OrthoPediatrics (KIDS) Risk Analysis

We operate in a number of countries throughout the world, including in countries that do not have as strong a commitment to anti-corruption and ethical behavior that is required by U.S. laws or by corporate policies. We are subject to the risk that we, our U.S. employees or our employees located in other jurisdictions or any third parties such as our sales agencies and distributors that we engage to do work on our behalf in foreign countries may take action determined to be in violation of anti-corruption laws in any jurisdiction in which we conduct business, including the FCPA and the Bribery Act of 2010, or the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act. The FCPA generally prohibits covered entities and their intermediaries from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments, offers or promises to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other advantages. In addition, the FCPA imposes recordkeeping and internal controls requirements on publicly traded corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to, among other things, prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments, and to prevent the establishment of "off books" slush funds from which such improper payments can be made. As a substantial portion of our revenue is, and we expect will continue to be, from jurisdictions outside of the United States, we face significant risks if we fail to comply with the FCPA and other laws that prohibit improper payments, offers or promises of payment to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by us and other business entities for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other advantages. In many foreign countries, particularly in countries with developing economies, it may be a local custom that businesses operating in such countries engage in business practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other laws and regulations. Although we have implemented a company policy requiring our employees and consultants to comply with the FCPA and similar laws, such policy may not be effective at preventing all potential FCPA or other violations. Although our agreements with our international distributors clearly state our expectations for our distributors' compliance with U.S. laws, including the FCPA, and provide us with various remedies upon any non-compliance, including the ability to terminate the agreement, our distributors may not comply with U.S. laws, including the FCPA. In addition, we operate in certain countries in which the government may take an ownership stake in an enterprise and such government ownership may not be readily apparent, thereby increasing potential anti-corruption law violations. Any violation of the FCPA and U.K. Anti-Bribery Act or any similar anti-corruption law or regulation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties and curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions and might harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we have internal ethics policies with which we require our employees to comply in order to ensure that our business is conducted in a manner that our management deems appropriate. If these anti-corruption laws or internal policies were to be violated, our reputation and operations could also be substantially harmed. Further, detecting, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management. As a result of our focus on managing our growth, our development of infrastructure designed to identify FCPA matters and monitor compliance is at an early stage.

