Ossis is a New Zealand based custom orthopedic solutions provider for patients whose options are limited due to severe degradation of their joints.
With recent expansion into Australia and broader APAC, Ossis needed to shorten the cycle time for receiving images. Today, they’re using Ambra for instant access to imaging to keep their custom manufacturing process on track and deliver implants on time, every time for scheduled surgeries.
Ossis was founded in 2007 and has seen rapid growth in demand for their custom orthopedic solutions. Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Ossis recently began to expand into Australia and further afield markets.
The Ossis process for creating custom implants typically requires about four weeks from start to finish. “Time is of the essence, because the moment Ossis receives the order, the clock is ticking to manufacture the implant in time for surgery,” noted Madeleine Martin, General Manager, Ossis.
They begin with receiving the patient’s CT scan, or MRIs, X-Rays, and patient notes from wherever the patient’s hospital or surgeon is located. Much of the first few weeks is often spent getting all the information and working with the surgeon on design. The final weeks are focused on manufacturing and getting the implant to the hospital in time for scheduled surgery.
With increasing demand for Ossis’s services, expansion was a key part of their business plan. “But growing into Australia created issues with our custom implant manufacturing process,” said Madeleine. The problem was that for Australia, Ossis was receiving incoming CDs by mail, and they could take a week or more to arrive at the Ossis facility in New Zealand.
“Australia took off quickly, and we had to deal with rapidly increasing volume. It was very evident that we had to make the shift from CDs.”
– Madeleine Martin, General Manager
Waiting for imaging would extend the lead time and create unpredictability in the time to create and deliver the implant, a significant issue when surgery had already been scheduled. Solutions like Dropbox weren’t viable given privacy issues.
Another problem was complexity and administrative overhead, compounded by increasing demand for Ossis’s implants. Madeleine noted that “Different viewers, or sometimes hard copies, all added risk and effort to the process.” Without solving the logistical issues that risked pushing lead times beyond four weeks, expanding into other markets beyond Australia was unthinkable.
Looking for a better way to manage the logistics around market expansion, the Ossis team started with a trial of Ambra, enabling the digital instant transfer and routing of imaging, while getting feedback from their agents and surgeons on the new system.
Particularly important was ensuring that it was a full image management solution that could instantly route imaging from surgeon to reviewer, and even send on to suppliers when necessary. Just as important was that it complied with Australia and the regulations of other markets they were eyeing.
With a positive experience, Ossis expanded their use of Ambra. They now simply send a link for image upload, eliminating the need for CDs or hard copies. Agents and surgeons can simply login and upload images, while Ossis’ s suppliers can easily download them as necessary too, integrating the whole imaging supply chain. The speed up has been significant, with Madeleine summarizing that “our one week lead time for receiving imaging has now dropped to zero.”
