Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for June 4, 2015.
Dr. Aria Sabit pleads guilty to unnecessary spine surgery, faces 11+ years in prison
Aria Sabit, MD, a neurosurgeon formerly practicing in Michigan, pled guilty to performing unnecessary spine surgery and billing insurance companies and the government unlawfully. The U.S. Attorney's Office reported Dr. Sabit billed insurance companies and the government $11 million unlawfully.
Is the Zimmer-Biomet closed merger finally around the corner?
Zimmer finalized an agreement to divest certain Zimmer Unicompartmental High-Flex Knee System assets as well as the Biomet Discovery Elbow System assets and Cobalt bone cement assets in the United States to move forward with the plan to acquire Biomet. Zimmer is continuing to work with the Bureau of Competition Staff of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to meet compliance issues for the acquisition.
Which spinal cord injury medicolegal lawsuits are surgeons more likely to win?
A new study focused on spinal cord injury examines whether the reason for lawsuits impact the final outcome. The study was published in Spine. Researchers found that surgeons sued for an error of treatment had a relative risk of 2.69 to receive a defense verdict when compared with surgeons sued for error in diagnosis.
Medtronic's net earnings drop 13% in FY 2015
Medtronic reported its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2015 financial results. Revenue increased 19 percent to $20.2 billion and GAAP earnings were $1.7 billion, up 16 percent. Additionally, there was a modest decline in spine revenue, down 2 percent to $743 million.
Dr. Kaixuan Liu opens 4th clinic in NYC
Dr. Liu founded Atlantic Spine Center, which currently has three locations in New Jersey. Dr. Liu is the chief surgeon at Atlantic Spine Center and a pioneer in endoscopic spine surgery.
Spine surgery satisfaction scores drop 15 points for psychologically distressed patients
A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery examines the association between patient satisfaction and psychological distress after spine surgery. The distressed patients had significantly lower overall patient satisfaction and satisfaction with their provider when compared with the patients who did not have distress, according to the study.
Orthopaedic & Spine Center adds Center for Regenerative Medicine
The new center opened on June 1 and includes fellowship-trained regenerative medicine experts. The specialists are able to use human stem cells and platelet-rich plasma to treat patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, including arthritis, back pain, tendon and ligament tears and tendonitis.
Small group of physicians are the highest Medicare billers
A small band of physicians and individual medical providers consistently receive the highest payments from Medicare, according to a recent report from CMS detailing its payments to 950,000 physicians, individual medical providers and certain healthcare companies in 2013. The records, released June 1, cover $90 billion in payments, including those paid to entities such as clinical laboratories.