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Dec 08, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of Russia-Ukraine War and COVID-19 on this industry.

"Medical Device Connectors Market" Insights 2022 - By Applications (Hospital and Clinics, Diagnostic Laboratories and Imaging Centers, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others), By Types (Coaxial Connectors, RF Connectors, Din Connectors), By Segmentation analysis, Regions and Forecast to 2028. The Global Medical Device Connectors market Report provides In-depth analysis on the market status of the Medical Device Connectors Top manufacturers with best facts and figures, meaning, Definition, SWOT analysis, PESTAL analysis, expert opinions and the latest developments across the globe., the Medical Device Connectors Market Report contains Full TOC, Tables and Figures, and Chart with Key Analysis, Pre and Post COVID-19 Market Outbreak Impact Analysis and Situation by Regions.

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A accurate Buzzfeed list has me questioning everything I thought I knew about how surgeons are trained on new medical devices, and how adequately the medical device reps themselves are trained on new products.

"Medical device rep here. You know that complicated spine surgery you just had? There’s a good chance that critical aspects of your care were performed by your surgeon using specialized tools for the very first time, and were directed from someone like me, in real time, with no special medical training, and with maybe a week of product training," reads the first of 19 Caretaker Confessions.

It's no secret that medical device reps often attend surgery and other medical procedures, and that they are allowed to provide information regarding the safe and effective use of their company's products. After all, field reps are expected to be experts on the products they sell, and until now I've never really questioned whether or not medical device reps have been adequately trained on those products.

"Often knowing more about their devices than the surgeons who use them, medical device sales representatives have therefore become commonplace in operating rooms across the United States," Lisa Rice and Katie Stricklin, partners at Walsworth with expertise in life sciences litigation, writes in an article MD+DI published in 2017 that questions whether medical device sales reps in the operating room are an asset or a liability.

According to Rice and Stricklin, manufacturers have seen an increase in products liability claims based upon their sales reps’ alleged representations or actions during medical procedures. "There is a fine line that, when crossed, turns a sales rep from an asset to both manufacturers and surgeons into a potential liability for third-party claims," they write.

Such liability concerns are, in part, the reason most reputable medical device companies have corporate policies detailing expectations for field reps. Take Medtronic's global business conduct standards policy, for example.

It describes the company's field personnel as "highly trained on the operation and safe and effective use of Medtronic technologies," and goes on to read that they must be trained on the specific technology for which they are providing support. The document also spells out what reps are and are not allowed to do in the operating room. For example, the rep is not allowed to interfere with the surgeon or operating room staff's independent clinical decision-making, but they are supposed to speak up if a healthcare professional plans to use a company product in a manner that poses a risk to patient safety.

Similarly, Stryker's policy on attendance at surgery explicitly prohibits reps from handling or providing advice for any product manufactured by another company or even another Stryker division other than the medical device on which they have been trained. Stryker reps also are required to complete and regularly renew a Stryker-sponsored training program related to attendance at surgery.

Neither of these policies seem to define, however, exactly how much training is considered adequate, and I imagine that's because the learning curve would vary from one medical device to another. It's not unreasonable to believe that a week of training is sufficient for some types of products. For more advanced technologies, however, I would hope that reps receive significantly more than a week of product training. Or am I being naive?

The pandemic has put the kibosh on medical device reps attending surgery to some extent, but many hospitals and medical device companies are using remote collaboration tools like Zoom to compensate. One of MD+DI's predictions for 2022 medtech trends was that there would be a continued focus on remote training.

"With the abundance of innovation and new medical devices and technologies in healthcare, the need for extensive training for surgeons is becoming more and more necessary," Chris Luoma, senior vice president of global product management at GHX, told MD+DI. "With continued restrictions on who can enter the operating room, there needs to be a remote training option to assist in training medical device sales reps and surgeons."

