<p>In 2002 I was lucky enough to have a representative from one of the major joint replacement companies roll a centrifuge into my operating room. I was told, while I was performing surgery, the anesthesiologist could draw the patients’ blood and it could be processed. By the end of the case, I would have a substance high in growth factors, including BMP (bone morphogenic protein), which I could add to my bone graft. They did not even call this platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Over the next several years we would push the envelope, injecting my rotator cuff repairs, Achilles tendon repairs, and anywhere I thought it would help. I would collect the data, and over time fell in love with PRP. Fast forward to 2008, becoming frustrated with insurance company control of medicine, and decreasing reimbursement, I decided to take my knowledge of PRP, and develop it into a cash only practice. As I refined my processes— and further refined my protocols and products—I began consulting with other practices teaching them how to go from the traditional insurance-based billing to a cash practice model. To date, my company, Regenerative Medical Associates, located in Ocala, Florida, has helped over 200 practices throughout the United States shift to a cash-based regenerative medicine practice. We also feel we have the best, leading-edge devices, biologic, training, and protocol currently available in the regenerative space. We have also partnered with some of the top doctors in the regenerative medicine field, including Dr. Charles Runels, to provide training for our physicians. We are a one-stop organization, providing training, products, equipment— and even marketing— to medical practitioners already in the regenerative field as well as those who want to add this niche to their existing practice.</p>


Jeffrey Piccirillo, DO