An element of our strategy is to continue to upgrade our products, add new features and expand clearance or approval of our current products to new indications. In the United States, before we can market a new medical device, or a new use of, new claim for or significant modification to an existing product, we must first receive either clearance under Section 510(k) of the FDCA or approval of a premarket approval application, or PMA, from the FDA, unless an exemption applies. In the 510(k) clearance process, before a device may be marketed, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is "substantially equivalent" to a legally-marketed "predicate" device, which includes a device that has been previously cleared through the 510(k) process, a device that was legally marketed prior to May 28, 1976 (pre-amendments device), a device that was originally on the U.S. market pursuant to an approved PMA and later down-classified, or a 510(k)-exempt device. To be "substantially equivalent," the proposed device must have the same intended use as the predicate device, and either have the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or have different technological characteristics and not raise different questions of safety or effectiveness than the predicate device. Clinical data are sometimes required to support substantial equivalence. In the PMA process, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is safe and effective for its intended use based, in part, on extensive data, including, but not limited to, technical, pre-clinical, clinical trial, manufacturing and labeling data. The PMA process is typically required for devices that are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices. Despite the time, effort and cost, a device may not be approved or cleared by the FDA. Any delay or failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals could harm our business. Furthermore, even if we are granted regulatory clearances or approvals, they may include significant limitations on the indicated uses for the device, which may limit the market for the device. In the United States, we have obtained 510(k) premarket clearance from the FDA to market each of our products requiring such clearance. Any modifications to these existing products may require new 510(k) clearance; however, future modifications may be subject to the substantially more costly, time-consuming and uncertain PMA process. If the FDA requires us to go through a lengthier, more rigorous examination for future products or modifications to existing products than we had expected, product introductions or modifications could be delayed or canceled, which could cause our sales to decline. In addition, the FDA may change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions, which may prevent or delay approval or clearance of our future products under development or impact our ability to modify our currently cleared products on a timely basis. Such policy or regulatory changes could impose additional requirements upon us that could delay our ability to obtain new 510(k) clearances, increase the costs of compliance or restrict our ability to maintain our current clearances. For example, in response to industry and healthcare provider concerns regarding the predictability, consistency and rigor of the 510(k) clearance process, the FDA initiated an evaluation, and in January 2011, announced several proposed actions intended to reform the 510(k) clearance process. The FDA intends these reform actions to improve the efficiency and transparency of the clearance process, as well as bolster patient safety. In addition, as part of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, enacted in 2012, Congress reauthorized the Medical Device User Fee Amendments with various FDA performance goal commitments and enacted several "Medical Device Regulatory Improvements" and miscellaneous reforms, which are further intended to clarify and improve medical device regulation both pre- and post-clearance and approval. Some of these proposals and reforms could impose additional regulatory requirements upon us that could delay our ability to obtain new 510(k) clearances, increase the costs of compliance or restrict our ability to maintain our current clearances. In order to sell our products in member countries of the EEA our products must comply with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive (Council Directive 93/42/EEC). Compliance with these requirements is a prerequisite to be able to affix the CE Mark to our products, without which they cannot be sold or marketed in the EEA. To demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements we must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. Except for low-risk medical devices (Class I non-sterile, non-measuring devices), where the manufacturer can issue an EC Declaration of Conformity based on a self-assessment of the conformity of its products with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive, a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of an organization accredited by a Member State of the EEA to conduct conformity assessments, or a Notified Body. Depending on the relevant conformity assessment procedure, the Notified Body would typically audit and examine the technical file and the quality system for the manufacture, design and final inspection of our devices. The Notified Body issues a certificate of conformity following successful completion of a conformity assessment procedure conducted in relation to the medical device and its manufacturer and their conformity with the essential requirements. This certificate entitles the manufacturer to affix the CE Mark to its medical devices after having prepared and signed a related EC Declaration of Conformity. The Medical Devices Regulation ("MDR") entered into force in May 2017 and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was postponed from its original application date of May 2020 to May 2021. On February 16, 2023, the European Parliament approved, in part, the extension of the application date for Class III and IIb implantable devices to December 31, 2027. The MDR imposes significant additional reporting requirements on manufacturers of all medical devices. It imposes an obligation on manufacturers to appoint a "qualified person" responsible for regulatory compliance, and provides for more strict clinical evidence requirements. In addition to increased financial burden of complying with the MDR, we do not yet have an MDR certificate that is required to place additional devices on the market in the EU. Failure to obtain the MDR certificate by a certain time could prevent us from placing additional devices on the EU market and/or result in expiration of the existing MDD certificate which could result in our inability to sell any products that are currently on the EU market until the MDR certificate is obtained. In order to sell our products in the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) our products must comply with the requirements of the UK Medical Device Regulations when they go into effect in 2025. Compliance with these requirements is a prerequisite to be able to affix the UKCA Mark to our products, without which they cannot be sold or marketed in the UK. To demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements we must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. A conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of an organization accredited by an Approved Body under UK Medical Device Regulations, or Approved Body. Depending on the relevant conformity assessment procedure, the Approved Body would typically audit and examine the technical file and the quality system for the manufacture, design and final inspection of our devices. The Approved Body issues a certificate of conformity following successful completion of a conformity assessment procedure conducted in relation to the medical device and its manufacturer and their conformity with the essential requirements. This certificate entitles the manufacturer to affix the UKCA Mark to its medical devices after having prepared and signed a related UK Declaration of Conformity. As a general rule, demonstration of conformity of medical devices and their manufacturers with the essential requirements must be based, among other things, on the evaluation of clinical data supporting the safety and performance of the products during normal conditions of use. Specifically, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the device achieves its intended performance during normal conditions of use, that the known and foreseeable risks, and any adverse events, are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended performance, and that any claims made about the performance and safety of the device are supported by suitable evidence. If we fail to remain in compliance with applicable European and United Kingdom laws and directives, we would be unable to continue to affix the CE or UKCA Marks to our surgical systems, which would prevent us from selling them within the EEA and the United Kingdom, respectively. We or our distributors will also need to obtain regulatory approval in other foreign jurisdictions in which we plan to market and sell our products.

We and our products are subject to extensive regulation in the United States and elsewhere, including by the FDA and its foreign counterparts. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to medical devices: design, development and manufacturing; testing, labeling, content and language of instructions for use and storage; clinical trials; product safety; marketing, sales and distribution; premarket clearance and approval; record keeping procedures; advertising and promotion; recalls and field safety corrective actions; post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury; post-market approval studies; and product import and export. The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. The FDA and our accredited Notified Body enforces these regulatory requirements through periodic unannounced inspections. We do not know whether we will pass any future inspections. Failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions such as: warning letters; fines; injunctions; civil penalties; termination of distribution; recalls or seizures of products; delays in the introduction of products into the market; total or partial suspension of production; refusal to grant future clearances or approvals; withdrawals or suspensions of current clearances or approvals, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our products; and in the most serious cases, criminal penalties. In addition, our ApiFix Mid-C System is an approved device under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) regulation. Approval under the HDE regulation is contingent upon the submission of periodic reports at intervals of one year (unless otherwise specified) from the date of approval of the original HDE (August 2019). The FDA may grant an HDE, which is an exemption from the effectiveness requirements of sections 514 and 515 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the FDCA, if the FDA determines that the device meets certain criteria. After HDE approval, the medical device may only be used after approval by an institutional review board, or IRB, has been obtained. Under FDA regulations, an IRB is an appropriately constituted group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. In accordance with FDA regulations, an IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in (to secure approval), or disapprove research. Failure to submit the necessary reports, IRB required modifications or IRB disapproval could cancel or delay our exemption which would cause our sales to decline.

