Location Location Location: How Shifting Procedural Site of Service Affects Competitive Strategy in the Orthopedic Device Industry
Patients surgically treated for orthopedic indications have a unique set of characteristics when compared with other surgical patients; critically, surgical treatment for these patients is often elective. This differentiating factor is one of many contributing drivers to the noticeable changing site of service for some orthopedic procedures; many orthopedic procedures are moving away from the traditional hospital setting and towards ambulatory surgical centers. As a key stakeholder, medical device firms have to come to grips with this changing landscape and demonstrate the strategic willingness to capitalize on this trend. In spite of the presence of many significant obstacles, including but not limited to challenges to reimbursement in the ASC setting, medical device manufacturers looking to benefit from this site of service shift must adapt their existing portfolios, make an effort to understand the reimbursement and demographic landscape relevant to ASCs, and adjust their pricing and marketing strategies to target ASCs. In so doing, as ASCs assume a more pivotal role in orthopedic care over time, orthopedic medical device companies taking these steps can better ready themselves to effectively compete in the increasingly entrenched orthopedic device market.