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MellingMedical Adds the joimax® Suite of Full-Endoscopic, Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Products to Its Federal Health Portfolio

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

MellingMedical welcomes joimax® to its federal health Portfolio

Products to improve medical care for America’s veterans, active duty and DoD

MellingMedical today announced a new agreement with an industry leader in full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery products, welcoming joimax® to its growing portfolio of cutting edge medical-surgical offerings. The Alexandria-based company will leverage its status as an SBA-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and extensive experience in federal contracting to offer joimax® products to those engaged in caring for America’s military personnel, DoD and veterans.

“We are delighted to pair up with the joimax® team to bring their innovative solutions to the realm of care for veterans, active duty military and DoD,” said Chris Melling, founder and CEO of MellingMedical. “With their sterling reputation and two dozen years of recurring innovation to their credit, they are a company with much to offer in terms of quality care.”

We are very proud of the work that has gone into our product suite and the impact we’ve had on advancing ultra-minimally-invasive procedural solutions for spinal disease,” stated joimax® Founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries. “Considering the lingering effects of spinal trauma on servicemembers, we are pleased to improve the likelihood of success for a wide array of surgical interventions. Our commitment to excellence remains unwavering as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in those ultra-minimally invasive procedures.

Mr. Wolfgang Ries
CEO and Founder of joimax® 

joimax® is well known for its culture of customer attentiveness, driving innovation in response to patient needs and bringing to market products that are truly transformational. They are particularly known for their advances in spinal endoscopy, featuring products like Endoscopic Surgical Systems TESSYS® (transforaminal), iLESSYS® (interlaminar) and CESSYS® (cervical) for decompression procedures, MultiZYTE® for facet and sacroiliac joint pain treatment, EndoLIF® and Percusys® for minimally invasive endoscopically assisted stabilizations.

About MellingMedical
MellingMedical, an SBA-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), holds a Medical Equipment and Surgical Federal Supply Schedule (Med/Surg), as well as a Pharmaceutical Schedule and ECAT capabilities, providing innovative and cost-effective healthcare solutions to all 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 VA Outpatient Clinics, all seven (7) VA CMOPs, 95 DoD Medical Facilities and Health and Human Services (HHS), including Indian Health Services (IHS) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). To learn more, visit MellingMedical.com.

Newly awarded German Growth Champion joimax® presents new products at DWG Stuttgart, Germany, and broadens its education and congress activities

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

IRVINE, CA – November 30, 2017 – joimax®, recently awarded as German Growth Champion 2018, continues to share its expertise in endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery. With the latest workshops in Krasnodar, RUS, Guadalajara, Mexico and at the Wooridul Hospital in Korea, the company strengthens its outstanding education program. During the workshops, surgeons are trained in endoscopic techniques and other minimally-invasive procedures. Since the start of the cooperation with the Korean Wooridul group, the world’s largest specialized MISS – Endoscopic Spine Hospital Network, in 2017, a series of four courses, provided at different levels, have now been performed.

“Heavily increasing user interest and fast growing patient demand for endoscopic spinal surgery is leading to major needs, which joimax® is addressing by broadening its training program and presence at international congresses,” says Wolfgang Ries, Founder and CEO of joimax®.

joimax® presence at COA Congress 2017
joimax® presence at COA Congress 2017

Hence, joimax® again had an outstanding presence at the 12th International Congress of the Chinese Orthopedic Association (COA), which took place in Zhuhai, China, from Nov 15 – 18, 2017. In Vietnam, the first cervical surgery with the joimax® CESSYS® system was successfully performed by joimax® faculty Dr. Jun Seok Bae together with Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son, on Nov 22, 2017 at the Viet-Duc Hospital, the largest surgical center of Vietnam in Hanoi.

At the upcoming congress of the German Spine Society (DWG), taking place Nov 30 – Dec 02, 2017, in Stuttgart, Germany, joimax® will introduce its newest camera system called Camsource® LED combined with its latest Vitegra® Docu and Command Visual Integration System offering the highest resolution imaging with CMOS sensor technology. Additionally, the company will present its extended EndoLIF® portfolio with the new EndoLIF® Double-Wedge Cage, usable for TLIF- and ELIF-fusion techniques. joimax® will host two lunch symposia and hold “Meet-the-Expert” presentations at its booth.