In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act was enacted in the United States, which made a number of substantial changes in the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Among other ways in which it may impact our business, the Affordable Care Act: -     established a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee and identify priorities in comparative clinical effectiveness research in an effort to coordinate and develop such research;-     implemented payment system reforms including a national pilot program on payment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to improve the coordination, quality and efficiency of certain healthcare services through bundled payment models; and -     expanded the eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs. The Biden Administration and the U.S. Congress may take further action regarding the Affordable Care Act, including, but not limited to, repeal or replacement. Additionally, all or a portion of the Affordable Care Act and related subsequent legislation may be modified, repealed or otherwise invalidated through judicial challenge,which could result in lower numbers of insured individuals, reduced coverage for insured individuals and adversely affect our business. In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to providers by 2% per fiscal year, effective on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2025 unless additional Congressional action is taken. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law, which, among other things, includes a program for providers to receive accelerated or advanced Medicare payments. We expect additional state and federal healthcare reform measures to be adopted in the future, any of which could limit reimbursement for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.

There are numerous U.S. federal and state, as well as foreign, laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback, false claims and physician transparency laws. Our business practices and relationships with providers and hospitals are subject to scrutiny under these laws. We may also be subject to patient information privacy and security regulation by both the federal government and the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include: -     the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce either the referral of an individual or furnishing or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation. Moreover, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in substantial civil or criminal penalties, civil penalties under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law, civil penalties under the federal False Claims Act and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid;-     the federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalties laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs that are false or fraudulent. Private individuals can bring False Claims Act "qui tam" actions, on behalf of the government and such individuals, commonly known as "whistleblowers," may share in amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. When an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose civil penalties, including treble damages, and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs;-     the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other things, offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary's decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier;-     the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;-     the federal Physician Sunshine Act under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, collectively referred to as the Affordable Care Act, which require certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, to report annually to the DHHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians, which is defined broadly to include other healthcare providers and teaching hospitals, and applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations, to report annually ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Manufacturers are required to submit annual reports to CMS and failure to do so may result in civil monetary penalties for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests not reported in an annual submission, and may result in liability under other federal laws or regulations;-     HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, which impose requirements on certain covered healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their business associates that perform services for them that involve individually identifiable health information, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information without appropriate authorization, including mandatory contractual terms as well as directly applicable privacy and security standards and requirements. Failure to comply with the HIPAA privacy and security standards can result in civil monetary penalties, and, in certain circumstances, criminal penalties. State attorneys general can also bring a civil action to enjoin a HIPAA violation or to obtain statutory damages on behalf of residents of his or her state; and -     analogous state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers or patients; state laws that require device companies to comply with the industry's voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws that require device manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts; and state laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving private insurers. These laws and regulations, among other things, constrain our business, marketing and other promotional activities by limiting the kinds of financial arrangements, including sales programs, we may have with hospitals, physicians or other potential purchasers of our products. We have a variety of arrangements with our customers that could implicate these laws, including, among others, our consignment arrangements and our practice of loaning instrument sets to customers at no additional cost. We have also entered into consulting agreements and royalty agreements with physicians, including some who have influence on the ordering of or use our products in the procedures they perform. We could be adversely affected if regulatory agencies determine our financial relationships with such physicians to be in violation of applicable laws. Due to the breadth of these laws, the narrowness of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, and the range of interpretations to which they are subject, it is possible that some of our current or future practices might be challenged under one or more of these laws. To enforce compliance with the healthcare regulatory laws, certain enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Responding to investigations can be time-and resource-consuming and can divert management's attention from the business. Additionally, as a result of these investigations, healthcare providers and entities may have to agree to additional compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree or corporate integrity agreement. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business. Even an unsuccessful challenge or investigation into our practices could cause adverse publicity, and be costly to respond to. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the healthcare laws or regulations described above or any other healthcare regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, disgorgement and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulation of medical devices. In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new statutes, regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of any future products or make it more difficult to manufacture, market or distribute our products. We cannot determine what effect changes in regulations, statutes, legal interpretation or policies, when and if promulgated, enacted or adopted may have on our business in the future. Such changes could, among other things, require: additional testing prior to obtaining clearance or approval; changes to manufacturing methods; recall, replacement or discontinuance of our products; or additional record keeping. In September 2012, the European Commission published proposals for the revision of the EU regulatory framework for medical devices. The proposal would replace the EU Medical Devices Directive and the Active Implantable Medical Devices Directive with a new regulation, the Medical Devices Regulation. Unlike the Directives that must be implemented into national laws, the Regulation would be directly applicable in all EEA Member States and so is intended to eliminate current national differences in regulation of medical devices. The Medical Devices Regulation, or MDR, entered into force in May 2017 and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was postponed from its original application date of May 2020 to May 2021. The application date refers to the time by which the MDR goes into effect. On January 6, 2023, the European Commission sent a proposal to the European Parliament for extending the application date to December 31, 2027 for the Class III and IIb implantable devices. The proposal also seeks to extend the application date to December 31, 2028 for select Class IIb, Class IIa and Class I devices. On February 16, 2023, the European Parliament approved, in part, the extension of the application date for Class III and IIb implantable devices to December 31, 2027. The Company can continue marketing existing CE-marked products under the previous regulation until June 2024 so long as a certification extension is granted by its notified body. Any products not yet CE-marked or products with significant changes that require additional notified review are subject to the MDR as of May 2021, including the requirement of obtaining QSR certification under the MDR. The MDR among other things, imposes additional reporting requirements on manufacturers of high risk medical devices, imposes an obligation on manufacturers to appoint a "qualified person" responsible for regulatory compliance, and provides for more strict clinical evidence requirements. Effective January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU. New regulations specific to the UK went into effect beginning January 1, 2021 with a transitional period through June 30, 2024. These regulations may impact our ability to sell our products in the UK. During the transition period devices with CE Markings may continue to be sold within the UK. Devices sold in Northern Ireland will be required to keep the CE Marking after the transition period ends. In order to comply with the new regulations and continue selling medical devices in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) following the transition period, the Company must appoint a UK Responsible Person and register the medical devices with the MHRA. A new conformity assessment must be completed by a UK Approved Body. The Approved Body will audit and examine a product's technical dossiers and the manufacturers' quality system. If satisfied that the relevant product conforms to the relevant essential requirements, the Approved Body issues a certificate of conformity, which the manufacturer uses as a basis for its own declaration of conformity. The manufacturer may then apply the UKCA Mark to the device, which allows the device to be placed on the market throughout Great Britain. Once the product has been placed on the market in Great Britain, the manufacturer must comply with requirements for reporting incidents and field safety corrective actions associated with the medical device.