Luoma mentions Explorer Surgical, a cloud-based platform that helps reps and doctors remotely join surgeries to train on them from anywhere in the world. "They have experienced tremendous success in the past year as remote training options prove to be a permanent solution for giving surgeons and reps access to the OR," he said.

Justin Barad, MD, CEO and co-founder at Osso VR, also pointed to the ongoing hospital staffing shortages as a driving factor behind the accelerated need for remote training and assessment. "Initially the concern was that trainees such as residents and fellows were falling behind given decreased case volume and sick leave. But now we are starting to see a worrisome trend of burnout and early retirement, especially in the nursing space," Barad said. "We need to secure our supply chain with a more efficient and rapid process to develop our HCP workforce in addition to ensuring a minimum level of proficiency that can provide consistent and outstanding outcomes for patients."

Virtual reality technology is becoming an increasingly popular training surgical training tool, and more and more studies are suggesting that VR training actually Improve surgical proficiency compared to traditional surgical training methods.

Gamification technologies are also finding its way into surgical training. Level Ex has launched Virtual Technique Guides, described by the company as a “collaborative surgical training platform [that] applies the multiplayer interactivity of cloud gaming to enable surgeons to perform virtual procedures with medical device sales representatives over the same web conferencing platform."

Using Level Ex’s technology, reps can send a link or a QR Code to surgeons that takes them to a cloud-based virtual surgery for a virtual patient that is “totally interactive,” Sam Glassenberg, founder and CEO at Level Ex, told MD+DI in 2020. “We can just jump in there and do a surgery.”

My hope is that the medical device rep who shared their dirty little secret about product training with Buzzfeed is either exaggerating the lack of training involved with new products, or they are describing a worst-case scenario. My fear, however, is that their confession may point to a widespread problem in the industry.

Are you a medical device rep or other industry expert with insight about this topic? Share your thoughts with me at [email protected] Please put "medical device training" in the subject line.

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

Dec 05, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- Global Medical Surgical Lasers Market research report includes Precise company profiling of leading players of the Medical Surgical Lasers market. All of the segments studied in the report are analyzed based on different factors such as market share, revenue, and CAGR. The analysts have also thoroughly analyzed different regions such as North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific on the basis of production, revenue, and sales in the Medical Surgical Lasers market. The researchers used advanced primary and secondary research methodologies and tools for preparing this report on the Medical Surgical Lasers market.The key factors such as market size, revenue analysis, market value, and quantity are explained. This study analyses market maturity analysis, concentration, and scope of development across the region. Players can use the accurate market facts and figures and statistical studies provided in the report to understand the current and future growth of the global Medical Surgical Lasers market.

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

GENEVA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–December 7, 2022–

The World Economic Forum, the world’s foremost international organization for public-private cooperation, has named U.S.-based medical technology company Xenco Medical the winner of its 2022 New Champions Award for Excellence in Sustainable Growth. The prestigious award from the World Economic Forum recognizes exceptional efforts “in sending market signals and scaling innovative solutions for revitalizing societies” and “accelerating technology and innovation.” Xenco Medical Founder and CEO Jason Haider accepted the award from the World Economic Forum at an awards ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 2nd.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221207005014/en/

The World Economic Forum has named Xenco Medical the winner of the 2022 New Champions Award for Excellence in Sustainable Growth. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are thrilled by this immense honor and grateful to the World Economic Forum for recognizing the deep impact of our technologies and the unabating fidelity of our commitment to transforming healthcare,” said Jason Haider.

A leading innovator in the medical device sector, Xenco Medical has pioneered a new category of surgical implant systems with its sterile-packaged spinal implants pre-attached to disposable, composite polymer delivery instruments. Developed at the intersection of materials science and mechanical engineering, the highly reinforced, composite polymer instruments included with each of Xenco Medical’s implants allow for both consistent mechanical performance and the elimination of the costly logistics associated with the autoclave process.