At the same time, the company will have a booth with 2 workshop stations at the KOMISS (Korean Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Society) International Symposium and Hands-on Cadaver Workshop for Endoscopic Spine Surgery, taking place from Dec 1 – 3 in Incheon, Korea. The year ends with another excellent workshop at the IRCAD Institute in Taiwan on Dec 22- 23, 2017.

New partnership: joimax® joins forces with JAPAN MEDICALNEXT CO., LTD.

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Karlsruhe (GER), 16 June 2020
 joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, is starting as of now a new partnership in Japan. The distributor JMC- JAPAN MEDICALNEXT CO., LTD. and joimax® are pursuing a long-term sales cooperation that will result in an extensive distribution agreement for the entire Japanese market.

joimax® joins forces with JAPAN MEDICALNEXT CO., LTD.

joimax® is looking forward to working with a partner strong as JMC, says joimax® Founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries and adds, “a company that has the necessary personnel, expertise, as well as the corresponding specialization and penetration of the market”. Masayuki Yoshimura, President and CEO of JMC, explains, “We are very excited to partner with joimax®. With our shared vision for advancing the field of minimum invasive spinal surgery, we are looking forward to introducing the globally recognized joimax® products in Japan”. Thus, joimax® strengthens its sales activities in Japan and enters into another important partnership in Asia.

JAPAN MEDICALNEXT CO., LTD. founded in 1992 is located in Osaka, Japan. With 314 employees at its locations and an Orthopedics Division that will focus on joimax® products, the company is a wholly-owned entity of MC Healthcare, Inc. (subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation) and prominent supplier of medical devices in Japan.

joimax® STUDIES PUBLISHED IN WORLD NEUROSURGERY TESSYS® system proves to be surgical rescue solution for kyphoplasty complication and thoracic disc herniation.

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Irvine, Germany, September 14th, 2016 – joimax®, the expert in endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery, is pleased to announce another publication on its technologies to be released in World Neurosurgery (2016). In the paper called “Transpedicular Lumbar Endoscopic Surgery for Highly Migrated Disc Extrusions, a preliminary series and surgical technique,” published by Krzok G et al, 21 patients underwent this procedure with the TESSYS® system. The paper follows two technical notes by Wagner R et al in which he shows joimax® techniques as surgical rescue solutions in a kyphoplasty complication and another one for the treatment of a thoracic disc herniation, all published in World Neurosurgery.

The first technical note mentioned above describes the case of a 72-year-old woman with a leakage of the kyphoplasty cement into the spinal canal (a described and known complication), where the joimax® technology was successfully used as a rescue solution to remove the cement and decompress the nerval structures preventing major surgery. The second technical note describes the transforaminal endoscopic foraminoplasty and discectomy for the treatment of a thoracic disc herniation. A 31-year-old woman with severe thoracic back pain over one year was successfully treated by using the transforaminal endoscopic approach so that open surgery was not needed.

Over the years a growing number of studies show the outstanding advantages of endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery, such as the prospective Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of Ruetten et al in 178 patients and by Hoogland et al in a study of 262 consecutive cases of transforaminal endoscopic spinal surgery. Both were published in Spine 2008, Vol. 33, Issue 9. Another retrospective evaluation with 195 patients of Jasper et al (Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery 2013, Vol. 115, Issue 10) and a multi-centric MIS prospective registry published by Sclafani et al (IJSS 2015, Vol. 9, Art. 69) with 86 patients, also showed very encouraging results. Beyond that, a special edition in the Journal of Neurosurgery called Neurosurgical Focus, published by Gokaslan Z, Telfeian A and Wang M focused on Endoscopic Spine Surgery was released in February 2016 (JNS 2016, Vol. 40, No. 2).

