March / April 2019 Issue of Becker's Spine Review
ON THE COVER
Where spine reimbursement is headed – Key thoughts from 4 spine surgeons
Four spine surgeons discuss current trends in spine surgery reimbursement and insurance coverage.
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Neurosurgeon average salary tops $591K — 5 stats to know
Among physicians, neurosurgeons make among the top salaries at $591,767 on average, according to salary.com.
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Spinal fusion hospital costs for Medicare patients exceed $40K: 5 things to know
In a study presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting last September, Kevin McGuire, MD, of Lebanon, N.H-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center shared findings on hospital costs for spinal fusion patients, according to AAOS Now.
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How Apple, Amazon & price transparency will affect spine: 3 Qs with Dr. Alok Sharan
Alok Sharan, MD, co-director of Yonkers, N.Y.-based Westmed Spine Center has been successful in building a spine practice and performing awake spinal fusions.
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Stryker 2018 net sales up 9.3% to $413.6B, spine jumps 18%
Stryker's 2018 sales increased 9.3 percent to $413.6 billion, with growth across all lines.
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Medtronic launches new spinal robot in US, 1st procedures performed in Virginia & Kentucky: 4 key notes
Medtronic launched the Mazor X Stealth Edition in the U.S.
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Hospital for Special Surgery to open additive manufacturing 3D printing lab: 5 things to know
New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery and LimaCorporate launched a project to develop the first provider-based additive manufacturing 3D printing facility for custom orthopedic implants.
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Planned orthopedic surgery cost $25B in 2017, up 44% in 7 years: 5 things to know
A new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association shows spending for planned orthopedic surgeries have grown significantly over the past decade.
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Rothman Orthopaedics aims to expand nationally with NueHealth, MUVE joint venture: 5 things to know
Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedics partnered with ASC platform company NueHealth and MUVE Health, a developer and operator of total joint and spine centers, to integrate their models and platforms.
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Neurosurgeon creates spine surgical navigation app: 3 things to know
Board-certified neurosurgeon John Dorman, MD, developed Circinus, a spinal surgery navigation app, according to the Odessa American.
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Neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon sue Nebraska hospital, alleging wrongful suspension: 5 things to know
A pediatric neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon filed a lawsuit against a Nebraska-based hospital and its CEO over an alleged wrongful suspension, according to court documents.
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SPINE SURGEONS
Spinal fusion hospital costs for Medicare patients exceed $40K: 5 things to know
In a study presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting last September, Kevin McGuire, MD, of Lebanon, N.H-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center shared findings on hospital costs for spinal fusion patients, according to AAOS Now.
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Alabama hospital to build $250M orthopedic & spine building: 5 things to know
Construction is underway on Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital's Orthopedic and Spine Tower, WAFF, an NBC affiliate, reports.
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Top 5 highest-paying specialties — Orthopedic surgeons report $414K annually
Orthopedic surgeons have the highest base salary of any specialty, according to the MedPage Today 2018 Orthopedics Salary Survey.
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Neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon sue Nebraska hospital, alleging wrongful suspension: 5 things to know
A pediatric neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon filed a lawsuit against a Nebraska-based hospital and its CEO over an alleged wrongful suspension, according to court documents.
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Medtronic loses challenge to patent infringement decision awarding spine surgeon $23M: 3 takeaways
A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a previous judgment in a patent infringement case that ordered Medtronic to pay millions of dollars to a spine surgeon, according to Bloomberg Law.
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Neurosurgeon average salary tops $591K — 5 stats to know
Among physicians, neurosurgeons make among the top salaries at $591,767 on average, according to salary.com.
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Rothman Orthopaedics aims to expand nationally with NueHealth, MUVE joint venture: 5 things to know
Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedics partnered with ASC platform company NueHealth and MUVE Health, a developer and operator of total joint and spine centers, to integrate their models and platforms.
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Orthopedic surgeons more likely than neurosurgeons to encounter complication during spinal fusion procedure, study finds
Orthopedic surgeons are more likely to encounter perioperative bleeding, requiring transfusion, during posterior cervical decompression and fusion than neurosurgeons, according to a study in Spine.