Sales of our products outside of the United States are subject to foreign regulatory requirements that vary widely from country to country. In addition, the FDA regulates exports of medical devices from the United States. While the regulations of some countries may not impose barriers to marketing and selling our products or only require notification, others require that we or our distributors obtain the approval of a specified regulatory body. Complying with foreign regulatory requirements, including obtaining registrations or approvals, can be expensive and time-consuming, and we or our distributors may not receive regulatory approvals in each country in which we plan to market our products or we may be unable to do so on a timely basis. The time required to obtain registrations or approvals, if required by other countries, may be longer than that required for FDA clearance, and requirements for such registrations, clearances or approvals may significantly differ from FDA requirements. If we modify our products, we or our distributors may need to apply for additional regulatory approvals before we are permitted to sell the modified product. In addition, we may not continue to meet the quality and safety standards required to maintain the authorizations that we or our distributors have received. If we or our distributors or other third-parties are unable to maintain our authorizations in a particular country, we will no longer be able to sell the applicable product in that country. Regulatory clearance or approval by the FDA does not ensure clearance or approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and clearance or approval by one or more foreign regulatory authorities does not ensure clearance or approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. However, a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory clearance or approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in others.

We are subject to several adverse event reporting regulations, which require us to report after we receive or become aware of information that reasonably suggests that one or more of our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that, if the malfunction were to recur, it could cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. The timing of our obligation to report is triggered by the date we become aware of the adverse event as well as the nature of the event. We may fail to report adverse events of which we become aware within the prescribed timeframe. We may also fail to recognize that we have become aware of a reportable adverse event, especially if it is not reported to us as an adverse event or if it is an adverse event that is unexpected or removed in time from the use of the product. If we fail to comply with our reporting obligations, the regulatory authority could take action, including warning letters, untitled letters, administrative actions, criminal prosecution, imposition of civil monetary penalties, revocation of our device clearance, seizure of our products or delay in clearance of future products. Regulatory authorities may require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture of a product or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. We may also choose to voluntarily recall a product if any material deficiency is found. We have in the past conducted several voluntary recalls of devices with lot-specific quality issues. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us could occur as a result of an unacceptable risk to health, component failures, malfunctions, manufacturing defects, labeling or design deficiencies, packaging defects or other deficiencies or failures to comply with applicable regulations. Product defects or other errors may occur in the future. Depending on the corrective action we take to redress a product's deficiencies or defects, the regulatory authority may require, or we may decide, that we will need to obtain new approvals or clearances for the device before we may market or distribute the corrected device. Seeking such approvals or clearances may delay our ability to replace the recalled devices in a timely manner. Moreover, if we do not adequately address problems associated with our devices, we may face additional regulatory enforcement action, including warning letters, product seizure, injunctions, administrative penalties or civil or criminal fines.

