Company Overview

Onkos Surgical supports surgeons treating musculoskeletal oncology and complex orthopedic cases. Their Precision Orthopedics approach relies on virtual surgical planning, 3D modeling and printing, implant design, and workflow coordination across engineering, quality, manufacturing, sales, and operations.

More than 350 leading academic medical institutions rely on Onkos Surgical. Jordyn Elkan, Onkos Surgical's Senior Case Planning Analyst, says the company's core belief, often referred to as their "why," is that individuals with cancer and other complex orthopaedic conditions deserve solutions designed specifically for them.

As volume grew, keeping every team aligned--from case intake to production--became increasingly difficult with manual tools and disconnected systems.

The Challenge

Manual tracking that slowed the work

Before Quickbase, one person spent a significant amount of time each month reconstructing timelines from their case management system in Microsoft Access, email threads, and spreadsheets. This effort delayed decisions and pulled attention away from higher-value engineering collaboration with surgeons and case coordination. Additionally, system access was limited to one person at a time, creating bottlenecks and reducing shared visibility.

No single source of truth

Case details lived in multiple Excel files across teams. Updates were shared in meetings or email, so not everyone was working from the same information at the same time.

Miscommunication around critical dates

With timelines in motion and no shared visibility, sales, engineering, and planning teams were sometimes working toward different deadlines--creating unnecessary friction and last-minute changes.

Growing risk around sensitive data

Spreadsheets and shared drives became hard to manage as case complexity and collaboration needs increased. Teams needed more confidence and control as coordination expanded.

The Solution

One system for every case workflow

Onkos Surgical moved its case management tool from Microsoft Access into Quickbase--building an application centered on clear milestones from initial request through design, manufacturing, and shipment.

Quickbase replaced scattered spreadsheets and email threads with one shared, real-time view of each case.

Automated scheduling and coordination

Onkos connected Quickbase with Outlook and Microsoft Teams so calls and design planning meetings could be scheduled directly from the system.

"You plug a date and time into Quickbase, and it automatically sends an email invite to all the correct people," said Elkan.

A single source of truth for all teams

Information is entered once and reflected everywhere it needs to be. Every update--every milestone, date, or commitment--has an audit trail showing what changed and who updated it.

Streamlined intake and role-based access

Digital intake forms allow mobile teams to submit new cases directly into Quickbase. Approved cases move forward automatically with the right permissions and visibility for each department.

The Impact

Centralizing workflows in Quickbase transformed how Onkos Surgical plans, tracks, and coordinates cases.

• 60+ hours saved every week
• Daily reports give all stakeholders clear direction on which cases need action and next steps
• Automated notifications keep teams aligned without meetings or manual email tracking
• Change logs provide accountability and clarity across departments
• Adoption is high because Quickbase now serves as a collaboration hub--not a system maintained by one person

What's Next

The team continues expanding Quickbase to support growth. Planned upcoming enhancements include:

• Public-facing intake forms
• Secure, post-case surgeon dialogue
• A new application to streamline communication between sales and customer service

By replacing manual tools with one connected platform, Onkos Surgical has built a clearer, faster, more scalable way to manage complex case workflows and better serve patients.