Healthcare Analyst: Osteoporotic Fracture Fixation
Flow-FX LLC
Mentors
Patrick Sweeney MD — Founder and CEO
Ryan Wright — VP of Business Development
Background
Flow-FX LLC is a medical device start-up focused on medical devices for delivering medicine to bone. 2 product lines, Flow-Nail and Flow-Screw, are 510k cleared by the FDA for fracture fixation and delivery of injectable bone void fillers. Flow-Drill and Flow-Needle, 2 product families coming to market this year, are Class 1, 510(K) exempt manual instruments designed to deliver biologics to bone without an implant.
Throughout the world, a large portion of our population is aging and becoming osteoporotic as well as less mobile. A new classification of Severe Osteoporosis has been added to address a specific subset of this group that has a greater likelihood of failed surgical fracture fixation and healing. A large number of patients with osteoporotic fractures, particularly hip and spine, have dramatically reduced longevity after injury ad subsequent surgery.
A significant number of patients with osteoporotic fractures can potentially have better outcomes with bone void fillers delivered to their fracture site for improved healing and initial stability. These better outcomes could result in improved pain and healing, reduced hospital stay, better rehabilitation and mobility, longer lifespan, and reduced related health costs.
Internship Description
Our intern’s challenge is to develop a cost-consequence model from a national and international perspective evaluating the clinical benefits of increased treatment success for osteoporotic fracture fixation thorough bone void filler delivery. This would involve extensive review of the published literature.
On a related topic, our 2018 myCHOICE intern researched, co-authored, and subsequently published a very comprehensive, thought provoking review article regarding the potential treatment of Diabetic Osteomyelitis through intraosseous antibiotic delivery. An interested applicant may want to review the paper as an indication of internship potential.
Terese Geraghty & Guido LaPorta (2019) Current health and economic burden of chronic diabetic osteomyelitis, Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, DOI: 10.1080/14737167.2019.1567337
Access to surgeons and hospital personnel can be arranged if helpful.
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Specific Objectives
- Cost- Benefit Analysis for US and international healthcare through adoption of more successful treatment methods for osteoporotic fracture fixation
- Recommendations for clinical research design to evaluate the new methods’ success in comparison to current norms
- Final product worthy of being presented by intern in various national forums
- Final product worthy of submission to appropriate journals with intern as first author
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Qualifications
- Current Graduate student or postdoctoral trainee
- Interest in public health policy or the field of medicine
- Strong work ethic and ability to work independently while incorporating advice of mentors
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills
- Demonstrated data analytical skills
- Useful but not required- previous clinical medicine exposure, Bilingual English/ Spanish