We, as well as certain of our officers and distributors, may be subject to other claims or lawsuits. Regardless of the outcome, these lawsuits may result in significant legal fees and expenses and could divert management's time and other resources. If the claims contained in these lawsuits are successfully asserted against us, we could be liable for damages and be required to alter or cease certain of our business practices or product lines.

An important part of our sales process includes the ability to screen for and identify orthopedic surgeons who have the requisite training and experience to safely and appropriately use our products. If orthopedic surgeons are not properly trained, they may misuse or ineffectively use our products. This may also result in unsatisfactory patient outcomes, patient injury, negative publicity or lawsuits against us. If we are unable to successfully identify orthopedic surgeon customers who will be able to successfully deploy our products, we may be unable to achieve our expected growth. There is a learning process involved for orthopedic surgeons to become proficient in the use of our products. It is critical to the success of our commercialization efforts with respect to future products to train a sufficient number of orthopedic surgeons and to provide them with adequate instruction in the use of our products. This training process may take longer than expected and may therefore affect our ability to increase sales. Convincing orthopedic surgeons to dedicate the time and energy necessary for adequate training is challenging, and we may not be successful in these efforts. Although we believe our interactions with orthopedic surgeons are conducted in compliance with FDA, federal and state fraud and abuse and other applicable laws and regulations developed both nationally and in foreign countries, if the FDA or other competent authority determines that any of our activities constitute promotion of an unapproved use or promotion of an intended purpose not covered by FDA approved labeling or the current European Union product certification, or CE Mark, affixed to our product, they could request that we modify our activities, issue corrective advertising or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalty. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action under other regulatory authority, such as false claims laws, if they consider our business activities to constitute promotion of an off-label use, which could result in significant penalties, including, but not limited to, criminal, civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs and the curtailment of our operations.

Orthopedic surgeons play a significant role in determining the course of treatment and, ultimately, the type of products that will be used to treat a patient. As a result, our success depends, in large part, on our ability to effectively market to them and demonstrate to orthopedic surgeons the merits of our products compared to those of our competitors for use in treating patients. Acceptance of our products depends on educating orthopedic surgeons as to the distinctive characteristics, perceived clinical benefits, safety and cost-effectiveness of our products as compared to our competitors' products, and on training orthopedic surgeons in the proper use of our products. If we are not successful in convincing orthopedic surgeons of the merits of our products or educating them on the use of our products, they may not use our products or use them effectively and we may be unable to increase our sales, sustain our growth or achieve and sustain profitability. Furthermore, we believe many orthopedic surgeons may be hesitant to adopt our products unless they determine, based on experience, clinical data and published peer-reviewed journal articles, that our products provide benefits or are attractive alternatives to our competitors' products. Orthopedic surgeons may be hesitant to change their surgical treatment practices for the following reasons, among others: -     lack of experience with our products;-     existing relationships with competitors and sales distributors that sell competitive products;-     lack or perceived lack of evidence supporting additional patient benefits;-     perceived liability risks generally associated with the use of new products and procedures;-     less attractive availability of coverage and reimbursement within healthcare payment systems compared to procedures using other products and techniques;-     costs associated with the purchase of new products and equipment; and -     the time commitment that may be required for training. In addition, we believe recommendations and support of our products by influential orthopedic surgeons are essential for market acceptance and adoption. If we do not receive support from such orthopedic surgeons or long-term data does not show the benefits of using our products, orthopedic surgeons may not use our products. In such circumstances, we may not achieve expected sales, growth or profitability.

We lack published long-term data supporting superior clinical outcomes enabled by our products. For this reason, orthopedic surgeons and other clinicians may be slow to adopt our products, we may not have comparative data that our competitors have or are generating, and we may be subject to greater regulatory and product liability risks. Further, future patient studies or clinical experience may indicate that treatment with our products does not improve patient outcomes. Such results would slow the adoption of our products by orthopedic surgeons, would significantly reduce our ability to achieve expected sales and could prevent us from achieving and maintaining profitability. In addition, because certain of our products have only been on the market for a few years, we have limited data with respect to treatment using these products. If future patient studies or clinical testing do not support our belief that our products offer a more advantageous treatment for a broad spectrum of pediatric orthopedic conditions, market acceptance of our products could fail to increase or could decrease.

