Here are seven things for spinal surgeons to know for February 7, 2013. 1. Cervical spine costs up
Researchers have discovered a possible link between rising cervical spine surgery costs and older patients. The National Inpatient Sample Hospital Cost and Utilization Project database showed cervical spine surgeries increased by 64,000 between 2002 and 2009, and the average age of patients increased from 56.4 years to 58 years. The average cost per patient increased by $4,531, a rise which may be due to an older patient population, according to the report.
2. Medicare & Medicaid spending is slowing
Healthcare spending on Medicare and Medicaid has grown slower than many have predicted, and the most recent report shows federal spending for the two programs was 5 percent lower than it estimated in March 2010. Seven-year spending projections for Medicare and Medicaid in 2020 were lowered by $200 billion — $126 billion for Medicare and $78 billion for Medicaid, which is roughly a 15 percent decrease for each program.
3. Spine fusion device cleared by FDA
K7 received FDA 510(k) clearance for its K7C Cervical Spacer spinal implant for use as an intervertebral body fusion device. The K7C uses VESTAKEEP PEEK material for durability. It is one of the first PEEK-based spinal fusion medical devices to gain FDA approval.
4. The University of Southern California recruits spine surgeon leaders
The University of Southern California recruited two spine surgeons from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to help expand the spine center at Keck Medical Center. John Liu, MD, and Frank Acosta, MD, will help expand the multi-disciplinary, academic-based spine center and will join other neurological and orthopedic spine surgeons in seeing patients.
5. Zimmer to pay for patent infringement
Zimmer Holdings was told to pay $70 million to Stryker for patent infringements by a federal jury in Grand Rapids, Mich., which found that Zimmer willfully infringed on patents for devices that use pulsing liquid to clean bones during joint replacement surgery. Zimmer plans to appeal the verdict.
6. Legislation could close a Medicare loophole
Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Tom Coburn, MD (R-Okla.), have introduced a bill that would sunset Section 3141 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — a controversial provision that sets the Medicare hospital wage index floor for the entire country. Under Section 3141, the Medicare hospital wage index is adjusted so that a state's urban hospitals must be reimbursed for wages paid to physicians and staff at least as much as rural hospitals. These reimbursements for hospital wages also come from a national pool of money, meaning that if one state receives higher Medicare wages, it will come at the expense of another state.
7. Parkinson's Disease relief at DISC Sports and Spine
Christopher Duma, MD, will perform his Deep Brain Stimulation implantation for Parkinson's Disease treatment at DISC Surgery Center in Newport Beach, Calif.
DBS is designed as an outpatient way to control tremors and has a record of minimal side effects.
More Articles on Spine:
Drs. John Liu, Frank Acosta Join USC's Keck Medical Center
The Business of Spine to Host Spine Coding, Revenue Cycle Course
7 Cost Cutting Strategies for Spine Surgery
Researchers have discovered a possible link between rising cervical spine surgery costs and older patients. The National Inpatient Sample Hospital Cost and Utilization Project database showed cervical spine surgeries increased by 64,000 between 2002 and 2009, and the average age of patients increased from 56.4 years to 58 years. The average cost per patient increased by $4,531, a rise which may be due to an older patient population, according to the report.
2. Medicare & Medicaid spending is slowing
Healthcare spending on Medicare and Medicaid has grown slower than many have predicted, and the most recent report shows federal spending for the two programs was 5 percent lower than it estimated in March 2010. Seven-year spending projections for Medicare and Medicaid in 2020 were lowered by $200 billion — $126 billion for Medicare and $78 billion for Medicaid, which is roughly a 15 percent decrease for each program.
3. Spine fusion device cleared by FDA
K7 received FDA 510(k) clearance for its K7C Cervical Spacer spinal implant for use as an intervertebral body fusion device. The K7C uses VESTAKEEP PEEK material for durability. It is one of the first PEEK-based spinal fusion medical devices to gain FDA approval.
4. The University of Southern California recruits spine surgeon leaders
The University of Southern California recruited two spine surgeons from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to help expand the spine center at Keck Medical Center. John Liu, MD, and Frank Acosta, MD, will help expand the multi-disciplinary, academic-based spine center and will join other neurological and orthopedic spine surgeons in seeing patients.
5. Zimmer to pay for patent infringement
Zimmer Holdings was told to pay $70 million to Stryker for patent infringements by a federal jury in Grand Rapids, Mich., which found that Zimmer willfully infringed on patents for devices that use pulsing liquid to clean bones during joint replacement surgery. Zimmer plans to appeal the verdict.
6. Legislation could close a Medicare loophole
Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Tom Coburn, MD (R-Okla.), have introduced a bill that would sunset Section 3141 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — a controversial provision that sets the Medicare hospital wage index floor for the entire country. Under Section 3141, the Medicare hospital wage index is adjusted so that a state's urban hospitals must be reimbursed for wages paid to physicians and staff at least as much as rural hospitals. These reimbursements for hospital wages also come from a national pool of money, meaning that if one state receives higher Medicare wages, it will come at the expense of another state.
7. Parkinson's Disease relief at DISC Sports and Spine
Christopher Duma, MD, will perform his Deep Brain Stimulation implantation for Parkinson's Disease treatment at DISC Surgery Center in Newport Beach, Calif.
DBS is designed as an outpatient way to control tremors and has a record of minimal side effects.
More Articles on Spine:
Drs. John Liu, Frank Acosta Join USC's Keck Medical Center
The Business of Spine to Host Spine Coding, Revenue Cycle Course
7 Cost Cutting Strategies for Spine Surgery