“Working with Endoscopic Spine Surgery for more than 12 years (her performed already 2,400 Tessys® procedures in daysurgery in analgo-sedation) and seeing its evolution is just amazing and I wonder where we will be in five or ten years from now”, says Menno Iprenburg, MD from Veenhuizen, NL, who continues to be involved in many of these studies.

Albert Telfeian, MD, PhD from Brown University, RI is very happy about the actual hit rate on PubMed when searching for endoscopic spinal surgery, “To date we’ve received a rate of 2,730 papers on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=endoscopic+spinal+surgery and I am really excited how many indications are treatable with endoscopy already today,” said Telfeian.

“Shortly another RCT study will be published by Gibson et al demonstrating the quality and great success rate of endoscopic spine treatments with a high adoption rate, especially in Asian countries, and in some countries where there is more than 50% growth per annum”, says Wolfgang Ries, founder and CEO of joimax®.

joimax® Announces Leadership Changes,
Expands U.S. Commercial Operations

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

KARLSRUHE, Germany (BUSINESS WIRE) – joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and methodologies for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, announces the transition of Founder and long-standing CEO Wolfgang Ries to Executive Chairman and the appointment of Maximilian Ries to Chief Executive Officer.

joimax-Logo-TEC-Building

After founding joimax® 24-years ago, Wolfgang Ries is stepping down as CEO to focus on research and development and to lead ESPINEA® Endoscopic Spine Academy, the only endoscopic training program accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Taking over as CEO is Maximilian Ries, who during his 16-year tenure at joimax®, held diverse leadership roles in product management, R&D, operations, and finance. He served as General Manager from 2016 to 2021 before returning to Germany in 2022 where he was most recently Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Business Development of joimax®.

joimax-Logo-TEC-Building

“I am honored to lead joimax® into the next phase of growth as we continue advancing our market-leading endoscopic spine technologies,” stated Maximilian Ries. “We are seeing endoscopic spine surgery emerge as the new gold standard in minimally invasive spine care — a legacy built by Wolfgang that I’m proud to continue.”

Mr. Maximilian Ries
CEO of joimax® 

In the lead-up to these transitions, joimax® strengthened its U.S. commercial team with several key changes, including the promotions of Anthony Troncale to President, Levon Zanadvorov, MD to Medical Director, Joe O’Connor to Vice President of US Sales, Chris Lever to Vice President Business Operations and Finance, and Jarred Shewey to Director of Clinical Education, as well as the addition of Katherine Ray as Director of Global Marketing.

“I am handing off joimax® to a highly talented and experienced team of endoscopic spine experts under Max’s leadership,” said Wolfgang Ries. “I couldn’t be more excited about the company’s future and the continued advancement of endoscopic spine surgery.”

Mr. Wolfgang Ries
Founder and Executive Chairman of joimax® 

joimax® continues strong growth trend in 2017 with launch of its MultiZYTE® Facet and SI Joint treatment Set in the US and also obtains full approval of its Endovapor® 2 system in China

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Karlsruhe, Germany – February 8, 2018 – the joimax® group announces very strong sales figures for 2017. The German based market leader of technologies and training methods for endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery shows a jump of almost 80% vs. 2016 in the U.S. Consolidated sales show a growth of nearly 30%, which reflects its CAGR of 35% since 2008.

“joimax® is in line with its top-line plans as well as with its EBIT growth projections”, states Rainer Schmitz, the long-standing CFO of the joimax® GmbH. “The company is now active in 50 countries and enjoys a strong reputation in Europe, Asia and the U.S.”

Based on the inclusion of the newly created AMA CPT code 62380 for endoscopic decompression of the lumbar spine as of January 1st, 2017, and the worldwide increasing adoption rate of the joimax® procedures in general, the company is gaining a strong foothold throughout the U.S.. The acceptance of endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery techniques and their benefits to both the patients and the surgeons are steadily growing worldwide.

