Study: Neo Medical’s Pedicle Screw System Reduces OR Time, Cost

Neo Medical, a Swiss medtech company developing value-based care solutions to achieve a more functional fusion in spinal surgery, announced that a new study published in Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery has shown that its controlled fixation sterile packed NEO Pedicle Screw System of implants and instruments reduces operating room time by up to 29 percent* (23 minutes) and cost by 1,415 euros ($1,660) per treated case on average (short construct surgeries). The study further confirmed that Neo Medical streamlined instrumentation and optimized operative techniques deliver added value to both patients and healthcare suppliers.
 
In 2011, spinal fusion surgery was the procedure with the highest aggregate hospital costs ($12,837 million; 7.1 percent) with mean costs of $27,600 per hospital stay in the United States. A complex set of instruments and various screw options in different dimensions are offered by manufacturers to accomplish this task. Preparing these complex systems prior to and after surgery involves numerous processes that have to be evaluated in terms of time expenditure, logistics, patient safety and total costs. Beyond their good clinical outcomes, Neo Medical’s new generation of value-based care implant platforms are expected to improve the efficiency of the entire perioperative process, to minimize risks for users and patients and lead to significant savings in overall operational costs.
 
According to the publication, the time and cost savings using Neo Medical’s controlled fixation sterile platform in comparison to conventional reusable and re-sterilizable products can be essentially attributed to three factors: 1) sterile packaging of instrumentation and screw kits, 2) universally streamlined instruments and implants, and 3) meticulously optimized operative technique through modular embedded technologies. The study concluded that the reprocessing costs and the re-sterilization of legacy devices are the main drivers for additional indirect expenses due to surgery delays, cancellations and infection treatments.

Speaking about the results of this study, Vincent Lefauconnier, Neo Medical CEO, said: “Health expenditure has risen steadily and new value-based care technologies focusing on improving clinical outcomes while reducing overall costs to the healthcare system are critical to make sure that patients continue to get the best care moving forward. In this context, this study further exemplifies that Neo Medical solutions are fit for value-based healthcare and will play a critical role in bringing sustainability to spinal surgery by helping improve patient outcomes while optimizing processes to reduce cost. Everybody, from patients, payers, to healthcare suppliers, stands to win when using our platform.”
 
From an environmental point of view, a recent study¹ reported a 75 percent overall benefit for the application of a sterile single-use set with savings ranging from 45 percent to 85 percent on energy use, resource consumption, emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change. According to the study results, the main environmental impact for the reusable set is caused during sterilization with the greatest effect due to energy consumption for washing and steam sterilization which are totally eliminated by Neo Medical’s innovative technology platform.
 
Lefauconnier added: “This study is yet another proof point that a sterile platform with single-use modular instruments and universal implants significantly reduce the risk of contamination, corrosion, deterioration and damage. They avoid costs and resources in hospitals for handling, storage and reprocessing. They reduce the rate of O.R. cancelation and delay, and help to decrease surgical site infection and thereby reduce the need of further healthcare. For us, this is another testament that focusing on value-based care in spinal surgery is the only sustainable option today.”^1,2
 
* As compared to the OR time measured in the following study in the same center and same operator: Abdalla Y. A single-center post market clinical follow-up on the use of the Neo pedicle screw system: A retrospective PMFC (Data on File)

References 
¹ Leiden A, Cerdas F, Noriega D, Beyerlein J, Herrmann C. Life cycle assessment of a dis­posable and reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104704
² Abdalla Y. Value Based Healthcare: Maximizing efficacy and managing risk with spinal implant technology. Interdiscip Neurosurg 22 (2020) 100810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inat.2020.100810