Amplifying the impact of its breakthrough surgical devices, Xenco Medical has also introduced transformative, digitally-driven technologies ranging from its WiFi-enabled surgical vending machines for real-time inventory monitoring of Xenco Medical’s implant systems to the world’s first glasses-free holographic surgical simulation platform, enabling surgeons to translate 2-dimensional datasets such as CT and MRI scans into interactive, holographic reconstructions on a light field display.

About Xenco Medical

Xenco Medical is an American medical technology company committed to disruptive innovation for the purposes of creating a safer surgical environment. Through Xenco Medical’s line of disposable, sterile-packaged spinal implant systems, surgical vending solutions, and software technology, it seeks to make spine surgery more accessible and efficient for healthcare facilities nationwide. For more information on Xenco Medical, visit www.xencomedical.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221207005014/en/

Xenco Medical
Brian Fitz
858-202-1505
info@xencomedical.com

The collaboration involves commercial teams from the two companies working together. They’ll focus on selling to select hospitals in Italy, France, Germany and Brazil.

“By entering into this collaboration agreement with Ethicon in select markets, CMR believes that this combination of expertise in minimal access surgery and digital innovation will deliver an optimized offering to customers” CMR Surgical CEO Per Vegard Nerseth said in a news release. “CMR looks forward to progressing this agreement in strategically important regions as CMR continues to rapidly expand on a global scale.”

The news comes only weeks after the Cambridge, U.K.–based surgical robotics upstart announced that it had installed more than 100 Versius robotic surgery systems worldwide. There are now Versius robots in operation across Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

To meet the growing demand, CMR Surgical is working on building a roughly 75,000-square-foot global manufacturing hub in Cambridgeshire.

The collaboration could fuel CMR Surgical’s global expansion

Partnering with Ethicon is the latest exciting turn of events in the robot-assisted surgery space. Many big and small companies seek to compete against Intuitive, the dominant soft-tissue surgical robotics company. (Here are 16 robotic surgery companies to know. And here are eight more, including CMR.)

The Versius system features freedom of port placement. The feature enables procedures tailored to the needs of each patient. For example, surgeons can operate the way they did laparoscopically but with the benefits of robotic surgery, according to the company. In addition, Versius has a small, lightweight, modular design that health provider staff can move around “effortlessly.”

CMR Surgical says Versius is the market’s only small, modular, portable robot. The design makes it suitable for all sizes of hospitals and surgical care centers. Surgeons have the flexibility to perform a fully-robotic procedure or a combination of robotic and manual laparoscopic procedures. As a result, surgeons can decide what is best.

Partnering with Ethicon goes along with CMR Surgical’s rapid global expansion strategy. At the same time, CMR Surgical said it would continue to work and collaborate independently. Plus, investments will remain heavy for the training and servicing offered to customers.

Where is Johnson & Johnson Ethicon headed in surgical robotics?

A statement shared with MassDevice by J&J spokesperson Ryan Carbain elaborated on Ethicon’s goals in the partnership: “The targeted collaboration agreement will focus on select hospitals in specific regions, and will enable Ethicon and CMR teams to jointly offer hospitals the advantages of their complementary portfolios together. This commercial collaboration underscores Ethicon’s commitment to providing healthcare partners with best-in-class surgical solutions that focus on the unique needs of every patient.”

Meanwhile, there hasn’t been much news regarding J&J Ethicon’s plans for its Ottava system — its soft-tissue robotics play.

Today, a company statement shared with MassDevice said: “We continue to be excited about and committed to our Ottava program. We look forward to delivering a competitive soft tissue robotic solution.”

Fortis Advisors has an active lawsuit in Delaware on behalf of the Auris shareholders who were behind the Ottava technology and the previous Monarch robotic system that J&J has cleared for certain indications. Despite the challenges, Monarch continues to advance, winning a new 510(k) in May.

J&J acquired Auris in 2019 for $3.4 billion. J&J describes the lawsuit as “wholly without merit.”

