Dear OTW Reader:
Has Dr. Javad Parvizi found THE solution for infection detection?…Applicant boom at HSS (and elsewhere)…James Lightman New VP at Wright…Are there surprises in store for young orthopedists flocking to hospital employment?…and more.
New Kit Rules Out Infection!
Javad Parvizi, M.D., director of research for The Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, tells OTW, “To date, all of the existing tests to diagnose infection have been difficult to use and have a low rate of accuracy. For the past six years my colleagues and I have been trying to develop some sort of molecular diagnosis for periprosthetic joint infection. We have removed the fluid from the joint and analyzed it for molecular markers; so far we have had great success with three markers. Our work, which has been recognized by the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and the Knee Society, involves one marker for leukocyte elastase, one for alpha two macroglobulin, and another for synovial c reactive protein. These three tests have been examined in a large cohort of patients with near 100% accuracy in distinguishing between sepsis and non sepsis. The work on leukocyte elastase was just published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Our plan is to formulate a kit—much like a pregnancy test—that will be available to doctors who need to aspirate joints to rule out or confirm infection. The best news? This is real time information…and it costs a whopping $8 per kit. We anticipate that the kits will be commercially available later this year.”
Vincent Gardès to lead Vexim as CEO
Vincent Gardès, who has over 15 years of international experience in marketing, sales and general management in the medtech industry, is taking the helm at CEO of Vexim. In 1995, Vincent Gardès started his career with Stryker Spine as Product Manager, Europe. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of Sales & Marketing Manager, Knees & Spine, at Stryker Spain. After returning to France in 1999, he served as Team Leader Hips, Europe, and then Group Product Manager Spine, Global, for Stryker Orthopaedics until 2002. At the end of that year, Vincent Gardès joined the Medtronic group as Division Manager Europe, Spine. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of Business Unit Manager, Spine & Biologics, France, and then became Regional Business Director, France & Iberia, in 2007. In September 2008, Vincent Gardès was appointed as General Manager, Iberia, at CR Bard.
Practices Preparing for Change
A hand and elbow surgeon is concerned about the economics of the field. He tells OTW, “At least 50% of new graduates in orthopedics are going directly to hospitals or medical institutions for employment. How will this affect patient care? We really don’t know yet. While the principles of care would likely remain the same, I think that some type of decisions regarding care would be altered. For example, not everyone who wants an MRI should have an MRI…there have to be checks and balances. Our hospital is at the point where we only have two departments that aren’t hospital owned. Pair this with the impending changes with respect to reimbursement and you have some real shifts in medicine. I am working with colleagues—and outside consultants—to determine how our practice can position itself if these global changes occur. So far we have decided that we should work at more hospitals in order to obtain some diversity. The country is really in a major period of change…when I went to medical school in the ‘80s we were told that at that point medicine constituted 10% of the gross national product…and that if it rose above 12% then that would be doomsday. The last I heard it was near 20%, so it’s clear that change is necessary.”
James Lightman Now Senior VP at Wright Medical
Wright has a new Senior VP, General Counsel and Secretary…James Lightman has over two decades of corporate legal experience and has held chief legal officer positions with leading healthcare technology companies including Eyeonics, IntraLase, Summit Autonomous and Amicore. In addition, Lightman served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel from February 2008 to November 2009 at Bausch + Lomb, where he most recently held the position of Vice President, Global Sales Operations until August 2011.
HSS Applicant Boom—May Be a Trend!
Laura Robbins, D.S.W., Senior Vice President of Education and Academic Affairs and Associate Scientist at Hospital for Special Surgery, is excited about the milestone they have hit. She tells OTW, “This year we had more applications to our orthopedic residency than ever before…600 applications for 8 spots. We have just now begun interviewing medical students, something which is especially challenging because we have to not only consider criteria we use such as the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination scores, but we must look more stringently at other criteria. Out of the 600, we will conduct interviews with 60 applicants. One example of additional criteria we will strongly consider is the person’s experience in the research arena. We will compare, for example, someone who has done research who has no publications versus someone who has performed research and has published several studies as the primary author. Overall, it is very exciting, and may represent a trend in orthopedics. I have heard from several colleagues at other institutions that they have also received an increase in applications for orthopedic residency programs.”
Hospital Employment Not Such as Good Deal?
A hand and upper extremity surgeon tells OTW, “My colleagues and I are feeling a fair amount of angst about all of the unknowns in medicine. In my state, Massachusetts, hospitals are prospectively establishing accountable care organizations—which is the equivalent of capitations. By doing this, Massachusetts hospitals are getting more benefits from insurers. Our hospital is holding a host of faculty meetings to try to explain what they are doing, but people remain confused and concerned. This, combined with the constant stream of regulations from the institution and the government as to things we have to do when documenting are making people feel like it’s 1984. Many people in private practice are throwing in the towel…I know of a very successful practice that has disbanded and all of the doctors became employees of the local hospital. As for the newly minted orthopedists who are flocking to hospitals because it seems financially wise, I have the sense that while some of these physicians have nice deals, as remunerations to hospitals decline, these doctors may find that their contracts are in jeopardy.”
Natacha Falcon, D.O. Joins Rothman Institute
Natacha Falcon, D.O., who specializes in the treatment of spinal conditions, is the newest physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Dr. Falcon is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and. She was previously Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Falcon earned her Doctor of Osteopathy from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency and also completed her Interventional Spine and Sports Fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Lanx Reaches Milestone, Expands Executive Team
Dan Gladney, Chairman and CEO of the spine surgery company Lanx, told OTW, “The 100th implantation of the versatile Durango System represents Lanx’s commitment to providing high quality, tested technologies to our surgeon customers and their patients. Durango is an important addition to our minimally invasive portfolio and offers unique benefits as compared to other stand-alone ALIF systems, enabling surgeons to address varied patient anatomy. With full commercial launch underway, we expect continued adoption and clinical success.” The company is also driving forward with a major expansion of its executive team. Wayne Chrystal joins Lanx as VP of Operations with more than 20 years of operations experience in various multinational entities. Prior to Lanx, Chrystal was the Vice President of Operations at Compex Technologies. Michael Hughes has been appointed Senior VP of International to lead the company’s ongoing international business expansion. He has nearly two decades of sales and sales management experience in the medical device and spine industry, including over 14 years with Biomet, Inc. & Interpore Cross. Pamela Snyder joins Lanx as Senior VP of Clinical & Regulatory Affairs. Snyder brings more than 25 years of experience in the spine and medical device industries. Before coming to Lanx, Snyder served as Principle Regulatory and Clinical Consultant for U.S. and OUS medical device companies, in addition to serving as the Director of Clinical & Regulatory Affairs at Spineology, Inc. Paul Hickey has been appointed Senior VP of Marketing and Research & Development. He brings over 20 years of spine and medical device experience in global strategic planning, marketing, new business development, and product development. Hickey was at Zimmer, Inc. for 18 years, including several key orthopedic and spine marketing and engineering leadership roles, most recently serving as Vice President of Global R&D and Emerging Technology for Zimmer Spine. Dana Klapper Cohen has joined Lanx as General Counsel. Cohen brings almost two decades of legal experience to Lanx’s management team. Previously, Cohen served as the General Counsel for Bacterin International, Inc.
