Enovis™ is leading the way for the medical technology sector. Employing an intentional blend of innovation, continuous improvement and provider collaboration over the last four decades, the company has created future-shaping technologies that are delivering extraordinary outcomes.
Becker’s Healthcare recently spoke with three Enovis executives — Matt Trerotola, chief executive officer; Terry Ross, president of bracing and supports; and Louie Vogt, president of surgical — about the company’s commitment to creating the “next generation of possible” for healthcare partners and patients.
Continuous improvement doesn’t happen in silos
Enovis develops clinically differentiated solutions that generate better patient outcomes and transform healthcare workflows. The Enovis Growth Excellence (EGX™) system forms the foundation of the company’s drive for continuous improvement.
“EGX is a proven business model that provides the tools, processes and culture to drive and fuel our growth,” Mr. Trerotola said. “In addition to our passionate focus on continuous improvement, we’ve successfully built a strong reputation as an innovator through partnerships with healthcare professionals and their patients.”
Great work can’t happen when individuals work alone in silos. The notion of Creating Better Together™ is a key element in Enovis’ organizational DNA. For decades, Enovis has developed integrated medical technologies that fuel active lifestyles in orthopedics and beyond.
“Through collaboration with leading healthcare partners and a deep commitment to extraordinary results, we make groundbreaking products, services and software that work throughout the orthopedic continuum of care,” Mr. Trerotola said. “This makes it easier than ever for healthcare providers to help patients, reduce costs and streamline workflows.”
Innovation is essential for orthopedic devices that support the entire patient journey
Enovis offers comprehensive solutions for a wide array of orthopedic patients, ranging from individuals who need reconstructive surgery like knee or shoulder replacements, to people who need assistance with injury prevention or injury recovery.
In the reconstruction market, Enovis has revolutionized total knee replacements with the EMPOWR 3D Knee®. This is the only dual-pivot knee implant that replicates natural joint motion.
“Before EMPOWR™, we knew that knee patients weren’t getting the results they wanted following surgery,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We partnered with renowned orthopedic surgeons such as Michael Meneghinii , MD of the Indiana Joint Replacement Institute and Scott Banksi , PhD from the University of Florida to develop a breakthrough knee replacement technology that would make patients feel more like they had their own knee.”
Shoulder replacement is another area where Enovis is a leader in the reconstruction market. Enovis and Mark A. Franklei , MD of the Florida Orthopaedic Institute partnered on design, development, research and continued refinement of the Reverse® Shoulder System with the flagship AltiVate Reverse® brand, which Mr. Vogt said has “revolutionized” shoulder arthroplasty.
“This groundbreaking medical technology now has 10 years of proven clinical data showing no decline in patient outcomes,” he said.
Both the EMPOWR 3D Knee and the AltiVate Reverse Shoulder System have become very popular among orthopedic surgeons. “We have quickly vaulted to becoming a top shoulder joint company in the United States,” Mr. Vogt said. “Knee sales have been growing three to five times faster than the market overall for almost 10 consecutive years.”
In the prevention and recovery segment, Enovis also has a track record of more than 40 years of innovation. The company invented bracing products through the DonJoy® brand and then acquired Aircast® for bracing of lower extremities and Exos® for flexible shaping casting.
“New manufacturing techniques and new materials enable us to make lighter-weight, more comfortable braces and still provide the structural integrity needed to support patient outcomes,” Mr. Ross said. “In the end, the brace that patients will wear is the brace that will help them.”
Although Enovis is recognized for its outstanding orthopedic devices and durable medical equipment, the company also focuses on the broader patient journey. “We collaborate with so many different healthcare professionals that work with patients throughout the care journey,” Mr. Ross said. “That gives us the opportunity to gain critical insights that become our next new product or solution. That’s what’s unique about Enovis — we offer solutions that go beyond just the hardware.”
Enovis takes a holistic approach to improve provider and patient experience.
Enovis is uniquely positioned to observe the physicians, clinic staff, athletic trainers, physical therapists and others that support patients during their orthopedic journey.
