GUEST EDITORIAL: Value-based purchasing is changing everything surgeons, administrators and orthopedic product suppliers are doing. But how fast and how powerfully are these changes coming? Ted Kucklick, President of Cannuflow, answers these questions in his excellent guest editorial.

Is the use of ceramic-on-ceramic in young patients the new standard of care? Yes, says Lee. In fact c-on-c has better wear, is more reliable and provides more options. Not so fast says Schmalzried. Survivorship and function are no better, there is a squeaking and fracture risk. Who wins this debate? You be the judge.

Legendary private equity firm, Kohlberg, is investing in spine and Amendia is the vehicle. Kohlberg's MO is to buy a platform company, invest in management then bolt on acquisitions. On average, Kohlberg puts between $50-300 million to work. This could be interesting.

A landmark study out of Michigan tracked the effects of health plan prior authorizations on low-back pain patient care. Do such requirements reduce spine surgeries or lower costs? The data clearly shows they do not. It also explains why. Every health plan, hospital and spine surgeon should read this study.

Injections prior to TKR or THR could mean an increased risk of infection, according to two new studies. Research from Rush indicates that those who are malnourished before surgery are at a higher risk of infection. And new work has found that a full 65% of patient satisfaction was attributed to physician empathy!

A survey of orthopedic programs reveals that most do not feel ready for the bundled payment initiative. Academic hospitals have lower total cost per procedure, and community hospitals have a shorter LOS, says a Cleveland Clinic study. How to save $2.5 and $4 billion in healthcare costs? Go to a high volume center for knee replacement.

The FDA approved nearly every PMA submitted to it in 2015 (98%). And shortened time to decision for both PMA and 510(k) significantly. The trends are clearly favorable. Where does the FDA go from here? Even faster approvals, they say. Here's the data.

TranS1 and AxiaLIF? Back from the dead? Yes and behind it is an up and coming player in orthopedics—Jeffrey Schell. Michigan born and bred, Schell has made formerly bankrupt TranS1 profitable and AxiaLIF steadily gaining new users and champions. It's a remarkable story.

How disabling is scoliosis. A new study finds that it can be more disabling than such other conditions as blindness or amputation. Brigham and Women finds art sharpens observational skills. Former AAOS president—Dr. Terry Canale—honored with the William W. Tipton Leadership Award.

Johns Hopkins researchers are making it possible for patients to control fingers of a prosthetic limb in a way never before possible! Turns out that patients already taking opioids for pain fare better if non-opioid methods are used as well. And a team from the University of Missouri has found that a new biologic method of resurfacing a joint results in improved outcomes.