NeuroMonitoring

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Medical Device Usage and the trends in Orthopedic and Spine Surgeries!!

Laura Miller's January 2012 report about the current status of Orthopedic and Spine Device companies published at the "Becker's Ortho & Spine Review journal provides an interesting birds eye view on medical device sales, marketing and growth trend among the well known device companies. [It is not a full analysis or review report, but a compilation of 10 companies and short two liner financial results] Though, Neurophysiologists or Intraoperative Neuromonitoring has got nothing to do with these companies directly, the general trend in what is happening at these medical devices provide a background knowledge about "the actual trend in Ortho and Spine surgeries", such as the number of surgical procedures done, trend in increase or decrease of such procedures around US and internationally, and also the trend in usage of such devices and systems by many surgeons across a spectrum of Ortho and spine surgeries. It is also important to note that not all surgical procedures involve devices from these companies where an IONM is sought by the surgeons.
The report took for consideration of the quarterly financial outlooks of Top 10 Medical device companies that are in the Ortho and Spine field and briefly summarizes their sales, revenues and marketing growth (mostly 2Q or 3Q, as I did not notice any 4Q results in that summary report?). Almost all the top 10 companies except Medtronic and Synthese' showed anywhere between 1.5%-10% decrease in sales and growth, most reported International growth seems to better for most of them. But, the overall trend for the year 2011, decrease in growth due to one or other reasons being either litigation settlements or lack of capturing enough marketing of their products to decrease in usage of their devices....etc...
Does this means the over all number of surgical procedures that are predicted to go up multifold is not happening or is it simply has to do with the surgeons are avoiding usage of medical devices in their surgical procedures?. Are the patients avoiding Ortho and Spine surgeries, it could be any of these?, but interesting to note until we see more reports and analysis in details.
I am not posting the whole article but the first paragraph and a Link,(click the word Link) feel free to visit the Becker's page.

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NeuroMonitoring Companies: Europe

Providers in Europe:
Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Practice at UniversitatsSpital Zurich:

NeuroMonitoring Suppliers in Europe:
1.CPS Medical: NeuroCode AG

NeuroMonitoring Supplier in Russia:
1.Neurosoft, Medical Diagnostic Equipment
Worldwide Distribution list

IONM in New Zealand:

What are the chances of getting a job?

Opportunities to get into neurophysiology technologist jobs are very limited, as there are only 20 neurophysiology technologists employed in New Zealand.

IONM in Switzerland:
Anandic Medical Systems a local Swiz company with GE Partnership that does neuromonitoring and neonatal pediatric neuromonitoring monitoring.

Medical/Health Care: Insurance Companies and IONM Policies, in their Eyes!?

Here is what the insurance Co Anthem Blue thinks about what is medically necessary or investigational as per their policies!

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Medical Policy Manual

  • Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring, including, but not limited to the following: Somatosensory-evoked potentials, brainstem auditory-evoked potentials, visual-evoked potential, EMG, motor-evoked potentials, and EEG, when performed during spinal, intracranial, or vascular procedures, is considered medically necessary if the medical appropriateness criteria are met. (See Medical Appropriateness below.)

  • Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring for other indications is considered investigational.

  • Any device utilized for this procedure must have FDA approval specific to the indication, otherwise it will be considered investigational. See also: Visual and Auditory Evoked Potential

Beware:- Do We Need this column?

Moved from Main page:-
Do Not Become victim to some New Org, association or society...! WARNING:- Be careful in signing up to some rogue organizations and memberships, You must realize that even professionals become prey for such tactics of bottom feeders, just think before you pay that fee, do we need another neuromontioring group, or organization or association bullshit?. They do not deserve to be even in the radar of scientific and medical communities, sorry!!!. I can only alert you, the rest is in your own hands, just because some one claims to have done or do the same kind of job a Professional and trained scholar can do, it means a jack shit!!!?, A doctor and a Doctarate cannot be replaced, those who claims to be doing some jobs can do something, but be careful to assess or compare it to a Doctor or Doctorate, such comparison will fail!!!. Society for Neuroscience and American Association of Anatomists are some of the most respectable and reputed scientific organizations, I dropped off my membership mainly because of their increased fees, I thought it was unjustified and unreasonable, but my respect to those two organizations will never be altered, they deserve great respect for what they do. Tthis message is not about such great associations, on the other hand it is about some rogue individuals trying to con the school students in IONM field or undergraduates who call themselves to be a neurophysioliogist??.Do not think that all the scientific or clinical organizations out there deserve the same respect like that of society for neuroscience or American association anatomists or American clinical Neurophysiologists or least they do the right things!!. Oh wait that is for those established organizations are out there already not for some rogues, but I have been seeing some internet activities of some rogue and decorated Neuromonitoring associations and societies trying to sprung up, just be careful about such org.The above message I had put up on my LinkedIN is to alert you, there are only a couple of Neuromonitoring associations established and in business already and they are good enough, we do not need every tom, dick and harry who did not even go to graduate school to start a association in the name of he or she is a tech for 10000 surgical cases, a Doctor and Doctorate cannot be replaced and there is no exception to it, so beware about rogue people starting societies and organizations and do not waste your hard earned money and resources to it...... stick to the deserved.