ODT’s Most-Read Stories This Week—July 23

Regulatory, reimbursement, and M&A news drove ODT website traffic this past week.

Medtronic earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its UNiD Spine Analyzer v4.0 planning tool, which features a new “Degen Algorithm” for degenerative spine procedures. The machine learning algorithm helps surgeons plan and personalize lower lumbar spine surgeries and can predict spinal compensation mechanisms six months post-op. Updates to the pediatric and adult deformity algorithms were made to enhance compensatory change prediction. 

Newly-formed company ZimVie continued to generate headlines with a positive policy decision from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), a subsidiary/operating company of Elevance Health. BCBS’ medical policy decision is applicable to anterior vertebral body tethering (AVBT) and is effective from July 6. The decision expands potential treatment eligibility to patients indicated for AVBT within the 30+ million members covered under Anthem BCBS, and outlines the medical necessity criteria that must be met for coverage of AVBT. 

ARCH Medical Solutions Corp., meanwhile, acquired MedTorque (MT), a precision manufacturer of orthopedic instruments and implants with facilities in Kenosha, Wis., and Elmhurst, Ill., from Parallel49 Equity, a private equity firm. MedTorque serves a wide range of orthopedic applications, including spinal fusion and spinal arthroplasty; upper and lower extremities; large joint reconstruction; trauma; and robotic surgery. The Elmhurst, Ill., facility will operate as ARCH Medical Solutions – Elmhurst, and the Kenosha, Wis., facility will operate as ARCH – MedTorque. The acquisition expands the ARCH Medical Solutions repertoire and strengthens the company’s position as a diversified supplier in the medical device contract manufacturing market.

Two online exclusives also attracted cybervisitors. One discussed mdHACM allografts’ potential as a knee osteoarthritis treatment while the other—a holdover from the previous week—explained the revolutionary potential of light field technology on both medicine and surgery.

1. Medtronic’s Next-Gen UNiD Spine Analyzer Earns FDA Nod

2. mdHACM Allografts Demonstrate Potential in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis

3. ARCH Medical Solutions Acquires MedTorque

4. Radically Improving Medicine and Surgery With Light Field Technology

5. ZimVie Gains Coverage for Anterior Vertebral Body Tethering