Here are 10 spine and neurosurgeons making the news this week:
Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System chose neurosurgeon Steven Kalkanis, MD, to become CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Dr. Kalkanis succeeds William Conway, MD, who is stepping down after more than four decades with the health system.
Terrence Kim, MD, completed the first spine surgery with the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center's new Mazor X Stealth Edition. Dr. Kim spoke to Becker's Spine Review about why the Los Angeles-based hospital acquired the technology and how he sees robotics progressing in spine.
Former President of the North American Spine Society, Jeffrey Wang, MD, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about bundled payments in spine and goals for his practice in 2020.
Japanese neurosurgeon Phyo Kim, MD, PhD, traveled to Noblesville, Ind.-based RiverView Hospital to observe Hamid Abbasi, MD, performing an oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion. Dr. Kim hopes to perform his first OLLIF in Japan in the next few years.
Aria Sabit, MD, had his 19-year prison sentence upheld in a federal appeals court after he was found guilty of accepting illegal kickbacks in 2017. Dr. Sabit received a 235-month sentence after he pled guilty to four counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of unlawfully distributing a controlled substance.
Neurosurgeon Lali Sekhon, MD, PhD, recently joined Reno (Nev.) Orthopedic Clinic. Dr. Sekhon spoke to Becker's Spine Review about the future of value-based care in spine and strategies for dealing with declining reimbursements.
Anthony Leone, MD, was sentenced to two years of probation and three months of home confinement for two opioid abuse-related crimes. Dr. Leone pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and making material false statements.
Kamal Woods, MD, was appointed chair of the 2020 Dayton Heart Ball. Dr. Woods is medical director of Dayton, Ohio-based Kettering Brain and Spine and specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, including robotic spine surgery.
Jeffrey Carlson, MD, successfully implanted an M6-C artificial cervical disc in a 53-year-old patient at Bon Secours/Mercy Health Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, Va. Dr. Carlson believes he is the first surgeon in eastern and central Virginia to implant the M6-C disc.