3 stories this morning, for surgeons and the people who support them.
- INFUSE Bone Graft gains Medicare new technology add-on payment eligibility for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, effective October 1 — Announced Sept 2, 2026: CMS granted New Technology Add-on Payment eligibility to Medtronic's INFUSE Bone Graft for TLIF, effective October 1, 2026 (FY2027). Medtronic states INFUSE received FDA premarket approval for the TLIF indication earlier in 2026 following Breakthrough Device Designation and a prioritized review, and describes it as the first and only growth factor technology approved for use in spine fusion. NTAP is an inpatient (IPPS) mechanism only. Context stated in the script and independently checkable: INFUSE's original PMA (2002) covers anterior lumbar interbody fusion; FDA issued a Public Health Notification in 2008 on life-threatening complications with cervical spine use; posterior/transforaminal use has historically been off-label. Second source: ORTHOWORLD, https://www.orthoworld.com/infuse-for-tlif-gains-eligibility-for-medicare-ntap/ Source
- Medtronic's Q1 fiscal 2027: $9.8B and 13.7% growth on a fourteen-week quarter; cranial and spinal technologies up 12.9% organic — Reported Sept 1, 2026 for the quarter ended July 31, 2026: revenue $9.8B, up 13.7% reported and 13.7% organic, roughly 200bps above the guidance midpoint. Medtronic estimates an extra fiscal week benefited Q1 organic growth by approximately $570M. Neuroscience $2.678B, +10.3% reported / +9.3% organic. Cranial & Spinal Technologies $1.365B, +12.8% reported / +12.9% organic. Neuromodulation +4.7% reported / +3.3% organic. GAAP diluted EPS $1.14; non-GAAP diluted EPS $1.45. FY2027 organic revenue growth guidance raised 50bps to 7.25%-7.75%; non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance raised to $5.94-$6.00. Source
- OrthoArizona opens a $25M, 50,000-square-foot Glendale center with the ASC, MRI and therapy inside it — Announced Sept 2, 2026: OrthoArizona opened a 50,000-square-foot, $25M musculoskeletal center in Glendale, Arizona, housing clinic, an on-site ambulatory surgery center, physical therapy, and advanced imaging including MRI. CEO Rajan Bhatt, MD, framed it as a physician-led model; the group describes itself as the largest physician-led orthopedic group in the Southwest. Fee-schedule context stated in the script comes from CMS-1848-P, the CY2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (issued July 14, 2026), which projects a 7% specialty-level reduction for orthopaedic surgery; comments close September 14, 2026. Source
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