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Colorado surgeons complete nation's 1st spinal disc implant via belly button: 5 highlights
Ernest Braxton, MD, and Jonathan Schoeff, MD, of Frisco, Colo.-based Vail-Summit Orthopaedics completed the country's first trans-umbilical implantation of a lumbar artificial disc, according to the Summit Daily.
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5 big growth opportunities in spine
Here are key thoughts from five spine surgeons as they discuss the biggest opportunities for practice growth in the coming year.
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Where orthopedic surgeons work — breakdown by facility type
Medpage Today unveiled its Salary Survey Orthopedics Specialty Fall 2018 report.
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
How Apple, Amazon & price transparency will affect spine: 3 Qs with Dr. Alok Sharan
Alok Sharan, MD, co-director of Yonkers, N.Y.-based Westmed Spine Center has been successful in building a spine practice and performing awake spinal fusions.
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Dr. J. Brian Gill: 3 observations on bundled-payments, high deductibles & payer approvals in spine
J. Brian Gill, MD, is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon at Nebraska Spine Hospital in Omaha.
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Are stem cells the future for spine surgery? Dr. Sameer Mathur explains
More and more surgeons are beginning to talk about biologics, stem cells and regenerative medicine.
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How price transparency in spine and big tech will affect healthcare: 4 Qs with Dr. Isador Lieberman
Isador Lieberman, MD, is president of Plano-based Texas Back Institute.
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Where the value lies for strategic partnerships between spine & tech: Q&A with Dr. Scott Boden
Scott Boden, MD, director of Atlanta-based Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center and chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine spent years on the forefront of spine care and innovation.
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Where spine technology is headed, and what will be left behind: Key thoughts from Dr. Justin Park
Justin Park, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon with The Maryland Spine Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
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Spinal biologics — Key areas of promising research and innovation
Andrew Hecht, MD, chief of spine surgery at The Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, outlines the key trends and big opportunities in the spine device space moving forward.
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The potential of bundled-payments: Hospital for Special Surgery Chief of Spine explains
Frank Schwab, MD, chief of spine services at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, shares insights on the evolution of technology in orthopedics as well the future of bundled-payments.
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DEVICES & IMPLANTS
Stryker 2018 net sales up 9.3% to $413.6B, spine jumps 18%: 5 things to know
Stryker's 2018 sales increased 9.3 percent to $413.6 billion, with growth across all lines.
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DePuy Synthes reports 1.9% drop in sales for 2018: 5 things to know
Johnson & Johnson reported fourth quarter and full-year results for DePuy Synthes, its orthopedics division.
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Spine surgery robots market to reach $320M by 2026 — Who holds 80% of the market?
The global spine surgery robots market is expected to top $320 million by 2026, according to a Transparency Market Research report.
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Zimmer Biomet CEO Bryan Hanson: Growth in 2019 goes beyond the knee & hip markets, product launches
Zimmer Biomet CEO Bryan Hanson gave a presentation at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco Jan. 8.
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Hospital for Special Surgery to open additive manufacturing 3D printing lab: 5 things to know
New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery and LimaCorporate launched a project to develop the first provider-based additive manufacturing 3D printing facility for custom orthopedic implants.
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How Stryker's integration of K2M is going and what to expect in 2019
In 2018, Stryker's spine business increased 18 percent to $2.6 billion in sales, amid the company's $1.4 billion acquisition of K2M.
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Medtronic launches new spinal robot in US, 1st procedures performed in Virginia & Kentucky: 4 key notes
Medtronic launched the Mazor X Stealth Edition in the U.S.
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Spinal fusion devices make up 58% of products market — 10 key players
Within the spine surgery products market, spinal fusion devices hold 58 percent of the market share, according to a GYResearch report.
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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.
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Top 10 orthopedic companies by market share — And where they'll be in 2024
Statista ranked the 10 orthopedic companies with the largest market share in 2017, based on revenue.
