SIGN Fracture Care

What SIGN Fracture Care does

SIGN Fracture Care International is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit headquartered in Richland, Washington, founded in 1999 to address untreated fractures in low- and middle-income countries. The organization builds sustainable orthopaedic capacity by training surgeons and manufacturing and donating the implants and instruments they need to treat fractures within their own communities, partnering with teaching hospitals and hosting the annual SIGN International Orthopaedic Conference. Its core technology is the SIGN Intramedullary Implant System — comprising the Standard SIGN Nail, Fin Nail, Pediatric Fin Nail, and SIGN FX Plates — engineered specifically for use in low-resource hospitals without requiring x-ray machines or electricity. Manufacturing, design, and distribution are consolidated at the Richland facility, and products are donated rather than sold.

The organization's business model is donation-funded: it raises contributions from individuals, corporations, civic groups such as Kiwanis and Rotary, and grants from private foundations, with 90% of expenditures directed to program activities in 2022. Its marketing and fundraising rely on its website, email newsletters, and active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn, anchored by a unit-economics framing of $175 to fund the implants for one surgery. As of the most recent disclosed figures, SIGN's programs operate in 63 countries, serve 467 hospitals, and have healed 493,820 patients cumulatively. The organization holds Charity Navigator four-star, BBB Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity, Candid Platinum Transparency, and GreatNonprofits 2024 Top Rated designations, and is led by CEO Dr. Sariah Khormaee and Chief Compliance Officer Lori Maier.

Name

SIGN Fracture Care

Legal name

SIGN Fracture Care International

Website

https://signfracturecare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIGN Fracture Care International is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit that designs and donates orthopaedic implants and trains surgeons to treat fractures in developing-country hospitals lacking imaging or electrical infrastructure, operating across 63 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orthopaedic Implants and Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Orthopedic Trauma & Extremities Fixation (Plates/Screws/Nails/External Fixation) (HLAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Orthopaedic implants
• Fracture fixation devices
• Intramedullary nails
• Humanitarian medical devices
• Surgeon education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Richland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: SIGN is a humanitarian organization funded by donations from individuals, corporations, civic groups (Kiwanis, Rotary), and grants from private foundations. 90% of expenditures went to program activities in 2022.
2. Donated Medical Supplies: SIGN accepts in-kind donations of certain medical supplies (subject to export regulations).
3. Donated Implants and Instruments: SIGN manufactures and donates orthopaedic implants and instruments to surgeons in developing countries, providing the tools needed for fracture surgery at no cost to recipients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SIGN Fracture Care International manufactures and donates orthopaedic implants (SIGN Intramedullary Nails including Standard, Fin, and Pediatric Fin Nails, plus SIGN FX Plates) and surgical instruments, combined with hands-on surgeon education, to hospitals in low- and middle-income countries. All products are designed, manufactured, and shipped from the organization's Richland, Washington facilities and are engineered for use in low-resource hospitals that lack x-ray machines or reliable electricity.

Product overview

SIGN Fracture Care International offers a unified orthopaedic implant system consisting of SIGN Intramedullary Nails (including Standard SIGN Nail, Fin Nail, and Pediatric Fin Nail), FX Plates, and accompanying surgical instruments. All products are designed, manufactured, and distributed from the organization's facilities in Richland, Washington. The SIGN System is specifically engineered for use in low-resource hospitals in developing countries and does not require expensive x-ray machines or electricity to operate. The organization combines its implant donations with education programs to build sustainable orthopaedic capacity in partner hospitals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIGN Intramedullary Nail System Intramedullary nail implants for fracture fixation including the Standard SIGN Nail, Fin Nail, and Pediatric Fin Nail. Designed, manufactured, and donated to surgeons in low-resource hospitals in developing countries; the system operates without requiring expensive x-ray machines or electricity.
• SIGN FX Plates Plate fixation implants for fractures, part of the SIGN implant portfolio, designed for use in low-resource hospitals alongside the SIGN Intramedullary Nail System.
• SIGN Surgical Instruments Companion surgical instruments provided along with SIGN implants to enable surgeons in low-resource hospitals to perform effective fracture surgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 493,820 patients healed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Teaching Hospitals WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIGN partners with overseas teaching hospitals to build sustainable orthopaedic capacity. These hospitals receive education, instruments, and implants from SIGN, and in return provide surgical care to patients in their communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stryker (Stryker Global Sustainability / Relief Efforts): Stryker is one of the world's largest orthopedic medical device companies and runs humanitarian product donation and surgeon training programs in developing countries. It is comparable as an orthopedic implant manufacturer with humanitarian outreach, but operates as a commercial enterprise at much larger scale and across many more indications.
• Smith+Nephew: Smith+Nephew is a global medical device company with a significant orthopedic trauma and extremities portfolio, including intramedullary nails and plates. It is comparable as a manufacturer of nails and plates for fracture fixation, though it sells commercially into high-resource markets rather than donating products.
• Zimmer Biomet: Zimmer Biomet is a global orthopedic medical device company with trauma, extremities, and joint reconstruction franchises. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the orthopedic implant space where SIGN operates, though at vastly larger commercial scale.
• DePuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson MedTech): DePuy Synthes is a leading global orthopedic trauma manufacturer with broad intramedullary nail and plate product lines. It is comparable as a major commercial supplier of the same product categories SIGN manufactures, though it targets high-resource hospital systems rather than low-resource settings.

Direct peers

• CURE International: CURE International operates pediatric orthopedic hospitals in developing countries and treats conditions including clubfoot and other orthopedic deformities. It is directly comparable as a faith-based humanitarian organization delivering orthopedic care to underserved populations, though it focuses more on elective pediatric conditions while SIGN focuses on acute fracture trauma.
• Direct Relief: Direct Relief is a humanitarian medical aid organization that channels donated pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and equipment to healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries. It is comparable as a large, highly-rated nonprofit medical supply distributor, though SIGN's vertical manufacturing of implants is more specialized.
• MAP International: MAP International is a humanitarian organization that procures and distributes donated medicines and medical supplies to developing countries. It is comparable in its nonprofit donation-driven supply model for medical products in low-resource settings, though it does not manufacture orthopedic implants.
• Project HOPE: Project HOPE is a large global health and humanitarian organization that delivers medical training, supplies, and emergency response in low-resource settings. It is comparable as a similarly-structured nonprofit delivering donated medical capacity to developing countries, though it spans broader therapeutic areas beyond orthopedics.
• Health Volunteers Overseas / Orthopedics Overseas: Health Volunteers Overseas runs the Orthopedics Overseas program, which sends volunteer surgeons to train local providers in developing countries. It shares SIGN's education-driven capacity-building model and target beneficiary population, though it does not manufacture or donate implants.

Others

• SIGN Fracture Care's own Richland, WA manufacturing model: This entry describes SIGN itself as a benchmark for capacity-building orthopedic nonprofits; comparable in mission and operating model to organizations like the AO Alliance, which also focuses on fracture care education in low- and middle-income countries without manufacturing implants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/signtweeter
• Facebookfacebook.com/signfracturecare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sign-fracture-care-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/signfracturecare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIGN Fracture Care