Clinical operations note: globus-medical-faq-nuvasive-merger-date-audubon-hq-amp-product-scope-questions-148

If you are researching Globus Medical for a hospital, ambulatory surgery center, or physician practice, you probably have the same questions our buying team had before we reviewed the company as a supplier. This FAQ comes from the procurement side, not the marketing side. I have managed surgical and orthopedic device purchasing for a 320-bed regional health system for six years, with about $2.8 million in annual spend across spine, trauma, and implantable devices. I have tracked every invoice in the same cost system since 2019 and have negotiated with more than 40 medical device vendors.

Questions answered here:

• When did Globus Medical merge with NuVasive?
• Where is Globus Medical located, and why does Audubon keep coming up?
• Does Globus Medical make a surgical stapler?
• Does Globus Medical make CPAP machines?
• What is shockwave therapy?
• Should you consolidate your orthopedic contract around Globus Medical?

When Did Globus Medical Merge With NuVasive?

Globus Medical completed its all-stock merger with NuVasive on September 1, 2023. The companies announced the deal in April 2023. Per Globus Medical's merger announcement, NuVasive shareholders received 0.75 shares of Globus common stock per NuVasive share, which gave legacy NuVasive shareholders about 30.6% of the combined company. The combined company kept the Globus Medical name and continues to trade as GMED on the NYSE.

Why does the exact date matter to a buyer? Because the legal entity you signed with may no longer be the one you invoice. In Q4 2023, our team had to create a new master agreement and reissue purchase orders for legacy NuVasive products under Globus's updated entity. Some part numbers did not map cleanly. And as of January 2025, we still saw remnants of separate rebate programs being merged into one system. Trust me on this one: audit each line item before you roll over a blanket PO after a merger.

Where Is Globus Medical Located, and Why Does Audubon Keep Coming Up?

Globus Medical is headquartered in Audubon, Pennsylvania, a suburb roughly 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The Audubon location is the corporate home base, with product development, manufacturing support, quality systems, and distribution functions. That is why you will hear people in the industry refer to Globus Medical Audubon as shorthand for the company's main site.

From a purchasing standpoint, location matters less than the legal entity tied to it. After the NuVasive merger closed, our supplier master still had NuVasive's San Diego address listed for a few weeks. That created a payment delay because the remittance went to the old lockbox. We now verify the W-9, legal entity name, and remit address on every contract before the first purchase order is issued. It sounds like administrative busywork until a check goes to the wrong address.

Does Globus Medical Make a Surgical Stapler?

No. People assume the phrase surgical instruments means every possible surgical tool. That assumption is usually wrong. Globus Medical's product catalog is centered on spine and musculoskeletal surgery: spinal implants, interbody devices, fixation systems, joint reconstruction, and the surgical instruments used to place those implants, plus navigation and robotics through the ExcelsiusGPS platform. Soft-tissue surgical staplers, the type used to cut and seal bowel, lung, or skin in general and thoracic procedures, are outside that catalog.

Why would this question come up? Because when hospitals build an RFP, surgical instruments and surgical stapler sometimes end up in the same line item by accident. One supplier in our RFP review answered that they do not make surgical staplers and we should not buy them as a bundled afterthought from a spine-focused manufacturer. That answer did not make that supplier look limited. It made their other quotes more credible. If you need surgical staplers, source from the companies that specialize in soft-tissue stapling. If you need spine implants, buy from a spine- and orthopedics-focused manufacturer. Those are not interchangeable purchasing categories.

Does Globus Medical Make CPAP Machines?

No. A CPAP machine is a respiratory device that treats obstructive sleep apnea by delivering continuous positive airway pressure through a mask. Globus Medical is not a respiratory equipment manufacturer; its focus is surgical and musculoskeletal technology, including implants, surgical instruments, imaging, navigation, and related products for spine and orthopedic cases. Patients needing CPAP therapy are served by well-established respiratory manufacturers such as ResMed and Philips Respironics, not by spine implant companies.

From a supply-chain view, medical device is a broad label. CPAP machines and spinal implants have different FDA product classifications, service requirements, and reimbursement pathways. I would not put a CPAP machine line into a spine implant contract, and honestly, a manufacturer that says CPAP is outside its lane is doing you a favor. Real talk: specialization is not a weakness. It is how service quality and inventory reliability hold up.

What Is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy, more formally extracorporeal shockwave therapy or ESWT, is a non-invasive treatment that sends acoustic pressure waves through the skin to stimulate healing in tendons, fascia, and bone. In orthopedic and rehabilitation settings, it is commonly used for plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, Achilles tendinopathy, calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, and some cases of fracture nonunion.

There are two broad device categories: focused shockwave devices deliver energy to a deeper, specific target, while radial shockwave devices distribute pressure waves over a wider, more superficial area. They are not interchangeable in treatment protocols. A typical session can run 20 to 30 minutes in an outpatient setting, and many treatment plans involve multiple sessions.

Since I am a procurement person and not a physician, I will leave clinical decisions to the medical staff. But on the business side, this is what I check before a hospital buys a shockwave therapy system: FDA clearance for the intended indication, with the FDA 510(k) database as the authoritative source; the cost of replacement handpieces and consumables; service contract terms; training requirements; and payer coverage in our region. The capital quote is only the starting number. Over two years, disposables and service can exceed the purchase price.

Should You Consolidate Your Orthopedic Contract Around Globus Medical?

The honest answer is: it depends on whether the scope matches what they actually make and support. Since the NuVasive merger, Globus Medical has a broad musculoskeletal portfolio that includes spine implants from both legacy companies, joint reconstruction, trauma, biologics, surgical access, intraoperative neuromonitoring, and navigation and robotics. Those categories genuinely fit in one contracting conversation.

Surgical staplers, CPAP machines, and general respiratory capital equipment do not fit there. If a vendor claims to cover every category with equal depth, that is a caution sign, not a benefit. When a vendor tells you which products are outside their specialty, they are helping you avoid hidden costs downstream.

Mergers are also the right time to re-tender rather than auto-renew. Ask for line-item device pricing, rep coverage expectations, instrument loaner terms, service and software upgrade fees, and a written description of what happens to legacy NuVasive contracts and rebates. Compare total cost, not sticker price. That is how we found that the lowest initial quote in one tender would have cost us more in service and consumable fees by the second year. It is also how we ended up with a vendor relationship that actually respected our budget.