According to a accurate market survey conducted by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global Surgical Drainage Devices Market was valued at US$ 1.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$ 2.9 billion by 2032. The market for Active Drains is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2022 and 2032. Between 2017 and 2021, the value of the Active Drains Market increased at a CAGR of around 6.7%.

Active drains are fluid collection systems that deposit fluid in reservoirs. These reservoirs limit the exposure of hospital workers to contaminated fluid. Active drains remove fluid from a wound or body cavity by using an artificial pressure gradient.

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Patients with active drains experienced 6% delayed healing, compared to 54% for those with passive drains, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Active drains have a significant impact on the outcome of cardiothoracic surgeries, particularly in children. As a result, the prevalence of chronic diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis has increased, as has the use of active surgical drain devices among a diverse range of end-users. This appears to be driven primarily by significant advancements in the medical device industry.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Surgical Drainage Devices Market

The pandemic disrupted routine hospital services worldwide. During the pandemic, the hospital reduces the number of elective surgeries for patient safety. Reduced elective surgery protected patients from viral transmission, but it resulted in a drop in global demand for Surgical Drainage Devices. Over 20 million elective surgeries were cancelled during the pandemic, according to a report published in the British journal of surgery.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Competitive Landscape

Some of the key players in Surgical Drainage Devices include Acelity, Teleflex Incorporated, Cardinal Health, Medtronic, Cook Medical, Johnson and Johnson, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Smith & Nephew plc, Stryker, Becton Dickinson, and Centese.

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Some of the accurate developments of key surgical drains devices providers are as follows:

• Centese developed a self-cleaning chest tube device in October 2021 that provides more accurate measurements for monitoring patients recovering from heart or lung surgery. Centese’s invention is known as the Thoraguard device. This device will assist Centese in accelerating its growth in the surgical drainage device segment.
• Smith & Nephew plc announced the acquisition of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. in April 2019. This acquisition will help Smith & Nephew’s surgical drains business grow even faster and advance the wound care franchise.
• 3M announced the acquisition of Acelity, Inc. in October 2019.

Surgical Drainage Devices Market Segmentation

By Product Type:

• Active drains
• Passive drains

By Application:

• Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeries
• Neurosurgical Procedures
• Abdominal Surgery
• Orthopedics
• Other Applications

By End-Use:

• Hospitals
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers
• Clinics

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More Insights Available

Future Market Insights, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the Surgical Drainage Devices    Market, presenting historical market data (2017-2021) and forecast statistics for the period of 2022-2032.

The study reveals extensive growth in Surgical Drainage Devices Market in terms of Product Type (Active Drains, Passive Drains), Application (Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeries, Neurosurgical Procedures, Abdominal Surgery, Orthopedics, Other Applications.) by End use (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Clinics) across five regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa).

About Future Market Insights (FMI) 

Future Market Insights (ESOMAR certified market research organization and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel and End Use over the next 10-years.

Contact:

Future Market Insights, Inc.
Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive,
Suite 401, Newark, Delaware – 19713, USA
T: +1-845-579-5705
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When Rich DiPaola needed new hips this year, the retired engineer headed north. He lives in Grand Junction — the regional medical center of western Colorado — but he chose to travel two hours to an out-of-the-way town long known as a hunters’ haven, not a medical destination.

He had heard from friends and acquaintances that he could get top-notch orthopedic care in Meeker, a town of 2,600 people, 100 miles up Colorado 13 in the middle of some of the emptiest land in Colorado.

His choice to make that trek put him among more than 6,900 “medical tourists” who have traveled to Meeker in the past two years for treatment for their creaky knees and unstable hips.

Since 2020, when Pioneers Medical Center in Meeker added a full-fledged orthopedic wing to the small county-owned hospital, Meeker has become a go-to place for orthopedic care. More than 11,480 patients have sought joint replacements and other orthopedic treatments at Pioneers’ Colorado Advanced Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Spine Center.

