Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for June 1, 2017.
Investigation: 4 Swedish Neuroscience Institute surgeons double-booked more than half of their cases between 2014 & 2016
Seattle-based Swedish Health has frequently double-booked spine surgeries at its Cherry Hill campus, The Seattle Times reports. The Seattle Times reporters obtained internal surgery data that revealed some Swedish brain and spine surgeons "routinely ran multiple operating rooms at the same time while keeping patients in the dark about the practice." From 2014 to 2016, four Swedish Neuroscience Institute surgeons oversaw multiple operating rooms concurrently for more than half of their cases. The surgeons routinely performing concurrent surgeries in this time frame included Rod Oskouian, MD; Johnny Delashaw, MD; Jens Chapman, MD; and David Newell, MD. Read more about the investigation, here.
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Plano opens brain and spine center
Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Healthcare is opening a new brain and spine center in Plano, Texas. Services at the new Brain and Spine Center at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Plano include brain tumor surgery, neuromodulation, complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, stroke care, epilepsy treatment and peripheral nerve disorder treatment.
Former neurosurgeon Dr. Marc Eichler receives 3-year sentence in sex abuse case
Marc Eichler, MD, a former neurosurgeon in Minot, N.D., received a three-year prison sentence in a federal sex abuse case. He faced federal sex abuse charges for sending sexually explicit texts and photos to both a 12-year-old girl and 13-year old girl in 2015. The North Dakota medical board had previously suspended Dr. Eichler's license, noting unprofessional conduct.
Operator of 179 cancer treatment centers files for bankruptcy
Fort Myers, Fla.-based 21st Oncology Holdings, a cancer care services provider, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 25, according to Reuters. The company, which operates 179 cancer treatment centers across the U.S. and Latin America, blamed the bankruptcy on costs associated with litigation, legal settlements and complying with electronic records regulations, as well as declining revenue per treatment, according to Reuters.
47% of physicians had ownership stake in their practice in 2016
A new American Medical Association report found less than half of patient care physicians currently have ownership stake in their practices. Physicians today are more likely under hospital employment contracts. Around 55 percent of patient care physicians work in medical practices that are wholly physician owned, a decrease from 60.1 percent in 2012. Read more from the report here.
Aurora Spine sees Q1 2017 revenues of $1.5M
Aurora Spine saw revenues of nearly $1.53 million in the first quarter of 2017, down from $1.55 million in the first quarter of 2016. In the first quarter of 2016, Aurora expanded its Screwless Procedure product line for spinal fusion.
Spinal fusion for pediatric patients: Primary vs. revision procedures
Spine published new study comparing primary and revision spinal fusions for pediatric patients. The length of stay at the hospital was longer for revision procedures — nearly eight days, compared with the primary surgery group, where average hospital stays lasted 6.6 days. Total charges were $135,644 on average for primary fusions and $142,029 on average for revision procedures. In the revision procedure group, 16.7 percent of patients developed at least one complication in the hospital, compared to 8.6 percent of the primary fusion group. Read more about the study, here.
Dr. Hamid Abbasi reaches 500th OLLIF procedure
Hamid Abbasi, MD, published his 500th Oblique Lateral Lumber Interbody Fusion. The minimally invasive procedure is intended to treat pain from degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis and spinal stenosis. OLLIF, which uses a 15 mm incision, is designed to heighten the disc and limit disc movement.