The impact of regulation, reimbursement, and research on the value of 3D printing and other 3D procedures in medicine
Frank J. Rybicki
Abstract
My opinions in this Editorial have been shaped by 20 years working in three academic Health Care Facilities (HCFs), with a clinical focus on medical image segmentation and image post-processing. During the first decade I studied and honed my skills in 3D visualization, defined as the ensemble of segmentation that can be viewed on a standard 2D display [ 1 ]. During the second decade I studied more sophisticated segmentation and medical image data refinement, including 3D printing [ 2 ] as well as virtual and augmented reality [ 3 ]. Over the past 5 years I have served as Editor in Chief of 3D Printing in Medicine . I proposed and Springer/ BMC launched the journal with the intention of publishing peer-review original reports, review articles and guidelines, and intriguing case reports [ 4 ] that support our field that is growing both in size and diversity. This editorial presents my own opinion on several important developments and milestones since the journal launch, with the hope that my one perspective can inspire new contributions to the journal, and to the field in general.