Third parties may in the future make claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our intellectual property. We have written agreements with collaborators that provide for the ownership of intellectual property arising from our collaborations. In addition, we may face claims by third parties that our agreements with employees, contractors or consultants obligating them to assign intellectual property to us are ineffective or in conflict with prior or competing contractual obligations of assignment, which could result in ownership disputes regarding intellectual property we have developed or will develop and interfere with our ability to capture the commercial value of such intellectual property. Litigation may be necessary to resolve an ownership dispute, and if we are not successful, we may be precluded from using certain intellectual property or may lose our exclusive rights in that intellectual property. Either outcome could harm our business and competitive position.

The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. This could make it difficult for us to stop infringement of our foreign patents, if obtained, or the misappropriation of our other intellectual property rights. For example, some foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, some countries limit the enforceability of patents against third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit. Patent protection must ultimately be sought on a country-by-country basis, which is an expensive and time-consuming process with uncertain outcomes. Patent protection available in one country may not be available in other countries. Accordingly, we may choose not to seek patent protection in certain countries, and we will not have the benefit of patent protection in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the United States and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our technology and the enforcement of our intellectual property.

In addition to patent protection, we rely upon copyright and trade secret protection, as well as non-disclosure agreements and invention assignment agreements with our employees, consultants and third parties, to protect our confidential and proprietary information. In addition to contractual measures, we try to protect the confidential nature of our proprietary information using commonly accepted physical and technological security measures. Such measures may not, for example, in the case of misappropriation of a trade secret by an employee or third party with authorized access, provide adequate protection for our proprietary information. Our security measures may not prevent an employee or consultant from misappropriating our trade secrets and providing them to a competitor, and recourse we take against such misconduct may not provide an adequate remedy to protect our interests fully. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to copy or reverse engineer certain aspects of our products that we consider proprietary. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. Even though we use commonly accepted security measures, trade secret violations are often a matter of state law, and the criteria for protection of trade secrets can vary among different jurisdictions. In addition, trade secrets may be independently developed by others in a manner that could prevent legal recourse by us. If any of our confidential or proprietary information, such as our trade secrets, were to be disclosed or misappropriated, or if any such information was independently developed by a competitor, our business and competitive position could be harmed.

Our commercial success will depend in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of others. Significant litigation and administrative proceedings regarding patent rights occur in our industry. Our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use and sell our products. We do not always conduct independent reviews of patents issued to third parties. In addition, patent applications in the United States and elsewhere can be pending for many years before issuance, or unintentionally abandoned patents or applications can be revived, so there may be applications of others now pending or recently revived patents of which we are unaware. These applications may later result in issued patents, or the revival of previously abandoned patents, that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use or sell our products. Third parties may, in the future, assert claims that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization, including claims from competitors or from non-practicing entities that have no relevant product revenue and against whom our own patent portfolio may have no deterrent effect. As we continue to commercialize our products in their current or updated forms, launch new products and enter new markets, we expect competitors may claim that one or more of our products infringe their intellectual property rights as part of business strategies designed to impede our successful commercialization and entry into new markets. The large number of patents, the rapid filing rate of new patent applications and issuances, the complexities of the technology involved, and the uncertainty of litigation and administrative proceedings may increase the risk of business resources and management's attention being diverted to patent administration and litigation. We have, and we may in the future, receive letters or other threats or claims from third parties inviting us to take licenses under, or alleging that we infringe, their patents. See "Item 3. - Legal Proceedings." Moreover, we may become party to future adversarial proceedings regarding our patent portfolio or the patents of third parties. Such proceedings could include supplemental examination or contested post-grant proceedings such as review, reexamination, interference or derivation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and challenges in U.S. District Court or before the U.S. International Trade Commission. Patents may be subjected to opposition, post-grant review or comparable proceedings lodged in various foreign, both national and regional, patent offices. The legal threshold for initiating litigation or contested proceedings may be low, so that even lawsuits or proceedings with a low probability of success might be initiated. Litigation and contested proceedings can also be expensive and time-consuming, and our adversaries in these proceedings may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than we can. Any lawsuits resulting from such allegations could subject us to significant liability for damages and invalidate our proprietary rights. Any potential intellectual property litigation also could force us to do one or more of the following: -     stop making, selling, importing or using products or technologies that allegedly infringe the asserted intellectual property;-     lose the opportunity to license our technology to others or to collect royalty payments based upon successful protection and assertion of our intellectual property rights against others; incur significant legal expenses;-     pay substantial damages or royalties to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing;-     pay the attorney's fees and costs of litigation to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing;-     redesign those products that contain the allegedly infringing intellectual property, which could be costly, disruptive or infeasible; and -     attempt to obtain a license to the relevant intellectual property from third parties, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, or from third parties who may attempt to license rights that they do not have. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. If we are found to infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, we could be required to pay substantial damages (which may be increased up to three times of awarded damages) and/or substantial royalties and could be prevented from selling our products unless we obtain a license or are able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. Any such license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all, and there can be no assurance that we would be able to redesign our products in a way that would not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. We could encounter delays in product introductions while we attempt to develop alternative methods or products. If we fail to obtain any required licenses or make any necessary changes to our products or technologies, we may have to withdraw existing products from the market or may be unable to commercialize one or more of our products. In addition, we generally indemnify our customers and international distributors with respect to infringement by our products of the proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties may assert infringement claims against our customers or distributors. These claims may require us to initiate or defend protracted and costly litigation on behalf of our customers or distributors, regardless of the merits of these claims. If any of these claims succeed or settle, we may be forced to pay damages or settlement payments on behalf of our customers or distributors or may be required to obtain licenses for the products they use. If we cannot obtain all necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, our customers may be forced to stop using our products.

