Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for March 8, 218.
Dr. Christopher Bono to be 4th editor in chief of The Spine Journal
Christopher M. Bono, MD, will be the fourth editor-in-chief of The Spine Journal. Dr. Bono will replace Eugene J. Carragee, MD, in December 2018. He previously served as deputy editor for The Spine Journal and Journal of the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The first issue under Dr. Bono will publish January
2019.
Zimmer Biomet sees opportunity in spine, to tackle cultural integration issues in 2018
Zimmer Biomet reported $7.8 billion in 2018 sales, a 3 percent increase over the previous year. However, spine sales were up 14 percent. "In speaking with stakeholders, it's clear that Zimmer Biomet is working from a strong foundation that includes the industry's broadest portfolio, a robust commercial pipeline,
meaningful market share in key end markets and [a] world class sales teams," said CEO Bryan Hanson. "Our immediate priorities are to restore supply, engage with sales and return to offense."
Dr. Anthony Yeung publishes study on endoscopic decompression vs. fusion procedures
Phoenix-based Desert Institute for Spine Care's Anthony Yeung, MD, published the results of his study of endoscopic transforaminal of isthmic and degenerative spondylolisthesis decompression causing sciatica and back pain in the Journal of Spine. Dr. Yeung included 55 patients from January 2002 to December
2012 to review in his five to 10-year study. The patients specifically chose to undergo Dr. Yeung's endoscopic transforaminal decompression procedure over fusion. In all, 33 percent of patients opted to undergo fusion at some point of their treatment to get more symptom relief.
Former Swedish Neuroscience Institute Chair Dr. Johnny Delashaw claims conspiracy
Former Seattle-based Swedish Neuroscience Institute Chair Johnny B. Delashaw, MD, claims he has proof of a conspiracy to push him out of his previous employment. During a state medical hearing, Dr. Delashaw alleged an anonymous source sent him records proving other physicians colluded with The Seattle
Times to remove him from his position. Dr. Delashaw's March 2017 resignation came after The Seattle Times published an investigative report in February 2017 on the spine and neurosurgery services at Providence Health & Services Swedish-Cherry Hill hospital.
VA fails to complete nationwide license review after hiring neurosurgeon with revoked license, malpractice allegations
U.S. Senators Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs for failing to complete their national review of all VA healthcare providers' licenses by the February 2018 deadline. The review was intended to ensure that no physicians had been hired illegally by the VA.
Sens. Ernst and Grassley made the complaint after a December 2017 USA TODAY investigation found the Iowa City VA hospital hired a neurosurgeon whose Wyoming medical license was revoked over malpractice allegations.
BPCI Advanced includes outpatient spine episodes
CMS released 32 episodes of care for the BPCI Advanced program, with three outpatient-only episodes including outpatient back and neck procedures, except spinal fusions. he inpatient bundles begin at the inpatient admission for an anchor stay, while the outpatient bundles begin at the start of the outpatient
procedure, or anchor procedure. Outpatient procedures qualifying as anchor procedures will be identified by HCPCS codes. The other two outpatient episodes of care are percutaneous coronary intervention and cardiac defibrillator procedures. CMS also released inpatient clinical episodes for back and neck
procedures, cervical spinal fusion, combined anterior posterior spinal fusion and non-cervical spinal fusions.
Medtronic face criticism for alleged delayed response in cybersecurity issue
WhiteScope, a provider of deep security research and security solutions, found cybersecurity vulnerabilities when doing research into Medtronic's CareLink 2090 defibrillator program. This issue was first brought to Medtronic's attention a year ago. However, the company released a statement saying the vulnerabilities
didn't create a safety risk to patients. Medtronic acknowledged the extended time it took to resolve the issue. The company reiterated while the cybersecurity issues were present they did not present harm to patients.
Biologics, opioids will be magic words at AAOS 2018 meeting
Surgeons attending the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2018 Annual Meeting in New Orleans March 6 to 10 can expect to discuss biologics and opioids. Physicians from Philadelphia-based The Rothman Institute will present a study on the effectiveness of oxycodone, ibuprofen and acetaminophen for
pain management after carpal tunnel surgery. Researchers from South Korea will present their findings of the first clinical trial of an intratendinous injection of autologous adipose tissue-delivered mesenchymal stem cells to treat rotator cuff disease.