The understanding and therapy of SI Joint is a rapidly growing new field worldwide. joimax® faces this growing area of unmet needs with its MultiZYTE® Facet and SI Joint Treatment Set in this market segment. The upcoming 3rd International Conference on Sacroiliac Joint Surgery (ICSJS), taking place in Tampa, FL from Feb. 21 to 24, 2018 gives attendees the opportunity to further enhance the level of understanding of the sacroiliac joint and to participate in a cadaver workshop at CAMLS learning center.

Further success in Asia is a result of the recent approval of the joimax® Endovapor® 2 Multi Radio Frequency System also in China, where joimax® has already been successfully in the market for 10 years.

“With this latest approval we now can market all our systems in this important country, which is a great step towards more targeted patient care” states Wolfgang Ries, Founder and CEO of joimax®.

The Endovapor® 2 generates electrical power for monopolar and bipolar cutting and coagulation of tissue structures in surgical operations. The device is an all-in-one generator with specially integrated programs for spinal surgery with interdisciplinary application. It is equipped with two monopolar and two bipolar sockets and an easy and intuitive touchpad technology.  With arc control for safe application and easy neutral electrode monitoring, it combines a variety of electro-surgical modes and effects.

joimax Endoscopic Tower

joimax® Signs National Distribution Partner in Taiwan

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Karlsruhe (GER), 26 June 2020 – joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, is pleased to announce a new countrywide distributor in Taiwan, Hi-Clearance Inc. With the aim of building an effective, long-term relationship, the strategic supplier partnership is a further milestone in the international growth of joimax® .

joimax® Signs National Distribution Partner in Taiwan

“Hi-Clearance is our ideal sales and service partner,” says joimax® CEO and Founder Mr. Wolfgang Ries. With their streamlined structure and process in place, we are confident joimax® will penetrate this new market very successfully”.

Hi-Clearance Inc. has over 239 employees, and is a well-known supplier of medical materials and equipment in Taiwan. “We are very pleased about the new strategic partnership and are excited to continue the strong growth of both companies,” states Hi-Clearance Chairman Mr. John Lee and President Mr. Ernie Chen. “We are dedicated to establishing joimax® as the leading brand of endoscopic spine surgery in Taiwan.”

Hi-Clearance Inc. is headquartered in Taipei with four other branches spread across the country. The main business includes products for Hemodialysis, Critical Care, Dental, Cardiology, Homecare Devices, Nutrition and a major Spine Surgery Division. In 2019, sales were USD 107 million.

JOIMAX® ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF FIRST ENDOSCOPIC AMA CPT CODE Company also releases newly designed joimax® homepage

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Irvine, CA – September 26, 2016 – The AMA (American Medical Association) released the CPT 2017 Codebook (Current Procedural Terminology), now containing the first endoscopic spinal surgery code no. 62380. This new code covers endoscopic decompression of the spinal cord, nerve root(s), including laminotomy, partial facetectomy, foraminotomy, discectomy and/or excision of herniated intervertebral disc, 1 interspace, lumbar, and will be enforced as of January 1st, 2017. Under this code the specific transforaminal (TESSYS®) and/or interlaminar (iLESSYS®) procedures are fully covered in the USA herewith, which are already marketed by joimax® in 45 countries.

“The definition of this new code in the CPT codebook 2017 is a major milestone towards the acceptance of endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery techniques and its benefits to both the surgeon and their patients,” states Wolfgang Ries, Founder and CEO of joimax®. Since 2012 joimax®  had been driving this effort to obtain CPT codes as these procedures required submission to payors for reimbursement coverage which was granted only in single cases under temporary codes, so-called T-codes.

“joimax® has been instrumental in driving the effort to obtain full code coverage of endoscopic spinal surgery,” says Daniel Laich, DO, Swedish Convenant Hospital, Chicago, who had been participating and presenting in almost every AMA meeting over the last five years. Due to the high research and publication activities by key users like Albert Telfeian, MD, PhD, at Rhode Island Hospital at Brown University, and a group of users around him, strong evidence has been accepted by AMA authorities, justifying the release of this new CPT code.

Many papers and publications on joimax® products can now be downloaded from the newly released joimax® homepage. The completely redesigned website offers visitors richer insight into the company’s innovative products and systems. A quick and easy access to essential information and features is available, including the latest workshop and education activities, which are essential in endoscopic minimally-invasive spinal surgery.