More than 60% of those came from outside Rio Blanco County, many from around western Colorado and southern Wyoming. There have also been patients from across the country, as evidenced by a map pinned to a clinic wall under the message, “See how far our care has spread!!” A web of strings and pins stretches from Colorado across the country. Several patients have come from Iraq and Germany.

“It’s quite a deal. It has had quite an impact on our little town, for sure,” said Bobby Gutierrez, who with his wife, Wendy, owns Wendll’s coffee shop on Meeker’s main drag where patients with canes, walkers and slings show up at his takeout window for breakfast burritos and coffee. Gutierrez said he also sees lots of blue and green scrubs. Surgical staff members are regular customers.

An odd destination for medical tourists

If Meeker seems like an unusual place for a growing medical tourism market, that’s because geographically and sizewise it is.

Meeker sits in the middle of 3.5 million acres of public land, a big chunk of it the White River National Forest. It is named after the Indian agent Nathan Meeker, who died in the infamous Meeker Massacre in 1879 when the Utes attacked an Indian agency, leading to the ultimate removal of the Utes from their homeland, and to the establishment of the town of Meeker six years later.

Meeker became a hub of banking and trade for northwestern Colorado, mainly serving sheep and cattle ranchers whose descendants still populate the area. 

In modern days, gas and oil drilling and coal mining have become the largest employers and kept the town alive, albeit with the roller-coaster economy those industries tend to bring.

A Rio Blanco County Economic Update completed earlier this year shows oil and gas drilling on a steep decline and coal mining dropping to a lesser degree. After energy sector jobs, health care and social assistance now account for the second largest source of jobs.

Outdoor recreationalists contribute to the economy seasonally — hikers in summer, sled-dog aficionados and ice fishing enthusiasts in winter. An annual sheepdog competition has put the town on the global map. And hunters paint the town orange during deer and elk seasons because of all those wide-open spaces that hold an average of only two people per square mile.

Meeker’s hunting pedigree is evident in photographs of Theodore Roosevelt that dot the town. He came to Meeker twice to shoot bears and mountain lions.

Billionaires have also discovered the Meeker area. Henry Kravis had owned a 4,000-acre ranch and a 19,000-sq-ft home east of Meeker for two decades before he sold it to a foreign LLC in 2020. Former Goldman Sachs president Jon Winkelried owns two nearby ranches.

Dr. Kevin Borchard — the magnet for the medical pilgrimages to Meeker — was still a toddler when his attorney father, Kent Borchard — currently the mayor of Meeker — moved his family to town from Boulder. Dr. Borchard said he grew up loving the small-town atmosphere of Meeker. After medical school at the University of Colorado, a stint as an Air Force doctor, a Boston fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery under some of the top surgeons in the country, and a couple of years practicing in neighboring Craig, Borchard decided he wanted to practice full time back in the place that feels like his hometown.

The hometown feel for Borchard has broad tentacles. Besides his father, the mayor, Dr. Borchard’s brother Kristofer is the director of surgical services for the orthopedic clinic. Two of his sisters are physicians. Borchards are on nearly all local boards. Borchard’s father-in-law is a retired physician in Meeker. Dr. Borchard and Kristofer also opened the Smoking River Brewery in Meeker last year, which has become a local gathering place.

That tight-knit fiber of Meeker is part of what makes the orthopedic clinic work, Borchard said. To him, Meeker is an ideal place to combine high-caliber surgical care with a small-town-friendly atmosphere surrounding that care.

“We keep a focus on good, high-quality surgery with a sharp attention to detail and processes designed to keep patients safe,” Borchard said. “And we never want our patients to feel they are rushed or they aren’t important.”

He returned to practice in Meeker seven years ago and began doing surgeries in the 46-bed Pioneers Medical Center that includes about three dozen rooms in an assisted-living wing. News about his skills spread, and physicians and physical therapists from outside Meeker began advising patients to head there for their joint replacements, particularly for replacements of replacements. Borchard specializes in the tricky surgeries required to remove and replace artificial joints that have gone bad due to infection, misalignment, or simply wearing out.

