Robin Young

Articles by Robin Young

Anika: Record Revenue, Strong Margins, and Good News

If you only glance at Anika Therapeutics' second-quarter earnings, you might think it's just another financial report…look a little closer.

Aug 12, 2026

Martin ‘Marty’ Altshuler Dies Age 65

It is with sadness that we publish this celebration of the life of Martin “Marty” Altshuler, one of the best known, loved and respected executives in the spine and orthopedic community.

May 27, 2026

Stryker Corporation Hit by Iranian-Aligned Hacker Strike

A suspected cyberattack has triggered a severe global technology outage at Stryker Corporation.

Mar 12, 2026

VISIE Announces Partner APIs and, in Effect, the Future of Surgery

VISIE announces the launch of a Partner API tool which allows any NAV or robotics system to seamlessly incorporate VISIE’s optical imaging system.

Feb 12, 2026

Indiana’s Crossroads Health Venture Fund Launch

On a cold Midwestern morning in early 2026, a new venture fund is quietly sharpening its pencil.

Feb 10, 2026

Medtronic Tagged for $380 Million – a Warning to Others?

The verdict against Medtronic, ordering damages in favor of rival Applied Medical Resources, is more than a high-stakes commercial dispute.

Feb 9, 2026

Augmedics Exits Spine: Future of Spine AR Navigation?

Augmedics announces that it is exiting the spine surgery market, an announcement that caught the entire industry by surprise. Why?

Feb 3, 2026

Cartilage Repair: 5-Year Outcomes From Cartilage Repair Thunderdome

Remarkable 5-year cartilage repair outcomes reported at the ICRS World Congress in Boston.

Dec 2, 2025

How Augmented Reality Is Rewriting Deformity Surgery

Can AR NAV perform in extreme deformity cases (56° to 98° Cobb Angle)?

Nov 20, 2025

Dynamic Scoliosis Tethering: Next Generation Tech Review

In this technology review, we highlight the latest advances in pediatric scoliosis care, specifically recent fusion-less correction advances. Check it out.

Sep 11, 2025

Embla Medical: A Nordic Vision for Global Mobility Innovation

A miracle. For amputees and other disabled patients, that’s the effect of intelligent prosthetics, mobility, and reimbursement. For supplier Embla Medical, formerly Össur, it’s who they are and what they do. Here’s our profile.

Jul 2, 2025

AMA Fights Prior Authorizations, Hockey Hits, and Spine Hiring

Here’s the latest in the Prior Authorization fight, hiring among spine companies and the worrying rise in youth hockey injuries. Rough Cuts for the week of June 23rd.

Jun 30, 2025

Bending the Spine—and Stock Market: Carlsmed Announces $100M IPO

Carlsmed, Inc. files to go “public” and raise $100 million. Goldman, Piper and Bank of America are leading. Will be a noteworthy deal, if successful. Here are the details.

Jun 27, 2025

Throw Your Navigation Camera Away: The Visie Story

“Move over Cold Dog, cause the Hot Dog’s moving in.” And “hot dog” is Visie’s spatial computing NAV camera. Takes surgical precision to logarithmically higher levels. Here are details.

Jun 25, 2025

OrthoCarolina’s Strategic Transformation

Change is hard, but necessary. OrthoCarolina, which serves 1 million patients with 1,600 employees at 39 locations, literally transformed itself. Lessons here for all MSK service providers. Here’s the inside story.

Jun 24, 2025

AAOS’s BIG Win and AMA’s Data Alert

AAOS’s members voted “YES” in record numbers to upgrade bylaws. Critics, notably Kevin Plancher, M.D., lost. Now…the hard work begins. Also, AMA sounds the alarm over physician health information.

Jun 17, 2025

Are Private Practices Sustainable? New AMA Data

More and more private practice Docs are throwing in the towel. Pay cuts. Increased costs and other burdens. Here are the numbers. Also ZBH finds a new gear and President. Here are details.

Jun 6, 2025

H.I.G. Sells Highridge’s EBI to Avista Healthcare

Highridge’s owner, H.I.G. Capital has sold its EBI business unit making Highridge a pure play spinal implant and instrument company. Here are the details.

Jun 6, 2025

ROUGH CUTS May 12, 2025

Jean Dubousset dies at age 89. He and Cotrel made spine surgery a specialty in its own right. Physician payment versus inflation—3 guesses who is wining and the first two don’t count. Finally, how tormenting patients fuels payer profits.

May 13, 2025

Plancher Sues AAOS: Loses Spectacularly

Keven Plancher, M.D. sued AAOS when his nomination for Second Vice President didn’t make the cut. That was his first mistake. He then doubled down. Here are the “you can’t make this up” facts. It’s a disconcerting story.

