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PrecisionOS Partners with CONMED International Following Major Breakthrough in Portable Arthroscopy Education using Virtual Reality

Article Summary

August 25, 2020

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August [26], 2020 — PrecisionOS Technology, developers of the Surgical Mastery Platform™, announced today the details of a major breakthrough in basic and advanced fundamentals of arthroscopy training. The company has created the first-of-its-kind arthroscopy simulator available on a mobile, wireless device (Oculus Quest) which will also be used by CONMED International for surgeon educationm.

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VR Surgery Training Blogs

The innovative new platform utilizes virtual reality and Oculus Quest headset.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 26, 2020PrecisionOS Technology, developers of the Surgical Mastery Platform™, announced today the details of a major breakthrough in basic and advanced fundamentals of arthroscopy training. The company has created the first-of-its-kind arthroscopy simulator available on a mobile, wireless device (Oculus Quest) which will also be used by CONMED International for surgeon education

“Our partnership with CONMED International allows us to immediately expand globally on training surgeons on this complex procedure. Given the challenges of arthroscopic training, the need for a surgeon focused and patient-centered portable solution was very clear.” said Dr. Danny Goel, Orthopedic Surgeon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PrecisionOS. “Our company is thrilled to be able to offer this cutting-edge innovation to train surgeons on hip arthroscopy,”

The PrecisionOS method of VR simulation has proven superior to traditional approaches in a study published in the highly regarded orthopedic journal The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.  In comparing traditional training methods with virtual reality, this research demonstrated how the PrecisionOS software enables surgeons  to grasp procedural concepts significantly faster, while enhancing technical skill.

That type of aptitude is especially important in arthroscopic surgery. For example, hip arthroscopy training has an extensive learning curve. Surgeons may require as many as 100 cases before becoming proficient which can take years to accomplish.

As part of its commitment to education, PrecisonOS will highlight a second randomized controlled trial and their novel hip arthroscopy module at the Young Adult Hip Meeting with Course Chairman, Dr. Femi Ayeni, later this week. 

“It is exciting to see what’s possible with this new educational platform,” said Dr. Ayeni, a highly regarded hip arthroscopy surgeon who also serves as a Professor and Academic Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at McMaster University. “So much time can be saved from the reduced need for directed intraoperative teaching of trainees or a reduction of costs associated with traditional cadaveric models. It’s going to be a substantial part of a surgeon’s skill development ‘tool kit’ in the future.” 

In addition to improving efficiency and skill, PrecisionOS can provide hospital systems and learning centers with considerable financial relief. Because the modules are facilitated through a portable solution, the Oculus Quest, the training can be completed anywhere and at any time. Centers can also save on capital costs as arthroscopy training has always been an expensive and high-risk endeavor.

“Technology is evolving rapidly right now, more than ever before in history, and the time to embrace change from the status quo is upon us,” said Richard McKillop, Vice President and General Manager, CONMED Latin America and Canada. 

“This is a major milestone as the medical community continues to re-evaluate delivery of high quality surgical education. ” Dr. Goel said. “Adding arthroscopic surgery, allows us to offer the most comprehensive educational platform in virtual reality simulation in the market.  This aligns with our mission of providing the gold standard in global orthopedic education without geographical limitations. This is not only important to us, but to our new partner, CONMED International.

About Precision OS

Precision OS was founded by a team of clinical orthopedic surgeons and game developers to create the most relevant and applicable medical-grade-VR-simulation™ experience. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia and backed by the prestigious AO Foundation, the company’s mission is to provide first-in-class orthopedic surgical training on a global scale. Given its focus on surgical education, Precision OS is not only a CME provider through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, but has also established partnerships with more than 10 North American orthopedic residency programs and medical institutions. The company’s scientifically validated product has been tested among its end users and customers resulting in business relationships with some of the top orthopedic companies in the industry.

About CONMED

CONMED is a medical technology company that provides surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures. The Company’s products are used by surgeons and physicians in a variety of specialties, including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery and gastroenterology.

To learn more about the program launch and success stories go to www.precisionostech.com

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About PrecisionOS

PrecisionOS is a leader in virtual reality-enabled surgical education. Trusted by top academic medical centers, health systems, and professional societies worldwide, the company delivers an immersive, scalable training ecosystem designed by surgeons for residents and the next generation of healthcare professionals. By combining high-fidelity VR cadaver labs with on-the-go access via the Approaches mobile module and AI-driven performance reporting, PrecisionOS ensures surgeons are ready for the OR, today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a step-by-step "Quick Start" guide for residents?

Yes—The Onboarding Course is your fastest path to proficiency. It walks you through account syncing, procedure selection, and your first virtual rehearsal step-by-step, ensuring you are “OR Ready” before you pick up the controllers.