We seek to maintain close working relationships with respected orthopedic surgeons and medical personnel in hospitals and other healthcare organizations who assist in product research and development. We rely on these professionals to assist us in the development and improvement of our proprietary products. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and RSV, our access to these professionals has been limited at times as hospitals have restricted access for non-patients, including our research and development specialists and other employees, and we have experienced certain pandemic-related travel limitations, which has adversely affected our ability to develop, market and sell products. If we are unable to maintain these relationships, our ability to develop, market and sell new and improved products could be further adversely affected.

Expedited, reliable shipping is essential to our operations. We rely heavily on providers of transport services for reliable and secure point-to-point transport of our products to our customers and for tracking of these shipments. Should a carrier encounter delivery performance issues such as loss, damage or destruction of any systems, it would be costly to replace such systems in a timely manner and such occurrences may damage our reputation and lead to decreased demand for our products and increased cost and expense to our business. In addition, any significant increase in shipping rates could adversely affect our operating margins and results of operations. Similarly, strikes, severe weather, natural disasters or other service interruptions affecting delivery services we use would adversely affect our ability to process orders for our products on a timely basis.

We rely on a small number of third-party contract manufacturers in the United States to assemble our products. If any of these contract manufacturers fails to adequately perform, our revenue and profitability could be adversely affected. Inadequate performance could include, among other things, the production of products that do not meet our quality standards, which could cause us to seek additional sources of manufacturing. Additionally, our contract manufacturers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. If we are required to change contract manufacturers due to any termination of our relationships with our contract manufacturers, we may lose revenue, experience manufacturing delays, incur increased costs or otherwise suffer impairment to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative manufacturing relationships on similar terms or without delay. Furthermore, our contract manufacturers could require us to move to another one of their production facilities. This could disrupt our ability to fulfill orders during a transition and impact our ability to utilize our current supply chain. In addition, we currently use Structure Medical, LLC and Vilex, LLC, Squadron-affiliated entities, as suppliers for some of the components of our products.

At present, we rely solely on the commercialization of our products and services to generate revenue, and we expect to generate substantially all of our revenue in the foreseeable future from sales of these products and services. In order to successfully commercialize our products and services, we will need to continue to expand our marketing efforts to develop new relationships and expand existing relationships with customers, to obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for our products in additional countries, to achieve and maintain compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and to develop and commercialize our products and services with new features or for additional indications. If we fail to successfully commercialize our products or services, we may never receive a return on the substantial investments in product development, sales and marketing, regulatory compliance, manufacturing and quality assurance we have made, as well as further investments we intend to make, which may cause us to fail to generate revenue and gain economies of scale from such investments. In addition, potential customers may decide not to purchase our products or services, or our customers may decide to cancel orders due to changes in treatment offerings, research and development plans, adverse clinical outcomes, difficulties in obtaining coverage or reimbursement for procedures using our products, difficulties obtaining approval from a hospital, complications with manufacturing or the utilization of technology developed by other parties, all of which are circumstances outside of our control. In addition, demand for our products or services may not increase as quickly as we predict, and we may be unable to increase our revenue levels as we expect. Even if we succeed in increasing adoption of these systems by physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers, maintaining and creating relationships with our existing and new customers and developing and commercializing new features or indications for these systems, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability.

