A recent policy draft from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and First Coast with Local Coverage Determination affecting the state of Florida concludes that Medicare will no longer cover multi-level lumbar fusion for symptomatic degenerative disc disease.

At the American Medical Association's 2011 annual meeting, members voted to advocate for standardizing the user interface for electronic medical records, according to an AMA news release.

Steve Paragioudakis, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon and founder of Orthopedic Spine Specialists of NJ, has been named to the board of medical advisors for United Health Products, according to a company news release.

Here is a list of 10 spine surgeons who have received research grants from the North American Spine Society over the past five years.

According to a report by the Food and Drug Administration, it is difficult to ensure that all players along the supply chain meet their safety and quality responsibilities with half of all medical devices in the United States imported.

Spero Karas, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Atlanta, has been named the head team physician for the Atlanta Falcons, according to a practice news release.

Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago has been named the preferred medical provider of Cirque du Soleil, OVO, according to a practice news release.

A majority of physicians have not yet adopted an electronic medical record system, but EMR vendors are stressing the usability of their systems to interest undecided physicians, according to an American Medical News report.

Neel Anand, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). Dr. Anand is the director of orthopedic spine surgery at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, where he also researches minimally invasive surgical techniques for spinal disorders and traumas. During his career, he has been actively involved in developing technologies for non-fusion spine surgery and served as a principle investigator for several FDA device exemption studies. Dr. Anand has published papers in several professional journals, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He earned his medical degree from the University of Mumbai, Topiwala National Medical College in India. He also completed a spine surgery fellowship at the University of Florida Spinal Health Centers in Gainesville and a trauma fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

A prospective study shows molecular imaging procedures can potentially provide relief for patients who suffer chronic pain after back surgery, according to a release by ScienceDaily.