Six spine surgeons talk about the biggest challenges for spine surgeons in terms of healthcare reform.

Spinal fusions are a major procedure for patients and hospitals, and the amount charged for the procedure varies between $19,000 and more than $470,000.

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Last week, CMS released a trove of hospital inpatient billing data in an effort to increase price transparency. The data, which come from fiscal year 2011, detail charges and payments for the top 100 most frequently billed inpatient discharges for the 3,000-plus hospitals that are paid under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system.

Here are the 10 hospitals that recorded the highest charges for spinal fusions in FY 2011. Note: Data come directly from CMS' database of hospital charges and reflects only hospitals paid under Medicare's IPPS. Data specifically reflects MS-DRG 460, spinal fusion except cervical, without major complications and comorbidities.

1.    Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County (Willingboro, N.J.): $471,121
2.    Pottstown (Pa.) Memorial Medical Center: $323,318
3.    North Hills Hospital (North Richland Hills, Texas): $306,773
4.    Northridge (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center: $304,564
5.    Washington Hospital (Fremont, Calif.): $296,766
6.    Vista Medical Center East (Waukegan, Ill.): $284,148
7.    Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (Whittier, Ga.): $282,889
8.    Santa Rosa (Calif.) Memorial Hospital: $280,517
9.    CJW Medical Center (Richmond, Va.): $279,767
10.    University of California Davis Medical Center (Sacramento): $269,846

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The American Society of Anesthesiologists announced that it has submitted formal comments to the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, urging the continuation of the hardship exemption for anesthesiologists through stage 3 of the meaningful use program.

More than $290 million has been paid to 1,016 eligible providers and hospitals under the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs in 2013 so far, according to the monthly update released by CMS.

CMS and ONC will host a "listening session" on billing and coding with electronic health records on May 3, according to an AHA News Now report.

The focus on engaging patients in their care and the need to meet meaningful use requirements converge in one online tool: the patient portal. Patient portals on a health system's website can allow patient to easily schedule appointments, contact their provider and access other resources, which engages them in their care. These portals also help hospitals and physicians fulfill meaningful use stage 2 requirements of providing patients the ability to view their health information online and using electronic health records to identify patient-specific education resources.

CMS and OIG have published proposed rules in the Federal Register that seek to extend the existing Stark Law Exception and Anti-Kickback Statue Safe Harbor and make them applicable to the donation of electronic health records through 2016.

CMS and OIG have published an advanced copy of proposed rules that, if enacted, would extend the existing Stark Law Exception and Anti-Kickback Statute Safe Harbor and make them applicable to the donation of electronic health records through 2016.

Doubling back on its push to cut Medicare Advantage payments, CMS announced it would instead increase its rates to Medicare Advantage plans by 3.3 percent next year rather than the 2.3 percent slash it had originally planned.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, HHS will pay 100 percent of states' cost to insure certain newly eligible adult Medicaid beneficiaries in states that expand the program, according to a final rule issued by the department.