Borchard’s growing patient load prompted Pioneers to add an 11,000-square-foot specialty orthopedic clinic two years ago. This summer, after Borchard drew five other physicians to the practice, another 4,000-square-foot addition was built. The clinic now has three operating rooms and a state-of-the-art Mako SmartRobotics system. 

Rachel Gates, marketing director for Pioneers Medical Center and a director of its foundation, said news about the clinic initially spread through word-of-mouth. She said that word no longer hinges on just happy patients talking up the clinic. Pioneers uses sophisticated search-engine tracking on social media to keep information about the clinic up front in the virtual world and also has an extensive print and digital ad campaign.

Becker’s Hospital Review recently boosted Pioneers reputation by naming it one of the top hospitals in the Western United States for patient experience. Pioneers was among 26 other medical facilities given recognition, and was the only critical-access hospital in the state to be included. Pioneers is considered a Level IV trauma care facility, meaning it can handle basic emergencies, surgery and critical care for patients who don’t need to be transferred out to a higher-level hospital.

Borchard’s record is also part of the equation. With the help of a staff that takes the sterile environment for surgery very seriously, he has had zero infections with his patients and zero readmissions to the hospital.

That is documented by Stryker, the company that makes the robotic arm, a technology that allows surgeons to more precisely place knee and hip replacement parts. Stryker’s statistics also show that the length of time for orthopedic patients in the hospital is 32 hours compared with 37 hours for the average joint replacement patient. All of Borchard’s patients have been discharged to home instead of into rehabilitation facilities. 

Borchard said the robot has led to faster healing times and fewer complications. He said looking at a CAT scan image while manipulating the surgical tools results in shorter surgery times and less damage to tissue and ligaments. Borchard also uses a technique that doesn’t require tourniquets, another factor lessening pain and damage from surgery.

Borchard doesn’t just do knees and hips, although those are his primary focus. The other physicians — all fellowship trained in different areas of expertise — whom he has attracted to the practice in Meeker, round out expertise in other body parts.

Dr. Dan Ward, also specializes in knees and hips; Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki is a spine reconstruction expert; Dr. Gregg Martyak focuses on hand and upper extremity problems; Drs. Justin Grant and Mark Purnell specialize in sports medicine. Grant lives in Meeker. The other surgeons travel to the clinic from other areas.

Pioneers hospital is an economic engine

Meeker doesn’t have quantitative data yet to say how much medical tourism is affecting the town. Mandi Etheridge, the Meeker town administrator, said trying to break out the hospital’s direct impact on the community has been “too complicated.” She noted that sales tax figures held steady throughout the pandemic shutdown period.

“I think the hospital certainly helped keep us afloat,” Etheridge said.

The county’s most accurate economic update shows sales and use taxes up 10% in Meeker into the first quarter of this year. The update lists 452 employees in the mining sector and 387 in the field of health care and social assistance. Around 200 of those workers are employed at Pioneers, making it one of the largest employers in the county.

We keep a focus on good, high-quality surgery with a sharp attention to detail and processes designed to keep patients safe. And we never want our patients to feel they are rushed or they aren’t important.

— Dr. Kevin Borchard, a magnet for medical pilgrimages to Meeker

\

The county and other area governmental agencies have given the 70-year-old Pioneers hospital strong support.  An intergovernmental group decided back in 2013 to replace the outdated hospital in the middle of town with a new facility on a hillside near the Meeker Airport.

Through the Eastern Rio Blanco County Health Service District, the town, the county, the fire district, and even the cemetery and sewer districts, signed on to an agreement to help Pioneers grow with the $9 million clinic addition and, in the process, to add an economic development tool for Meeker. The district did it without raising the hospital-funding 7.280 mill levy that in 2021 collected about $3.5 million in property taxes.

