Pictured from L to R: Robert N. Hotchkiss, MD, hand and upper extremity surgeon, HSS; Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO, HSS; Luigi Ferrari, CEO, LimaCorporate / Source: Hospital for Special Surgery
by Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed., June 20, 2019
On May 22, 2019 Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Italian device manufacturer LimaCorporate made a bit of history, breaking new ground on what will be the first provider-based 3D printing facility for custom complex orthopedic implants. 
Patients will be able to be scanned on-site at the new facility, so their custom implant will be tailor-made just for them in the new lab. The facility is expected to be operational by early 2020 and will begin serving hospitals in the region prior to making the devices available to all U.S. providers.
Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP, chief innovation officer at HSS, commented to OSN, “HSS and Lima had been working very successfully together on multiple projects under a Master Development Agreement since March 2016, leveraging HSS’ clinical knowledge and expertise and Lima’s technical competencies with additive manufacturing to solve musculoskeletal problems. At the same time Lima had placed a strategic emphasis on building its ProMade custom implant business, a market segment that can benefit greatly from use of additive manufacturing and that is fairly underserved in the orthopedic industry.”
“Because of HSS’ unique competency in treating complex joint reconstruction conditions and experience in design and use of custom, patient-specific implant solutions, both organizations saw another opportunity to partner and leverage each other’s complementary talents. The vision for the partnership in this case was (and is) to have a design and production facility located on HSS’ main campus for the purposes of fast, efficient design collaboration and fabrication of devices for the most complex reconstruction conditions. It is expected that this enhanced partnership and collaboration will lead to new innovations in the treatment of complex joint reconstruction.”
“Because of the closer proximity of Lima engineers in the U.S. we anticipate increased interaction between clinicians and designers and a faster design process for each custom case. By fabricating in NYC, it is expected that these devices will avoid time-consuming international transfers and shipping. Finally, leveraging Lima’s competency in additive manufacturing will help minimize the need for more time-consuming conventional fabrication methods, allowing for quicker turn-around of devices.” — EH