January / February 2019 Issue of Becker's Spine Review
ON THE COVER
Orthopedic surgeon base salary hits $553K in 2018, total compensation up 3.2%: 5 things to know
Orthopedic surgeons experienced a pay increase from 2017 to 2018, along with cardiologists, emergency medicine physicians and general pediatric specialists, according to a survey from SullivanCotter. click here to continue
Apple hired dozens of physicians, including orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sharat Kusuma
Apple is hiring physicians, and now has around 40 to 50 on staff, including orthopedic surgeon Sharat Kusuma, MD, according to a CNBC report. click here to continue
SPINE SURGEONS
Spine surgeon Dr. Evalina Burger named U of Colorado chair of orthopedics: 5 insights
Aurora-based University of Colorado School of Medicine tapped Evalina Burger, MD, to serve as its chair of orthopedics, effective Nov. 1. click here to continue
Orthopedic surgeon base salary hits $553K in 2018, total compensation up 3.2%: 5 things to know
Orthopedic surgeons experienced a pay increase from 2017 to 2018, along with cardiologists, emergency medicine physicians and general pediatric specialists, according to a survey from SullivanCotter. click here to continue
Jury awards Indiana spine surgeon $112M in royalty battle with Medtronic: 5 details
Carmel-based Indiana Spine Group President Rick C. Sasso, MD, was awarded $112 million in damages after winning a five-year legal battle against Medtronic Nov. 27, according to Indianapolis Business Journal. click here to continue
Apple hired dozens of physicians, including orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sharat Kusuma
Apple is hiring physicians, and now has around 40 to 50 on staff, including orthopedic surgeon Sharat Kusuma, MD, according to a CNBC report. click here to continue
Court rules New York hospital properly denied neurosurgeon privileges for poor interpersonal skills: 5 things to know
A panel of judges found New York City-based Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center properly denied neurosurgeon Syed Aftab Karim, MD, privileges because of poor interpersonal skills and difficulties working with subordinates, according to New York Law Journal. click here to continue
Dr. Robert Watkins performs spine surgery on Dwight Howard: 4 highlights
Robert Watkins, MD, operated on Wizards center Dwight Howard's lower back Nov. 30, according to The Washington Post. click here to continue
Penn Highlands DuBois welcomes new neurosurgery chief: 5 insights
Penn Highlands DuBois (Pa.) welcomed Ghassan Bejjani, MD, according to The Progress. click here to continue
Dr. Andrew Dossett diagnoses Wizards’ Markieff Morris with spine condition: 5 details
Andrew Dossett, MD, diagnosed Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris with transient cervical neuropraxia, NBA.com reports. click here to continue
Nicklaus Children's Hospital welcomes Dr. Thomas Errico: 5 things to know
Thomas J. Errico, MD, joined Miami-based Nicklaus Children's Hospital. click here to continue
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Dr. Richard Fessler: The top practice challenge + 5 pieces of advice for new spine surgeons
Richard Fessler, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center. click here to continue
The biggest challenge in spine? Dr. David Rothbart says it will be demonstrating value
David Rothbart, MD, a spine surgeon with Spine Team Texas in Southlake, discusses the biggest challenges his practice has faced and where he sees the biggest opportunity in the future. click here to continue
Dr. Andrew Schoenfeld: How key trends in healthcare policy intersect with spine
Andrew J. Schoenfeld, MD, associate professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, both based in Boston, as well as deputy editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, discusses the biggest trends in spine today and where the field is headed. click here to continue
SpineSpine is becoming a blended specialty & 2 other key trends from Dr. Charles Gordon
Charles Gordon, MD, CEO of Tyler, Texas-based Precision Spine Care, is a board-certified neurosurgeon and founder of the Texas Spine & Joint Hospital in Tyler. click here to continue
3 most important areas for spine surgeons to grow their practice from Dr. Kern Singh
Kern Singh, MD, is co-director of the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Rush and a partner at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, both in Chicago. click here to continue
Leadership in a competitive market: Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Michael Steinmetz on the trends in spine today + the qualities he looks for in tomorrow's leaders
Michael Steinmetz, MD, is chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic. click here to continue
DEVICES & IMPLANTS
Medtronic finalizes $1.7B Mazor acquisition — 5 key notes on what to expect next
Medtronic finalized the $1.7 billion acquisition of Mazor Robotics after making a series of investments over the past two years. click here to continue
Zimmer Biomet & Stryker battle over $248M patent infringement lawsuit: 5 things to know
Stryker and Zimmer Biomet are heading back to the federal appeals court over the scope of damages awarded in an eight-year long patent infringement case, according to Bloomberg Law. click here to continue
Stryker's M&A strategy for the next five years: Where is spine headed?
