Patent ID: 8707963

Claim:
A method for performing orthopedic implant surgery comprising: supplying an orthopedic implant of a manufacturer to a surgeon for implantation into a patient; using a computer that is programmed with a data structure configured to separately store, for a given implant, (1) information identifying a plurality of surgical steps associated with preparing for and replacing or modifying the function of a joint bone or soft tissue associated with a joint selected from the group consisting of hip, knee, elbow, and shoulder, and associated with the implanting the given implant into the body of a patient, and (2) a preference attribute associated with each of said plurality of surgical steps in which to store information identifying a surgeon's preference with respect to the associated step; the manufacturer obtaining information prior to surgery about a particular surgeon's preferences in relation to the supplied implant and using said computer to create a specific record according to said data structure that is specific to the supplied implant and specific to the particular surgeon according to said data structure; the manufacturer populating the preference attributes of said specific record with information identifying the particular surgeon's preferences in relation to the steps associated with implanting the supplied implant; the manufacturer designating a surgical team member and using said computer and said specific record in training the designated surgical team member in the manner of implanting the supplied implant in accordance with the surgeon's preferences; the manufacturer supplying the services of the trained surgical team member together with the supplied implant; and the surgical team member performing procedures on the patient to assist the surgeon in implantation of the supplied implant, in accordance with the surgeon's preferences as reflected in the specific record stored in said programmed computer.