Here are five qualities of effective spine surgeon leaders who make their practices more successful.

Here are 18 spine surgeons and specialists that were recently appointed to prestigious positions or achieved notable accomplishments.

A. Nick Shamie, MD, a spine surgeon with the UCLA Health System, discusses how the sequester and looming budget cuts will impact spine surgeons in the future.

Artem Y. Vaynman, MD, is a neurosurgeon with Neurological Surgery in Great Neck, N.Y. He is co-chief of spine surgery at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville, N.Y., and a member of both the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

SpineMark recently hosted a webinar titled "How to Effectively Market Spine Centers and Spine Surgeons." The program featured Marcy T. Rogers, M.Ed., president and CEO of SpineMark, who shared tips on effectively creating a marketing plan for spine centers and spine surgeons.

Within our ever changing world of healthcare the need for spine surgeons to direct their focus on lowering the rates for hospital readmissions is on the rise. Hospital readmissions are more commonly being used to gauge standards of care and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now utilizing readmissions rates to decrease reimbursements for specific care/procedures rendered.

Joseph Zavatsky, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon and section chief of spine in the department of orthopedics at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, where he works collaboratively with other orthopedic spine surgeons, neurosurgeons, pain management and PM&R physicians, anesthesiologists and radiologists at the new Back & Spine Center at Ochsner Baptist Hospital. He was fellowship trained at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases.

ONE Brain & Spine Center, focusing on concierge patient care and minimally invasive spine surgery, has opened in New Port Beach, Calif.

Here are seven things for spinal surgeons to know for March 14, 2013.

Becker's Hospital Review has named the following hospitals to its list, "100 Hospitals With Great Neurosurgery and Spine Programs." These hospitals offer outstanding spine and neurosurgical care, and the Becker's Hospital Review editorial team selected them based on nominations, clinical accolades, quality care and other spine and neurosurgical proficiencies. These hospitals have been recognized for excellence in this specialty by reputable healthcare rating resources, including U.S. News & World Report, HealthGrades, Truven Health Analytics, Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery, Delta Group CareChex and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.