Etheridge said there was a general recognition that medical care is not a boom-and-bust industry like oil and gas and coal. There was also awareness of the need for proactive measures to keep the hospital’s bottom line healthy because so many small hospitals around the country are failing.  

“Everybody was on board to lift up that concept,” Etheridge said.

Medical “tourists” have a wider impact on the town because when they come for surgery, they usually spend two nights in a local motel or hotel. They have meals in restaurants. And their family members shop and spend time in cafes while they are waiting.

Roger Chang, the owner of the White River Inn, the motel closest to the hospital, confirmed that the orthopedic clinic has boosted his business, and lessened the workload for a cleaning staff long used to muddy hunters.

“We have guests coming for surgery about every week,” he said. “And those guests are very much better than hunters. Hunters make a lot more work for us.”

Andrea Gianinetti, who serves on the board of the Meeker Chamber of Commerce and owns Gianinetti’s Powersports Rental with her husband, said the orthopedic clinic doesn’t directly impact their business because patients don’t tend to rent ATVs and Razors for whizzing around the 580 miles of trails accessible from Meeker.

She believes it is positively impacting the Meeker business community — and the overall well-being of the town.

“We all went to school with Kevin. He could have chosen to go anywhere after his training. But he chose to come back here. It is just a really cool kind of small-town thing,” she said. “It is interesting to have something so prestigious in our community now.”

The clinic is growing, but Borchard doesn’t want outposts 

Leslie Boyd, a Grand Junction retiree, found out about the Meeker orthopedic clinic from a paid-for Pioneers-generated article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. She took it to her physical therapist to ask for his advice. He recommended she go to Borchard. She said he told her Borchard was the only surgeon he would recommend for her crippling knee problems.

She arrived in Meeker with a touch of trepidation.

“It was interesting because there is nothing much there, but this hospital stands out. It is state-of-the-art. It stands out in a town with a lot of older-looking buildings,” she said.

 She returned to Grand Junction the day after the surgery and two weeks later, was doing everything she was involved in before the surgery, including singing on stage with the Sweet Adelines.

“I’m a happy girl,” she said.

DiPaola went to Meeker on the advice of a retired-police-officer friend who had a knee replacement at Pioneers. He said he found an atmosphere that convinced him he had made a good choice. For him, it was the combination of top-notch care with a staff that made him feel well cared for.

“There was this hometown atmosphere around the hospital. They treat you like a neighbor, not a client,” DiPaola said.

He was happy enough with his first hip replacement in July that he went back to Meeker in September for his other hip. He is now walking 3 miles every other day.

He tells others about Meeker’s newest reason for being on the map, besides a massacre and highly-skilled border collies.

“I say that I am very happy that I went to little Meeker,” he said.

Dr. Borchard said he is also happy he decided to come home to practice in Meeker. As the Pioneers’ orthopedic clinic patient load increases — growing 65% last year — he doesn’t foresee the Pioneers clinic ever becoming anything like the well-established, gold-standard Steadman Clinic orthopedic practice that started in Vail 34 years ago and has branched out around the state.

The only branching-out Borchard has put in place is sending a physician assistant to Grand Junction every other week for after-surgery care so patients won’t have to make repeat drives to Meeker. At some point, he said he may add a small clinic in Craig to take care of the many patients Pioneers serves from that area and from Baggs, Wyoming.

“We have a different focus on our culture,” he said. That means growing and adding more surgeons in the future but not changing the patient-comfort focus.

Meeker is a place where he can show up for his first surgery of the day in camo and blaze orange after an early morning hunt. He can head to his brewpub after work. He can bump into a relative at every turn. And he can send patients out of Meeker on new joints that provide them a new lease on life — and a new appreciation for Meeker.

“I have a hard time imagining being anywhere else,” he said.

CORRECTION: This story was updated Nov. 29, 2022, at 11:34 a.m. to reflect that Dr. Kevin Borchard served in the U.S. Air Force. Rachel Gates’ work was also updated. She is marketing director for Pioneers Medical Center and director of its foundation.

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