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New total cervical disc replacement design improves outcomes: 6 things to know
Total cervical disc replacement performed using Centinel Spine's ProDisc Vivo significantly improved clinical outcomes, according to a study in Spine.
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SI-Bone jumps into 3D-printing with new partnership: 3 things to know
SI-Bone signed an agreement with PrinterPrezz to develop and build services for potential future 3D-printed implants.
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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Where spine reimbursement is headed – Key thoughts from 4 spine surgeons
Four spine surgeons discuss current trends in spine surgery reimbursement and insurance coverage.
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Court orders Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to pay $2M in Dr. Atiq Durrani medical malpractice lawsuit
An eight-person jury ordered Cincinnati Children's Hospital to pay $2 million in damages to a former patient of fugitive spine surgeon Atiq Durrani, MD, Cincinnati Business Courier reports.
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Florida hospital neurosurgeon, physicians vote ‘no confidence’ in CEO: 5 details
Physicians and staff at Naples (Fla.) Community Hospital unanimously voted "no confidence" in CEO Allen Weiss, according to NBC 2.
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Wisconsin spine group makes partnership to join ACO: 3 details
Neenah, Wis.-based Neuroscience Group partnered with Appleton, Wis.-based ThedaCare to join the health system's ACO, according to the Waushara Argus.
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Planned orthopedic surgery cost $25B in 2017, up 44% in 7 years: 5 things to know
A new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association shows spending for planned orthopedic surgeries have grown significantly over the past decade.
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New reimbursement codes for spine procedure: 3 things to know
CMS issued new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes for Relievant Medsystems' Intracept Procedure, effective Jan. 1.
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Illinois Bone & Joint Institute opens 25th location
Chicago-based Illinois Bone & Joint Institute opened a new practice in Crystal Lake, Ill.
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Novant Health purchases former VA clinic to open $9.5M spine center: 3 notes
In 2018, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health acquired a former Veterans Affairs medical clinic in Winston-Salem for $9.5 million, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
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OUTPATIENT SURGERY
Camber Spine reports 36% growth in 2018: 4 things to know
Camber Spine released preliminary financial results for 2018.
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SeaSpine expands board of directors
SeaSpine Holdings Corp., added Kim Commins-Tzoumakas and Renee Gaeta to its board of directors Feb. 19, after Cheryl Blanchard, PhD, announced her resignation.
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Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center completes 15th robotic surgery case — 3 highlights
Atlanta-based Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center completed its 15th robotically navigated spine surgery.
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Outpatient transforaminal decompression after spine surgery safe & effective, study finds
A study in the International Journal of Spine Surgery researched the effectiveness of outpatient transforaminal decompression as an alternative to inpatient revision decompression procedures.
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'Doing the right thing:' Ohio surgeons to open orthopedic surgery centerorthopedic'Doing the right thing:' Ohio surgeons to open orthopedic surgery center
Akron, Ohio-based The Orthopaedic Surgery Center is constructing a bigger, $7 million facility in Boardman, Ohio, The Vindicator reports.
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First ASC in the Southeast to purchase Mazor robot for spine surgery
Baptist Medical Park Surgery Center, an ASC located in Pensacola, Fla., is the first surgery center in the Southeast to purchase Mazor Robotics' Renaissance System.
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HEALTHCARE NEWS
Hospital for Special Surgery CEO: The balance between cost, efficiency and value
New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery is among the leading orthopedic-focused hospitals in the nation.
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Cleveland Clinic fires physician over anti-Semitic comments
Cleveland Clinic fired a resident physician after she shared anti-Semitic comments on social media, according to The Hill.
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Kaiser's annual revenue grows to $79B
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente reported higher revenue and operating income for its nonprofit hospital and health plan units in 2018, but the system's net income declined year over year.
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Tower Health points to Epic install costs for operating loss
Tower Health reported higher operating revenues in the first half of fiscal year 2019 than in the same period of the year prior, but the West Reading, Pa.-based health system ended the first six months of the current fiscal year with an operating loss, according to unaudited financial documents released Feb. 12.
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