The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati has honored Alvin H. Crawford, MD, with the Lifetime Achievement Award, according to an AAOS Now report.

This article was written by Dick Pepper, a medical marketing specialist who blogs at VoxMD.com and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I recently heard someone say "Facebook is dead." I thought this was quite a profound statement, but it was from a very smart client, and I run their social media strategy. Needless to say, I looked into where this idea may have come from. It turns out there are articles online claiming this. They're mostly quite old and biased to other online services, or written from the angst-riddled perspective of college kids who don't like the rise in Facebook usage by adults. According to Pew Internet (http://bit.ly/11TWk01), the most cited and trusted source of online usage, 69 percent of all online adults, representing more than half of the entire adult population of the United States, use a social networking site. No authoritative source says Facebook, or any other social media, is dying, but many point out a few key social media mistakes that can negatively affect your orthopedic and spine marketing:

Retirement might be far away or right around the corner, but all spine surgeons should have a retirement plan and money put away annually for their golden years. How much to put away and where to put it really depends on individuals and their goals for the future. Here are eight points on how surgeons should be saving during their years in medical practice to plan for a comfortable retirement.

Becker's Spine Review has named the recipients of the Annual Spine Leadership Award 2013. Recipients were selected based on their noteworthy contributions to their practice and the spine community, entrepreneurial skills and influence in business and leadership.

Richard Wohns, MD, JD, MBA, founder of NeoSpine in the Puget Sound Region, Washington, discusses five areas where spine surgeon leaders must focus their guiding attention in the future.

This article is written by Richard Wohns, M.D., JD, MBA.

Over the past 20 years, an increasing number of spinal surgeries have transitioned from inpatient to outpatient. This is due to multiple factors including the evolution of minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS), improved anesthetic regimens, lower rates of infection and higher patient satisfaction when having surgery in outpatient facilities, and market forces — mainly the rising cost of healthcare.

John Gustavson, a Senior Wealth Advisor with CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, discusses what orthopedic and spine surgeons need to know about financial planning for retirement.

The Food and Drug Administration granted 35 orthopedic- and spine-focused 510(k) clearances in April.

After analyzing physician density, malpractice coverage, insurance competition, medical board activity, insurance mix, income tax and cost of living from across the country, Medscape released the best and worst places to practice in the United States.

Medical care is more coordinated today than ever, and spine specialists are beginning to form groups and organizations that will provide comprehensive treatment for back pain patients. The Spine Center Network, developed by Prizm Development, Inc., two years ago, is a national network of credentialed Spine Centers of Excellence for payors and consumers to choose truly multidisciplinary spine care settings. Currently, there are 18 spine centers across the United States, including Ann Arbor Spine Center in Ypsilanti, Mich., where Jason Brodkey, MD, practices.