Meanwhile joimax® offers basic and advanced workshop training courses mainly in the USA, Germany and Austria, and oversees a participation population of almost 3,000 physicians. Independent training courses are also performed in China and Korea to support the fast growing Asian markets. Detailed information about those courses are updated regularly at www.joimax.com.

The website uses the latest technology so the site is compatible with today’s browsers and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Visitors can also use the new website to stay informed with the latest company news. The new website goes live today and is located at the same address: https://www.joimax.com.

joimax® Celebrates 25 Years of Advancing Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Karlsruhe, Germany — [April 2026] — joimax®, Inc., a global leader in technologies and training for endoscopic spine surgery, proudly marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating a quarter century of innovation dedicated to advancing minimally invasive spine care and improving outcomes for patients worldwide.

The origins of joimax® trace back to early 2001, when Wolfgang Ries, Founder and Executive Chairman, first introduced the company concept in a presentation to potential partners and investors and developed the initial business plan later that year. Although the investment environment changed significantly following the events of September 11, 2001, joimax® was founded shortly afterward through strong personal commitment and a clear belief in the future of endoscopic spine surgery.

Despite the uncertainty at the time, we remained convinced of the potential of endoscopic techniques to transform spine surgery,” said Wolfgang Ries. “With a clear vision and strong dedication, we established joimax® near Karlsruhe and began partnering with surgeons to develop technologies designed to challenge conventional surgical approaches and support surgeons in delivering less invasive treatment options for patients. Seeing how both the field and the company have progressed over the past 25 years is extremely rewarding.

Mr. Wolfgang Ries
Founder and Executive Chairman of joimax® 
Wolfgang Ries Founder & Executive Chairman of joimax

Today, joimax® solutions support surgeons across the globe with comprehensive platforms designed for a wide range of endoscopic spinal procedures. Through its commitment to education and training, the company has helped thousands of surgeons develop and refine endoscopic techniques, contributing to the growing global momentum behind minimally invasive spine surgery.

Reaching this 25-year milestone is a testament to the dedication of our employees, the trust of our surgeon partners, and the shared vision that endoscopic techniques can transform spine care,” said Maximillian Ries, CEO of joimax®. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are equally focused on the future. The next chapter for joimax® will build on our legacy of continued innovation, deeper collaboration with surgeons, and a commitment to expanding access to endoscopic spine surgery around the world.

Mr. Maximilian Ries
CEO of joimax® 

For more information about joimax® and its 25-year legacy of endoscopic innovation, visit joimax.com/en/about-us.

joimax® Presents Its New Generation 4K Camera Light Source and Documentation Command System, Camsource® LED and Vitegra® at AAOS in New Orleans, LA

Posted on by Antonio Berlen

Karlsruhe, Germany – March 7th, 2018 – joimax®, the German based market leader of technologies and training methods for endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery presents its newest combined 4K resolution camera and LED light source system, Camsource® LED and its fully integrated documentation and command system, Vitegra® Docu and Command. Both systems are introduced for the first time at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), currently taking place in New Orleans, LA where joimax® is represented at booth no. 4020.

The Vitegra® Docu and Command system opens a new era of documentation, control and hospital integration. The device comes with numerous flexible control options including a wireless tablet PC, live video streaming and a live voice commenting option, in-surgery image and video review function, voice control capabilities and easy data export solutions. The Vitegra® offers with its command mode to control all other devices that are part of the joimax® endoscopic tower. An optimized monitoring of the endoscopic devices during the surgical procedures by live review and control of all important device parameters is also provided. An initial, limited market launch is planned for Q2/2018 within European and U.S. markets.

“Our new 4K LED Visualization Systems are the next important components of our steadily growing endoscopic product portfolio. These developments demonstrate our continued leading position in the fast-growing endoscopic spine surgery market worldwide,” states Wolfgang Ries, Founder and CEO of joimax®.

jomax Vitegra Docu and Command, Camsource LED