplasty devices over arthrodesis, which carries a higher average selling price (ASP) such as with ankle replacement over fusion and the treatment of hammertoe with implants over K-wires. This shifts in product preference are propelling the foot & ankle market’s growth due to the adoption of devices with higher ASPs.

“As the U.S. small bone and joint orthopedic market is adapting to the needs of the aging population, there is a need for regular updates, revisions, and brand-new products being introduced to the market,” explains Jeffrey Wong, Strategic Analyst Manager at iData Research. “With new innovations, physician training and proficiency in adopting any new product is crucial to its success.”

To see the contents of this orthopedics market report, please visit idataresearch.com.

The quality of device implantation depends on the proficiency of the surgeon and, as a result, the majority of procedures will be limited to centers where a high volume of implants is placed. This limitation will change as designs improve and durability data accumulates, resulting in more physician acceptance. Total wrist replacement remains a small market, but the shift towards the use of ulnar head replacement has already begun. This demonstrates that new products and procedures for the total wrist replacement market is slowly being accepted by more physicians in the region.

DePuy Synthes leads the U.S. small bone and joint orthopedic device market due to their strong market position in both the plate & screw and the external fixation device markets. DePuy Synthes was also very strong in the shoulder reconstruction, staple fixation, and foot & ankle device markets. DePuy Synthes’ largest revenues came from the shoulder reconstruction devices market, followed closely by the plate & screw device market, especially the distal radius plate market. The company was the first to introduce locking plates, which contributed considerably to the internal fixation market because of higher average selling prices per unit.

 

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Former CEO of Arthrocare Corporation Convicted for Orchestrating $750 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

Friday, August 18, 2017/Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs

A federal jury today convicted the former chief executive officer of ArthroCare Corporation, a publicly traded medical device company based in Austin, Texas, for his role in orchestrating a fraud scheme that resulted in shareholder losses of over $750 million.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Field office made the announcement.

After a two-week trial, a jury in the Western District of Texas found the former CEO, Michael Baker, 58, of Austin, Texas, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud and two counts of making false statements. Baker was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on July 17, 2013.

Evidence at trial demonstrated that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, masterminded and executed a scheme to artificially inflate sales and revenue through a series of end-of-quarter transactions involving several of ArthroCare’s distributors beginning in 2005 and continuing until 2009. Co-conspirators David Applegate and John Raffle, both former senior vice presidents of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in 2013 in connection with their participation in the scheme. Co-conspirator Michael Gluk, former chief financial officer of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud on June 14, in connection with his participation in the scheme.

The trial evidence showed that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, determined the type and amount of product to be shipped to distributors based on ArthroCare’s need to meet Wall Street analyst forecasts, rather than distributors’ actual orders. Baker and others then caused ArthroCare to “park” millions of dollars’ worth of ArthroCare’s medical devices at its distributors at the end of each relevant quarter. ArthroCare then reported these shipments as sales in its quarterly and annual filings at the time of the shipment, enabling the company to meet or exceed internal and external earnings forecasts.

Evidence at trial further showed that ArthroCare’s distributors agreed to accept shipment of millions of dollars of products in exchange for special conditions, including substantial, upfront cash commissions, extended payment terms and the ability to return products, allowing ArthroCare to falsely inflate revenue by tens of millions of dollars. Baker and others used DiscoCare, a privately owned Delaware corporation, as one of the distributors to cover shortfalls in ArthroCare’s revenue. At Baker’s direction, ArthroCare shipped product to DiscoCare that far exceeded DiscoCare’s needs.

Baker and others lied to investors and analysts about ArthroCare’s relationships with its distributors, including DiscoCare; Baker caused ArthroCare to acquire DiscoCare specifically to conceal from the investing public, the nature and financial significance of ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare, the evidence showed.

Evidence at trial also established that Baker lied when he was deposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2009 about ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare.

Following today’s verdict, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of the Western District of Texas, who presided over the trial, remanded Baker into custody. A sentencing date for Baker has not yet been scheduled.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud Section’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit Chief Benjamin D. Singer, Assistant Chief Henry P. Van Dyck and Trial Attorney Caitlin Cottingham.

