From 2000 to 2006, spine was the hot technology sector in medical technology, according to Frank Phillips, MD, professor and director of the minimally invasive spine surgery section of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
However, he said "the world changed while all this hype was going on." Factors such as increasing rates and costs of surgery led to a decline in interest in spine innovation. At the 12th Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Paine Management-Driven ASC Conference in Chicago on June 12, Dr. Phillips identified the following three areas to focus on to drive innovation back up in the spine device sector.
1. Areas beyond product line extensions. Innovation going forward will come in various areas, such as the supply chain and business models. Dr. Phillips said it's important for spine companies to know that product line extensions aren't innovative, and product launches don't necessarily mean market expansion or company growth.
2. Predictability. Payers are looking for predictability, and innovation can help enhance the predictability of the outcome for a particular patient at the best cost, according to Dr. Phillips.
3. Empirical medicine. The spine device sector needs to move from intuitive medicine to empirical medicine, which involves data amassed to demonstrate average treatment effects, according to Dr. Phillips. From there, the sector can move to precision medicine, which can predict the most effective treatment for each patient. "In a lot of areas, not necessarily spine, there's molecular diagnostics," he said. "That's precision medicine. That's where we need to get."
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