“We have visibility into preventive care in athletics and rehabilitation technologies for early-stage injuries or postsurgical recovery,” Mr. Ross said. “In addition, we can see all the way through to the clinic or hospital workflows. No one else in the orthopedic space sees through the lenses of the patient, clinic and healthcare professional and then brings the resulting insights together into broader, more holistic solutions.”
As part of its bracing business, Enovis helps clinics and hospitals across the entire continuum of care. This means streamlining workflow processes, cash collections, equipment fittings for patients, inventory management and more. Taking cost and waste out of the healthcare system is a key tenet of continuous improvement, Mr. Ross said, both internally at Enovis and at their customers’ businesses.
In Enovis’ sports medicine business, clinics struggle with logistics challenges, as well as billing management issues. It became evident that clinic staff needed a service solution, so Enovis launched MotionMD® — a market-leading workflow automation tool. Today, almost 50 percent of orthopedic clinics in the U.S. have installed MotionMD, and at most of those locations, it is integrated into the practice management system.
“We are always looking for the next opportunity to improve the clinic workflow and reduce the time needed for repetitive tasks through automation,” Mr. Ross said. “Every day, we are working with customers to drive the next set of improvements in the MotionMD tool.”
From its work with MotionMD, Enovis learned that price transparency and patient cash collection are additional challenges that clinics face. In response, the company launched VeriPro®, which provides unprecedented patient visibility into durable medical equipment-specific benefits and the estimated patient financial responsibility.
“Patient cash collection can be difficult, since high deductible insurance plans now put a greater onus on individuals to cover the costs of their care,” Mr. Ross said. “VeriPro is integrated with insurance benefits, so patients have a clear, real-time view of their financial responsibility. Based on that data, they can make informed choices.”
VeriPro simplifies things for clinic staff because the number of handoffs is reduced. In addition, cash collection rates increase significantly, improving profitability for the entire health system. Patient satisfaction also grows, since medical billing is clear upfront and delayed billing and refunds are reduced.
On the direct patient outcome side, Enovis recently launched MotionIQ®, which uses a software application and techenabled braces to support individuals on their rehabilitation journey. The tool drives patient engagement, helps people answer questions, tracks their progress and provides a communication link to their physician to determine if intervention may be necessary. “With MotionIQ, patients are more empowered around their recovery and can get back to doing what they love more quickly,” Mr. Trerotola said.
In the reconstruction market, Enovis is also providing holistic solutions to orthopedic surgeons. The ARVIS® Augmented Reality System is a wearable, self-contained system that delivers real-time, hands-free surgical guidance directly at the point of care. The technology offers reproducibility and consistency for surgeons and enables them to work “smarter,” Mr. Vogt said.
Enovis’ future: ‘Connecting the dots’ and ongoing collaboration with key opinion leaders.
Enovis will continue to learn from its existing businesses and marry those insights with technology advancements. The goal is to “connect the dots” in new ways and introduce new solutions into the patient journey.
“Enovis competes in half of the $53 billion orthopedics market,” Mr. Trerotola said. “There’s a lot of opportunity to grow and expand even beyond orthopedics. Compelling market trends include a population that is aging, but active, as well as the transition to outpatient care.”
Looking ahead, the company will maintain its focus on continuous improvement and its commitment to ongoing collaboration with experts.
“We are a surgeon-first company,” Mr. Vogt said. “Some of the best and brightest opinion leaders in the industry work with us. The next generation of surgeons knows our history of innovation, as well as our reputation for working with the best minds in the business to change the way people practice and generate patient outcomes. Due to our success and vision for the future, they know Enovis represents what’s next.”
Enovis is large enough to make technology investments and acquisitions that accelerate growth but small enough to be agile, which drives innovation and exciting career opportunities. “Our strategic approach makes Enovis an attractive business partner, a great value for investors and an amazing place to work for employees,” Mr. Trerotola said.
iDrs. Frankle, Banks and Meneghini are paid consultants of Enovis.