McGinley Orthopedics: Changing the Standard of Care
MedTech Outlook Top 10 Orthopedic Solution Providers - 2019
Continual medical innovation has resulted in reliable care delivery for today’s generation, however, it is usually the most routine of procedures that are overlooked and lack incremental improvements. While pursuing his MD/PhD, Dr. Joseph C. McGinley was first introduced to such an issue involving common orthopedic procedures. The premise was a routine distal radius fracture fixation wherein an incorrect screw length ruptured an extensor tendon in the patient’s wrist. Avoiding such situations requires real-time surgeon sensation of bone drilling, multiple manual hole measurements, and selection of various screw sizes, a feat, which is highly surgeon dependent and seems impossible without X-ray imaging and continuous monitoring. Having a diverse educational background, McGinley possessed the perfect mix of engineering and medical skills to integrate sensor technology into existing medical equipment creating a unique solution to this common problem. An avid innovator by nature, McGinley’s goal was to empower orthopedic surgeons with a hand-held robotic technology, which would fulfill his ultimate mission to improve the standard of care and safety for patients across the globe. He and his co-founders created IntelliSense Drill Technology®, an orthopedic power drill that could sense bone density, provide real-time depth measurement and prevent unintended damage to muscle and soft tissue. The success of this technology led to the formation of McGinley Orthopedics. Under Dr. McGinley’s leadership, McGinley Orthopedics stands today as the new age pioneer in improving patient safety and making common orthopedic surgeries a better experience for surgeons, patients, hospitals and insurance companies.
A Surgical History in the Making
McGinley Orthopedics reduces the inefficiencies of manual orthopedic power tools and provides surgeons with full control utilizing augmented handheld robotics. IntelliSense Drill Technology® has built-in sensing technology making standard orthopedic surgeries safer and more cost effective. “The IntelliSense® Drill comes equipped with depth measurement sensors, which are accurate to 0.5mm,” explains McGinley. In Bicortical Mode, once the sensors detect a specific change in material density, the system automatically powers off and displays the precise depth of the drilled hole. This high level of accuracy enables surgeons to eliminate use of the manual depth gauge and confidently drill through bone without fear of injuring important tissues on the far side of the bone. As a result, the IntelliSense® Drill can eliminate or reduce the risk of misplaced or missized screws, thereby potentially decreasing the need for repeat surgeries. The IntelliSense® Drill has several modes including Bicortical, Set Depth, Multi-Cortex, and Freehand. This allows the IntelliSense® Drill to be used universally and can replace conventional systems. McGinley’s ingenious innovation in precision drilling can eventually allow surgeons to complete the surgery without the need of intraoperative x-rays and manual depth gauges, saving patients from excessive radiation, reoperations, and excess medical costs in common orthopedic surgeries. Ever since it was FDA cleared and first used in 2015, the IntelliSense® Drill has quickly spread across the country. McGinley Orthopedics is applying this core technology in other types of surgeries requiring the highest level of precision such as the spine. In such complex scenarios, these applications will be able to detect and notify the surgeon when the drill has contacted the endosteal surface of bone, which is critical for placing pedicle screws. McGinley has also acquired a manufacturing facility to meet its internal manufacturing needs. McGinley Manufacturing has concept to production and contract manufacturing services available to other companies. This facility is capable of manufacturing its own products as well as other complex medical and non-medical devices. The team excels at creating prototypes of new designs and problem-solving unique applications (Consultation available at mcginleymanufacturing.com). One of McGinley Orthopedics’ latest innovations is the IntelliSense Pin Pilot®, designed to accurately place K-wires and pins for treating patients with fractures and avoid damaging articular surfaces. Additionally, the company is currently finalizing a unique Lever Action Plate System®, which will improve reduction and alignment of distal radius fractures. Both new products have successfully completed cadaver testing and are pending FDA review. Another product in McGinley Orthopedics’ pipeline is the IntelliSense Saw Technology®. This solution leverages an adaptation of the existing technology to help surgeons safely perform osteotomies associated with joint replacements.
Building a Patient-Centric Foundation
McGinley Orthopedics stands on a belief patients can make a difference and help the company change the standard of medical care. As a result, McGinley Orthopedics empowers patients to share their personal stories of orthopedic care. This data can provide a voice for patients to improve the standard of care in orthopedic surgery where missized screws and repeat surgeries are common. The company hosts a website (MyOrthoStory.com) that details several patient stories and gives patients a platform to advocate for change. McGinley Orthopedics is using these stories to spread awareness among patients and compel insurance companies, hospital administrators, and risk managers to assess current practices and assist surgeons in improving the standard of care.
“The rising comfort of using the IntelliSense Drill Technology® has already enabled several surgeons to completely stop or significantly reduce the use of depth gauges, intraoperative fluoroscopy, and routine x-rays,” affirms McGinley with pride. Evidently, this has directly resulted in faster surgeries, decreased use of radiation, and lower surgical costs. McGinley shared a case where one surgeon using the IntelliSense® Drill reduced the surgery time by 30 minutes just by his ability to accurately measure holes without a depth gauge.
Engineering Medical Progress
Since its launch, McGinley’s IntelliSense® Drill has witnessed rapid adoption by surgeons around the world. “We are not trying to compete with surgeons, but rather augment the surgical environment with technological improvements resulting in improved outcomes for patients and surgeons,” adds McGinley. To fully achieve this vision, the company is actively seeking partnerships with established companies who can help improve access for patients across the globe. As one patient advocate voiced, “Every orthopedic surgeon should be using IntelliSense Drill Technology® to improve their outcomes, every single one.”