Medacta and Geisinger Announce Pilot to Stand Behind Cost of Hip Surgery for a Lifetime

MedTech Insight's Sue Darcey explored a novel partnership between Medacta International and Geisinger Health System in an in-depth piece on the duo's pilot program and its significance in the value-based care movement. In this first-of-its-kind collaboration, orthopedic leader Medacta and major health system Geisinger have partnered to provide a Geisinger Health Plan member who was receiving hip-replacement surgery an unlimited time frame for future surgical care and cost that may be needed. Medacta and Geisinger will proportionally share these costs, including the device itself and all hospital costs, which Medacta believes to be an unprecedented move for an orthopedic manufacturer.

In her piece, Darcey highlighted the surgeon education and training component of Medacta's business model, which the company believes is a crucial tool in improving clinical proficiency and innovation, and has inspired the confidence necessary to stand behind its orthopedic products for a lifetime.

"Under the pilot program, Medacta trains Geisinger Health surgeons...at Medacta orthopedic research and education centers, to use the AMIS [Anterior Minimally Invasive Surgery] technique to implant its replacement hips," Darcey wrote.

"'Alternatively, we can send our experienced physicians out to Geisinger ORs to train surgeons,' said [Sean Fitzsimmons, director of market development for Medacta USA]. 'Each surgeon trained gets to practice on one or two hip replacements,' he added. 'It's not like the usual situation where four surgeons sit around one operating table and observe the technique being performed,' Fitzsimmons noted."