Stryker made significant inroads into the spine market by acquiring K2M for $1.4 billion in late August. Since then, the company has focused on the integration and its growth strategy for the coming years, even as the spine market seems to flatten out. click here to continue
Smith & Nephew to acquire Ceterix Orthopaedics in $105M deal: 5 things to know
Smith & Nephew agreed to purchase Ceterix Orthopaedics for up to $105 million. click here to continue
What to expect from RTI Surgical in the future: 4Qs with CEO Camille Farhat
Camille Farhat, president and CEO of RTI Surgical, discusses the key technology trends in spine today and where his company is headed in the future. click here to continue
Surgeon performs 100+ outpatient total knee replacements using robotic systemroboticSurgeon performs 100+ outpatient total knee replacements using robotic system
Overland Park (Kan) Surgical Suites offers robotic-assisted total and partial knee replacements with the NAVIO Surgical System. click here to continue
StemCyte gets FDA green light to continue studying spinal cord injury treatment stem cells: 5 takeaways
The FDA granted StemCyte permission to proceed with its phase 2 investigational new drug application for the Allogenic Human Leukocyte Antigen-Matched Umbilical Cord Blood Mononuclear Stem Cells (MC001). click here to continue
DJO headquarters to leave San Diego for Dallas: 5 things to know
DJO plans to move its headquarters from San Diego to Dallas early next year. click here to continue
Vallum recognized for bioactive PEEKplus spinal interbody fusion device: 3 notes
Frost & Sullivan granted Vallum's PEEKplus spinal interbody fusion device the 2018 North America New Product Innovation Award. click here to continue
Johnson & Johnson CFO: How the company will re-gain orthopedic market share and leverage Amazon, Google partnerships
Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and CFO Joe Wolk was interviewed during the Citi 2018 Global Healthcare Conference Dec. 5. click here to continue
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Judge rules in favor of orthopedic surgeon in $209K Aetna reimbursement case: 5 things to know
A New Jersey judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit between an orthopedic surgeon and Aetna for the insurer's failure to reimburse the surgeon $209,000, according to Law 360. click here to continue
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute brings joint replacement services to New York: 5 insights
Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute is launching hip and knee joint replacement services at its New York City location. click here to continue
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush to open 3rd location west of Chicago: 5 things to know
Chicago-based Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush is opening a new facility in Oak Brook, Ill., according to a Daily Herald report. click here to continue
Do ACOs improve spine surgery outcomes? 4 key findings
A new study published in The Spine Journal examined the impact of ACOs on outcomes for spine surgery. click here to continue
Excelsior Orthopaedics buys Sterling Medical Park office building from GI — 3 insights
Buffalo, N.Y.-based Excelsior Orthopaedics purchased Sterling Medical Park in Orchard Park, N.Y., from gastroenterologist Mark St. Marie, MD, for $3.1 million, The Buffalo News reports. click here to continue
How Hospital for Special Surgery plans to expand nationally & globally
New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery is the oldest orthopedic-focused hospital in the U.S., and in recent years, it has seen dramatic growth, according to The Wall Street Journal. click here to continue
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute adds 14 physicians in new partnership: 5 things to know
Brick, N.J.-based Brielle Orthopedics partnered with Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, adding 14 orthopedic surgeons to the growing practice. click here to continue
20 spine imaging systems to know
Here are 20 spine imaging systems to know. click here to continue
HEALTHCARE NEWS
Healthcare accounted for bigger portion of 2018 DOJ false claims recoveries
Of the $2.8 billion the Department of Justice recovered from False Claims Act cases in 2018, $2.5 billion involved the healthcare industry, according to the department's year-end recap. click here to continue
Walmart looks to add health clinics in its parking lots
Walmart stores in several states are transforming extra parking lot space into "town centers," some of which could include health clinics, according to Business Insider. click here to continue
9 physician specialties see jump in compensation
Physicians in nine specialties saw increases in total cash compensation from 2017 to 2018, with those specializing in general cardiology seeing the biggest jump in pay, according to a survey from SullivanCotter. click here to continue
Cleveland Clinic adds 4 hospitals
Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla., and Martin Health System, a three-hospital system based in Stuart, Fla., are now part of the Cleveland Clinic health system. click here to continue
Private equity firm acquires orthopedic technology company: 4 things to know
Chicago-based healthcare private equity firm Linden Capital Partners completed the acquisition of Avalign Technologies, a Bannockburn, Ill.-based provider of implants, specialty surgical instruments, cutting tools and cases and trays for orthopedics and acute care, according to PE Hub. click here to continue
Zuckerberg hospital is out of network with all private insurers, leaving patients with massive bills
Zuckerberg San Francisco General's decision to remain out of network with all private health plans can cost policyholders tens of thousands of dollars through balance billing, according to a Vox investigation. click here to continue
NuVasive’s new CEO restructures executive leadership
NuVasive CEO J. Christopher Barry selected a new executive team to lead the company's next growth phase. click here to continue
Where SI-BONE is headed in 2019 after its IPO: 4 Qs with President & CEO Jeffrey Dunn
SI-BONE, a company focused on the minimally invasive approach to sacroiliac joint fusion, launched an initial public offering in October. click here to continue
Physician group with 873 employees files for bankruptcy
Troy, Mich.-based University Physician Group, which does business as Wayne State University Physician Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Nov. 7. click here to continue
Amazon deepened its healthcare presence in 2018: What that means for ASCs
Over the past year, Amazon began to move further into several branches of healthcare, including supply chain, voice recognition and the retail market. click here to continue