Action: Follow the guided video path to standardize your learning experience.

Yes. PrecisionOS is compatible with Meta Quest 3, and 3s. If you already own a headset, you simply need to download the PrecisionOS Launcher from the App Store and sign in with your institution email and membership credentials.

Action: Download the launcher and log in.

Your Individual Membership is a month-to-month subscription ($99/mo) designed for residents who want 24/7 access to surgical rehearsal without a long-term contract.  Reach out for information about an institutional membership.

Action: Your card is billed every 30 days from the date of signup.

Hospital networks will often require a MAC address for device white-listing. You can find this in your Meta Quest headset settings under About > MAC Address.

Action: Reach out to provide your IT department with the MAC address found in your headset settings.

Both the headset firmware and the PrecisionOS app must be up to date to prevent technical glitches. Go to Settings > Software Update on your Quest and check the Launcher for app updates.

Action: Enable “Auto-updates” in your headset settings.

About The Author

Picture of Danny P. Goel, MD

Danny P. Goel, MD

Is the CEO of PrecisionOS and is a practicing surgeon and surgical educator. Dr. Goel currently practices in the Vancouver, B.C. area and also serves on the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

He received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, pursued his residency training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Calgary, and completed fellowship training in shoulder surgery at the University of Western Ontario and Harvard University.

Goel has co-authored more than 30 publications, and is widely sought as a presenter on surgical techniques.

21 Months of Automated VR Data

MAJOR ACADEMIC ORTHOPAEDIC RESIDENCY PROGRAM

How self-directed VR practice fills the seams of the clinical day and produces measurable learning trajectories—completely automatically.

Executive Summary:

Over a 21-month period, 30 orthopaedic residents integrated immersive VR into their training curriculum. With a simple, weekly requirement for residents to practice in headset, the platform seamlessly captured over 88,000 structured data points across 2,566 practice sessions. The resulting data proved that when residents have access to high-fidelity, frictionless simulation and are motivated, they will hone their skills and demonstrate clear performance improvements.

Frictionless Adoption: Practice doesn't compete with clinical time. The data revealed that 45% of all sessions happened organically during lunch breaks or on weekends.

Comprehensive Coverage: Usage wasn't limited to a single subspecialty. Residents attempted 61 distinct cases across 27 procedure modules, proving active engagement from Foundations & Anatomy to Complex Trauma.

Measurable Improvement: The platform didn't just track usage; it tracked skill acquisition. Across 288 scored playthroughs, longitudinal data showed a clear performance signal, with residents demonstrating an average positive learning delta of +0.36 over time.

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Step #2

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Step #3

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Step #4

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Step #4

Practice With A Plan

Go through the recommended VR apps to gain the skills and repetition needed for success. 

Step #5

Review Performance Insights

After your VR session, review your personalized performance insight on your phone to maximine your OR success. 

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Dr. Andrew Maeso

Orthopedic resident

From Uncertainty to Execution

“You already have a plan, now you’re just executing it.”

The Story: Bridging the "Intern Gap"

Dr. Andrew Maeso recognizes the steep reality of residency: “As an intern, you are thrown into the fire.” For him, the hurdle wasn’t just the surgery—it was the invisible mechanics (positioning, X-ray angles, and workflow) that move too fast to learn in a high-pressure OR.

The Solution: Access Over Policy

By bringing the PrecisionOS ecosystem home, Dr. Maeso replaced passive YouTube watching with active mental rehearsal. This allowed him to arrive in the OR with the “steps” already hard-coded into his muscle memory.

The Game Changer: Personal headsets issued for at-home, 24/7 training.

Clinical Focus: Mastery of Antegrade Femoral Nails and Shoulder Arthroscopy.

Program Growth: Experience led to secured funding for all incoming residents.

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Roberto Oliveira

Founder

Over his 25 years in the gaming industry, Roberto Oliveira has been known for bringing stunning realism and high fidelity to interactive experiences.

He combines an art director’s artistic vision with solid business leadership, including experience in building art teams, creative team management, project planning, project management and business development.

Over the years, his talents have been showcased in projects for major publishers including Sony, Activision, Disney and Electronic Arts.

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Dr. Ryan Lohre

MGH Staff Surgeon

From Resident to MGH Staff Surgeon

“Prepare like it matters. Because in the OR—it does.”

The Story: The Currency of Trust

Dr. Ryan Lohre’s trajectory changed during a complex pediatric case that had already seen two failed attempts by tenured surgeons. While textbooks offered the theory, Dr. Lohre used VR to master the 3D spatial intelligence required to build a mental model of the deformity and navigate C-arm imagery in real-time.