Press Release Number:
17-926

Thomas H. Lee, MD, Installed as AOFAS President

ROSEMONT, Ill.Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Columbus area orthopaedic surgeon Thomas H. Lee, MD, has been elevated to president of the 2,200-member American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), the leading organization for lower extremity medicine and foot and ankle surgery. In addition to his role as president, Lee will serve on the Board of Directors of the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation (The Foundation).

Lee will focus his one-year term on maintaining foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons’ leadership in lower extremity care and on expanding educational and research opportunities to healthcare professionals in the US and internationally.

“The AOFAS represents the very best in orthopaedic surgery when we collaborate to learn, to teach, and to grow,” Lee said. “As healthcare evolves rapidly around us, the AOFAS will remain relevant to our members and responsive to the important issues they face.”

Lee earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and completed his orthopaedic residency at the New York Orthopaedic Hospital at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He received his fellowship training in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Lee is a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon in private practice in Pickerington, Ohio. He is active in humanitarian outreach, having volunteered as a surgeon for the AOFAS Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam, as well as projects in AfghanistanPakistan, and Haiti. A longtime member of the AOFAS, he has been a member and chair of numerous committees, served as president of The Foundation, and served for the last four years on the AOFAS Board of Directors.

About Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeons
Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the foot and ankle. Their education and training consists of four years of medical school, five years of postgraduate training, and often a fellowship year of specialized foot and ankle surgical training. Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons treat patients of all ages, performing reconstructive procedures, treating sports injuries, and managing foot and ankle trauma.

About the AOFAS
As the professional organization of foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons, the AOFAS promotes quality, ethical, and cost-effective patient care through education, research, and training of orthopaedic surgeons and other healthcare providers. The Society creates public awareness for the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle disorders and serves as a resource for government and industry as well as the national and international healthcare communities. For more information, visit www.aofas.org.

 

SOURCE American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

Related Links

http://www.aofas.org

CMS Proposes Joint Replacement Coverage at ASCs

By  | August 14, 2017

CMS announced on August 5 that they are considering whether to provide coverage for hip and knee replacement surgeries at outpatient surgery centers.

This kind of coverage could further incentivize patients to choose ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) over traditional hospitals for outpatient procedures, which worries some hospital leaders. Not only could hospitals stand to lose revenue for joint replacement surgeries, a substantial portion of their income, but many doctors do not yet feel comfortable performing some of these operations in outpatient settings.

Just last year, the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment unanimously agreed that CMS should remove total knee replacement from the inpatient only list. However, not all patients are good candidates for outpatient total joint replacement surgeries, and surgeons should take into consideration a patient’s age, BMI, and overall health before opting for outpatient surgery.

It is estimated that demand for joint replacement surgeries will grow 77 percent over the next 10 years, but only 3 percent of these are predicted to be inpatient procedures. Currently only about half of joint replacement patients spend 1-2 days in the hospital while recovering, leading experts to believe that outpatient joint replacements are a respectable option for outpatient surgery centers.

 

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Australians being hit for huge out-of-pocket surgery costs

August 17, 2017/Kirrily Schwarznews.com.au

SOME surgeons are charging thousands more than others for routine surgeries, leaving hapless patients to foot the extra costs out-of-pocket.

A new report by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Medibank says patients are being forced to pay as much as $5500 extra for knee and hip surgeries due to huge variations in surgical fees around the country.

Analysts used data from Medibank customers who claimed more than $5 as out-of-pocket expenses following surgery.

It’s pretty dry, but there are two significant takeaway points.

First: always shop around for a surgeon.

“There is a lot more to selecting a doctor than taking the first person that is recommended to you,” Dr Linda Swan, chief medical officer of Medibank, told Fairfax’s Kate Aubusson.

“[Cost] should be part of the referral process. They should be asking questions like ‘What is the expertise of this doctor?’, ‘How many procedures have they done?’, ‘What costs will I incur?’, ‘What hospitals will this doctor be able to walk right into?”

Second: consider flying to South Australia, where patients are asked to cough up much smaller amounts far less often than in other states.

KNEE REPLACEMENTS

The report surveyed 543 surgeons who performed at least five knee replacements, and found the cost of identical surgeries could range between $17,797 and $30,285.

Almost four out of every 10 patients were asked to cough up an average of $1885 — although that ranged as high as $5137.

Interestingly, while 59 per cent of patients were asked to shell out extra in New South Wales, only one per cent had to pay out-of-pocket in South Australia.

 

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