May 7, 2025

OTW Guide for AAOS By-Laws VOTE

AAOS MEMBERS: Your Critical Vote coming up. Get informed. Make an objective decision. SUPPORT your Academy and Society. Here is your GUIDE to the AAOS proposed Bylaws changes.

May 1, 2025

Albert DaCosta Says Goodbye and Thank You

Albert DaCosta’s heartfelt note to colleagues and friends the day after his sale to Zimmer closed…was beautiful. We reprint it. Recession. Odds are it’s coming. Are you ready? We lay out what to expect.

Apr 30, 2025

Massive Lawsuit Shocks Journal Publishing Oligopoly

It’s THE fight for the soul of science. Dr. Lucina Uddin, world renowned neuroscientist, sued ALL major journal publishers demanding they pay peer reviewers, stop coercing study authors, and stop violating anti-trust laws. Here’s the latest news.

Apr 29, 2025

Do Robots and NAV Dumb Down Surgery?

Do robots and NAV make surgeons dumber? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer and it’s an ongoing debate among spine and ortho surgeons. What’s the evidence? We have some early studies.

Apr 24, 2025

Ortho’s Ten Highest Paid CEOs

Who is the highest paid Ortho CEO? No surprise, it’s Kevin Lobo, CEO of the highest sales and profit generating ortho company. But who is the most underpaid? And who was the target of a shareholder revolt? We have the surprising answers.

Apr 24, 2025

Keith Valentine Is Barricaid’s New CEO

57-year-old Keith Valentine is Intrinsic Therapeutics new CEO! Which might surprise a lot of people. Valentine, who has helped build two-billion-dollar spine companies, could land anywhere. Why here? The answer might surprise. Basically, it’s what puts that smile on his face.

Apr 15, 2025

Tariff Takeaways for Ortho and Spine

Time to batten down the hatches. This time next week, tariffs may have moderated and the reaction from trading partners may be negotiation not retaliation. But, while we expect the best, we prepare for the worst and take what comes.

Apr 8, 2025

AAOS’s Change Initiative: The Amendola Interview

Voting on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s (AAOS) proposal to streamline its bylaws begins in about a month—May 2025. Change, as we’ve noted in prior articles about AAOS, is difficult. And AAOS’s board is embarking on a long overdue updating of its bylaws. While AAOS has received strong support, it has also been on the receiving end of vigorous criticism.

Apr 7, 2025

Implant+Data+Reimbursement: The New Model?

Canary Medical CEO Bill Hunter is pioneering a new supplier business model which scales for an AI and Big Data future.

Apr 1, 2025

Who Won the Final Four Ortho Startup Contest? Seven Semi-Finalists

Thirty-eight teams entered the 2025 AAOS OrthoPitch contest hoping to emerge as the National Champion musculoskeletal.

Mar 25, 2025

Metal vs PEKK – PEKK Wins, It’s Not Close

Time to take a long hard look at non-metal constructs? We’re referring to PEKK, not PEEK. PEKK is antibacterial, a bio-mechanical twin to cortical bone, hypoallergenic, modifiable in the OR, and a friendlier implant than metal. Yes, it’s time.

Mar 11, 2025

Birth Tissues Put to a High Energy Trauma Test

A small study from a single site put allograft birth tissues to a notably challenging test—treating high energy (auto accident, explosion or gunshot) injuries where the bone and tissue damage is extensive, complex, and the incidence rate of infection or revision surgeries is above average. Allograft birth tissues deliver soft tissue coverage and a cocktail […]

Mar 6, 2025

A New Chapter for Orthopedics This Week

The leading voice in orthopedics and spine reimagines its future while honoring its celebrated legacy

Mar 5, 2025

When Surgery Isn’t an Option, This Knee Tumor May Still Be Treated

Your patient presents with pain and swelling in the knee. She says that her joint is stiff, and her range of motion has declined. Arthritis? She also tells you that the skin over her knee feels warm and tender. Her swollen knee is painful, and she tells you she is experiencing functional limitations in her […]

Mar 4, 2025

Trump’s Tariffs, FDA and CMS Firings

How will these decisions affect suppliers, hospitals, physicians and patients? Tariffs Bottom line—still early, but tariffs, at some level, are likely. Companies with manufacturing in Mexico and Canada are most vulnerable—like ConMed. “For Mexico and Canada, an additional 25% tariff on the total product value crossing the border into the United States, using our current […]

Feb 26, 2025

The Real Story Behind Globus’s Nevro Deal

Nevro Corp., was founded in 2006, launched its first product in 2015, the HFX™ spinal cord stimulation (SCS) platform, which includes the Senza® SCS system to treat patients with back and leg pain. Over those nine development years, Nevro raised $153 million while losing money every year. Between 2015 and 2024, Nevro’s annual sales grew […]

Feb 26, 2025