In the United States, healthcare providers who purchase our products generally rely on third-party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance plans, to pay for all or a portion of the cost of our products in the procedures in which they are employed. Because there is often no separate reimbursement for products used in surgical procedures, the additional cost associated with the use of our products can impact the profit margin of the hospital or surgery center where the surgery is performed. Some of our target customers may be unwilling to adopt our products in light of the additional associated cost. Further, any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for the procedures using our products may make it difficult for existing customers to continue using, or to adopt, our products and could create additional pricing pressure for us. We may be unable to sell our products on a profitable basis if third-party payors deny coverage or reduce their current levels of reimbursement. To contain costs of new technologies, governmental healthcare programs and third-party payors are increasingly scrutinizing new and existing treatments by requiring extensive evidence of favorable clinical outcomes. Orthopedic surgeons, hospitals and other healthcare providers may not purchase our products if they do not receive satisfactory reimbursement from these third-party payors for the cost of the procedures using our products. Payors continue to review their coverage policies carefully for existing and new therapies and can, without notice, deny coverage for treatments that include the use of our products. If third-party payors issue non-coverage policies or if our customers are not reimbursed at adequate levels, this could adversely affect sales of our products. In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are periodic changes to reimbursement rates and policies. Third-party payors regularly update reimbursement amounts and also from time to time revise the methodologies used to determine reimbursement amounts. This includes routine updates to payments to physicians, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers for procedures during which our products are used. These updates could directly impact the demand for our products. For example, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA, provided for a 0.5% annual increase in payment rates under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, or PFS, through 2019, but no annual update from 2020 through 2025. MACRA also introduced a Quality Payment Program, or QPP, for Medicare physicians, nurses and other "eligible clinicians" beginning in 2019. At this time, it is unclear how the introduction of the QPP will impact overall reimbursement under the PFS. While MACRA applies only to Medicare reimbursement, Medicaid and private payors often follow Medicare payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates, and any reduction in Medicare reimbursement may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors, which may result in reduced demand for our products. However, there is no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement among payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for procedures can differ significantly from payor to payor. Moreover, some healthcare providers in the United States have adopted or are considering a managed care system in which the providers contract to provide comprehensive healthcare for a fixed cost per person. Healthcare providers may attempt to control costs by authorizing fewer surgical procedures or by requiring the use of the least expensive clinically appropriate products available. Additionally, as a result of reform of the U.S. healthcare system, changes in reimbursement policies or healthcare cost containment initiatives may limit or restrict coverage and reimbursement for our products and cause our revenue to decline. Outside of the United States, reimbursement systems vary significantly by country. Many foreign markets have government-managed healthcare systems that govern reimbursement for orthopedic implants and procedures. Additionally, some foreign reimbursement systems provide for limited payments in a given period and therefore result in extended payment periods. If adequate levels of reimbursement from third-party payors outside of the United States are not obtained, international sales of our products may decline. The marketability of our products may suffer if government and commercial third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.

We have limited experience in marketing and selling our products. We began selling our products in the United States in 2008 and internationally in 2011. In 2017, we began to supplement our use of independent stocking distributors with direct sales programs in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. We began selling direct to Canada in September 2018, Belgium and the Netherlands in January 2019, Italy in March 2020 and Germany, Switzerland and Austria in January 2021. In these markets, we work through sales agencies that are paid a commission. In order to further enhance our operations in Europe, we established operating companies in the Netherlands and Germany in March 2019 and April 2022, respectively. In 2023, we hired operating and sales representatives in Germany as salaried employees to better serve our customers. As of December 31, 2023, our international sales organization consisted of a network of more than 70 independent stocking distributors, 14 independent sales agencies and multiple direct sales representatives. We sell our products in over 70 countries outside of the United States. Our operating results are directly dependent upon the sales and marketing efforts of our independent sales agencies and distributors. If our independent sales agencies or distributors fail to adequately promote, market and sell our products, our sales could significantly decrease. In addition, our future sales will largely depend on our ability to increase our marketing efforts and adequately address our customers' needs. We believe it is necessary to utilize a sales force that includes sales agencies with specific technical backgrounds that can support our customers' needs. We will also need to attract independent sales personnel and attract and develop marketing personnel with industry expertise. Competition for such independent sales agencies, distributors and marketing employees is intense and we may be unable to attract and retain sufficient personnel to maintain an effective sales and marketing force. If we are unable to adequately address our customers' needs, it could negatively impact sales and market acceptance of our products, and we may not generate sufficient revenue to sustain profitability. As we launch new products and increase our marketing efforts with respect to existing products, we will need to expand the reach of our marketing and sales networks. Our future success will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate skilled independent sales agencies and distributors with significant technical knowledge in various areas. New hires require training and take time to achieve full productivity. If we fail to train new hires adequately, or if we experience high turnover in our sales force in the future, new hires may not become as productive as may be necessary to maintain or increase our sales. If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capabilities domestically and internationally, we may be unable to effectively commercialize our products.