by Dr. Matthew Runnalls
I had the pleasure of attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (#AAOS.23) in Las Vegas earlier this month. With over 20,000 attendees, the event was truly remarkable in both scale and energy, with a palpable excitement that comes from combining the energy of Las Vegas with 5 days devoted to discussing one of the areas of medicine experiencing the highest levels of growth and innovation.
As a physician and entrepreneur, I was struck that the key theme of this year’s event was the intersection of innovation and efficiency across all areas of the industry.
To frame the backdrop of this theme, a study presented by Dr. Matthew Edward Deren from the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues predicts that by 2050, the number of joint replacements performed per surgeon in the U.S. will need to double to meet demand. This could be avoided by a 10% increase in the number of surgeons every five years – yet current projections predict a 14% decrease in active surgeons by 2050. This impending workload surge requires new solutions for efficiency as surgeons and associated staff face the challenge of increasing efficiency while avoiding burnout.
It is clear that the medical device industry will be instrumental in helping orthopaedic surgeons handle increasing procedure volumes more efficiently. Stryker’s announcement of their 2.0 version surgical robot for knee replacements exemplifies this approach. Boosting a surgeon’s capacity from four to five or six knee replacements per day will significantly impact the overall efficiency and volume of procedures a surgeon can manage.
Additionally, the conference showcased other emerging technologies, such as a device capable of performing rapid PCR on a knee sample to identify the bacteria within a few hours rather than a few days. These novel enhancements provide surgeons with faster access to critical information, enabling quicker clinical decisions and helping address the growing issue of procedure load.
Another trend toward efficiency is seen in hospitals discharging patients more quickly following knee and hip replacements, with some joint replacements even being performed on an outpatient basis. A fascinating study presented at AAOS 2023 showed that patients experienced short discharge times and low readmission rates after outpatient total joint arthroplasty. This shift benefits both patients and surgeons, with patients benefiting from new techniques and technologies that allow for easier recovery, and allowing surgeons to focus on performing more procedures instead of lengthy follow-up care.
The rising workload for orthopaedic surgeons and the trend toward outpatient procedures underline the need for faster, more efficient processes across the industry. Stakeholders, including device companies, health tech companies, hospitals, and insurance companies, must collaborate to perform more procedures quickly without compromising quality. This shift requires leaner systems and reduced administrative tasks for surgeons.
The Changing Landscape for Medical Device Sales
As both a physician and entrepreneur working with medical device companies to improve their commercialization processes, I am struck by the implications of this new landscape. As surgeons grapple with this increasing demand for efficiency and volume in their practice, their interactions with medical device sales reps will also need to evolve. Surgeons will value reps who offer valuable insights that help them work faster.
To help reps hone this approach, companies must also refine their targeting of physicians. With growing workloads, understanding a surgeon’s daily procedures and practice habits, the volume of surgeries, and the associated challenges will be crucial for efficient and valuable conversations.
To sum up, while AAOS 23 brought attention to the challenges of time and workload, it’s important to recognize that these issues have been fundamental in medicine for a long time. Despite advancements in treatment, much of what we do is still based on timetables, whether it is rehab durations, procedure times, or the waiting period for a test result that helps a physician make a decision. If technological innovations turn these schedules on their heads, we could truly transform the practice of medicine.