The Solution: The 18-Minute Sandbox

The night before surgery, Dr. Lohre rehearsed the procedure four times in VR from his own home. This high-fidelity rehearsal allowed him to arrive in the OR functioning at 80-90% proficiency, compared to the typical 10-20% for a resident facing a new, complex procedure.

The Game Changer: 18 minutes of at-home VR prep for a complex pediatric case.

Clinical Focus: Spatial intelligence for C-arm interpretation and screw trajectory.

Program Growth: Transitioned from trainee to Staff Surgeon at Mass General.

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Dr. Barry McDonough

Program Director

Teaching with Surgical Efficiency

“I let the junior resident do more than ever before—and still finished on time.”

The Story: Reclaiming the OR

While at West Virginia University (WVU), Dr. Barry McDonough faced a universal challenge: balancing resident education with strict OR efficiency. By the time residents step into the OR, foundational skills like camera handling and triangulation should be second nature—not a distraction that slows down the case.

The Solution: Independent Preparation

Residents were assigned just 10 minutes of asynchronous VR training per week. This allowed them to master the “invisible” basics of arthroscopy on their own time. With an average of 17 sessions completed during the pilot, residents arrived with a mental roadmap that translated into immediate technical fluency.

The Game Changer: Asynchronous prep—residents train independently at home.

Clinical Focus: Mastery of triangulation, scope control, and anchor placement.

Program Growth: Model expanded across trauma, spine, and upper extremity.

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Dr. Charlie Spieser

Orthopedic Resident

Mastering the Visuo-Spatial Gap

“VR practice shifts questioning from case generalizations to technique refinement.”

The Story: From Application to Confidence

Charlie Spieser highlights a universal resident hurdle: the high-stress transition from “book knowledge” to real-world execution. Early in training, the fear of making irreversible decisions can lead to hesitation. To bridge this gap, Charlie utilized VR as a daily resource for kinetic learning and anatomical association.

The Solution: Refining Spatial Intelligence

Unlike textbooks or passive videos, PrecisionOS allowed Charlie to practice high-stakes approaches—such as the anterior total hip—in a guided, 3D environment. This repetition provided a “safe sandbox” to identify why errors occurred, building the visuo-spatial confidence required to navigate complex anatomy before ever entering the OR.

The Game Changer: Daily Integration—normalized as an expected program resource.

Clinical Focus: Anterior Total Hip and Deltopectoral surgical approaches.

Program Growth: Nuanced Mentorship—shifting focus to specific faculty preferences.

Orthopaedic virtual reality training for junior residents in surgery.

Immersive Virtual Reality Training for a Junior Orthopaedic Surgery Resident

Andres D Maeso, DO, Michael R McDermott, DO, Jerrod A Steimle, DO

How consistent iVR training accelerates technical fluency and attending trust for first-year residents.

Executive Summary: This case study follows a first-year resident’s integration of immersive VR (iVR) into their surgical curriculum. By dedicating consistent training time to virtual modules, the resident was able to master procedural steps and receive real-time feedback in a risk-free environment before ever stepping into the operating room. The study highlights that this deliberate practice led to a “noticeable improvement in overall efficiency” and significantly increased the attending’s trust and confidence in the resident’s intraoperative capabilities.

Source Attribution: Immersive Virtual Reality Training for a Junior Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, Journal of Orthopaedic Experience & Innovation (2025).

Muscle Memory Development: The repetitive nature of immersive VR (iVR) training, combined with constant real-time feedback, allows technical surgical steps to become deep-seated muscle memory.

Measurable Efficiency Gains: Residents utilizing the platform observe a "noticeable improvement" in overall efficiency and technical proficiency when performing complex orthopedic procedures.

Accelerated Attending Trust: Preoperative rehearsal in a virtual environment significantly increases attending surgeon confidence, directly leading to increased autonomy for the resident in the operating room.

Professional man in business attire for PrecisionOS.

Danny P. Goel, MD

Chief Executive Officer

A practicing surgeon and surgical educator, Dr. Goel currently practices in the Vancouver, B.C. area and also serves on the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

He received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, pursued his residency training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Calgary, and completed fellowship training in shoulder surgery at the University of Western Ontario and Harvard University.

Goel has co-authored more than 30 publications, and is widely sought as a presenter on surgical techniques.

Professional man smiling in a blue shirt for PrecisionOS About Us page.

Colin O'Connor

Founder

Colin O’Connor brings a proven track record as a business leader and entrepreneur, as well as expertise at developing cutting-edge technology to create immersive, high-fidelity experiences.

He has overseen and played key leadership roles in the highest echelons of the video game industry, founding companies and taking more than 16 top-tier titles to market.

He has worked at the forefront in innovating new rendering technologies in the areas of lighting, motion, particle graphics and shading that bring unprecedented realism to interactive experiences.

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