Here are seven spine and neurosurgeons making the news this week.
The Department of Justice filed a complaint that alleges former Sanford Health neurosurgeon Wilson Asfora, MD, profited from performing "aggressive, unnecessary surgeries" and implanting devices from a company he had ownership in. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based health system paid more than $20 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit in October over the alleged anti-kickback violation.
Prosecutors argued in a federal court on Nov. 11 that Michael Rimlawi, MD, should not be granted a new trial after he was convicted for his role in a $40 million kickback dispute in April related to Forest Medical Center. Prosecutors argued that Dr. Rimlawi failed to make the case that the jury's April verdict was error-ridden and should be voided.
Kee Kim, MD, chief of spinal neurosurgery at Sacramento-based UC Davis School of Medicine and co-director of the UC Davis Spine Center, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about what changes he expects to see in spine in 2020.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Christopher Edwards, MD, chair of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. Dr. Edwards is the principal spine surgeon at Atlanta Neurological & Spine Institute. The Georgia General Assembly established the commission to oversee the state's medical marijuana program, following the bill passed in April that legalizes medical marijuana sales.
Kern Singh, MD, and his surgical team recently performed the first four minimally invasive outpatient spine surgeries at a new surgical facility in Oak Brook, Ill. The new center, operated jointly by Rush University Medical Center and Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago, provides outpatient cervical and lumbar laminectomies, discectomies, artificial disc replacements and fusions.
Domagoj Coric, MD, chief of the department of neurosurgery at Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas Medical Center and spine division chief of Atrium Musculoskeletal Institute, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about price transparency and value-based care in spine.
Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center recently welcomed spine surgeon Kelley Banagan, MD, to its surgical department. Dr. Banagan specializes in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, microdiscectomy and lumbar laminectomy as well as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and spinal trauma treatments. She is seeing patients at the Albany and Catskill locations in New York.
More articles on spine:
2 hospitals losing neurosurgery residency programs
Rothman, Carrum Health partner to expand healthcare benefits into tri-state area
Nexxt Spine to expand headquarters — 4 insights