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2020 is here! It’s been an exciting year, so let’s review where Regenexx has been in 2019. Let’s also see where we’re headed as the 2020s unfold.

15 Years

I remember back in the early years of the Internet that finding anyone involved in the industry for a decade was rare. Meaning, by the late 90s, only a handful of people had that experience level. While there’s quite a bit of resume buffing out there (i.e. claiming that your prolotherapy or PRP experience counts as advanced regen med experience), it’s the same with orthobiologics and interventional care.

Much more than half of the clinics out there using advanced orthobiologics like bone marrow concentrate got their start within the last few years. Maybe a quarter of the clinics have a 5-year history. Another 20% or so can claim being involved for 7 years. Only a handful can claim a decade and only Regenexx (outside of Phillipe Hernigou in Paris) can claim a 15-year history. So 2020 is very special for us in that it marks our 15 year anniversary as a company.

The 2020s are Special

First of all, I distinctly remember being a kid and going to see a “House of the Future” (ElectraLab) in the 70s. After hearing that we were looking at tech that would be available by 2000, that sounded so far away. Since then I’ve heard countless predictions about the future that would happen in the 2020s. Electric and self-driving cars would become common. In medicine, we would start to see the first legit anti-aging drugs. Perhaps the first cures for paralysis? We were also going to make it to Mars! So let’s review this past year for Regenexx and make some predictions about where we’re headed in the 2020s.

Regenexx’s 2019 Year in Review

2019 Publications

We have an ongoing research effort consisting of a full-time Ph.D. clinical research coordinator, a complete Ph.D. led lab team, biostatistician, fellows, and our attending physicians. This year, this is what was accepted for publication or published:

• Rotator Cuff RCT-This is a new paper that was just accepted for publication.
• A Deep Dive on What’s In Bone Marrow Concentrate
• PRP Concentration in Tendon Repair

2019 Research Schedule

Our clinical and lab research teams have continued to be very busy. This past year they were working on the following projects:

• Lab-Retrospective CFU Analysis-paper submitted
• Lab-Moving our Micro-environment Study to an Off-site CLIA Lab
• Lab-In-House Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Viability Study
• Lab-Worked with CSU on a Separate Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Viability Study
• Lab-Worked with Dr. Lutz’s group on the best PRP and antibiotic combo to reduce the risk of discitis
• Lab-Beginning the FDA approval process on a platelet based allogeneic product
• Lab-Research on various cytokine enriched plasmas
• Clinical-Finishing up RCTs on ACL and Rotator Cuff
• Clinical-Ongoing RCT on alar ligament procedure
• Clinical-Various small research projects on new therapies and procedures
• Clinical-Working on several publications to be submitted 2020

New Corporate Accounts

Regenexx Corporate is the only program where orthobiologics can get coverage through private health insurance plans. As of Jan 1, 2020, Regenexx Corporate will add 50 new companies and the updated list is below. These are self-funded companies that pay for orthobiologic care delivered by Regenxx providers as a way to reduce their orthopedic costs. We are also instituting an internal utilization review system.

Our New Regenexx Network Sites for 2019

Regenexx has a very selective process for which physicians can join our provider network. First, the physicians must have specific qualifications around musculoskeletal care as well as go through additional intensive training. We added 15 affiliates this year (some will go live on the website this next quarter):

• Advanced PainCare and Biohealth Institute: Camp Hill, PA
• Interventional Orthopedics-CT: Wilton, CT
• Interventional Orthopedics of Raleigh: Raleigh, NC
• Interventional Orthopedics of Jacksonville: Jacksonville, FL
• Momenta Pain Care: Omaha, NE
• Premier Medical Group: Honolulu, HI
• Elite Pain and Health: Oklahoma City, OK
• Coastal Regenerative Orthopedics & Wellness Center: San Diego, CA
• Center for Interventional Pain and Spine: Wilmington, DE
• Premier Orthopedics: Broomall, PA
• Interventional Pain Care: Eureka, MO
• Spine and Pain Centers: Wall, NJ
• Gold Coast Orthopedics: Aventura, FL
• Intelligent Pain Management: Long Beach, CA
• Physio Logic Medicine: Brooklyn, NY

We are also in the process of opening a site in China and one in the middle east.

The Ongoing Development of Interventional Orthopedics

As you may know, Regenexx is dedicated to advancing the field it created, interventional orthopedics. To learn what that is, see my video below:

Every week at our CSC HQ site in Colorado some advance happens. Hence, we’ve been busy doing the following (an incomplete list):

• Advancing our PICL procedure
• Looking at more registry data to determine if there are better MRI indicators for candidacy for various procedures
• Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in precise imaged guided injection care of scoliosis and central canal stenosis
• Advancing what can be done for anterior cervical and hip instability

The 2020s and Regenexx

So where are we headed? Our biggest thrust will be making interventional orthopedics competitive on a level playing field with surgical orthopedics. Meaning, by the end of the 2020s, we expect that we will have widespread insurance coverage for what we do. Making the decision between the interventional orthobiologics route or surgery a real choice for most patients, not something driven by how much they can afford out of pocket. We will continue to support and perform the research to make that happen. In the meantime, we expect to save hundreds of millions for our self-funded health plans and disrupt healthcare in the process.

The upshot? Regenexx had a great 2019 and looks forward to starting the 2020s as the main disruptor of orthopedic care. We want a future where every patient can choose a less invasive route for their care outside of surgery because both options are covered. Making that happen will require much more research, investment, and resources, but we are committed and have made great strides since we began 15 years ago!

Chris Centeno, MD is a specialist in regenerative medicine and the new field of Interventional Orthopedics. Centeno pioneered orthopedic stem cell procedures in 2005 and is responsible for a large amount of the published research on stem cell use for orthopedic applications. View Profile