Here are seven things for spinal surgeons to know for June 18, 2015.
Hospitals face 4 lawsuits in connection with unnecessary spine surgeries case
There are now four lawsuits against UC Health system hospitals Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and West Chester Hospital in connection with spine surgeon Atiq Durrani, MD. The lawsuits claim the hospitals knew Dr. Durrani was using devices improperly and didn't intervene.
Will the House repeal the medical device tax this week?
The 2.3 percent-tax, which went into effect in 2013, has generated opposition from both Republicans and Democrats. Its opponents claim that the tax kills jobs and stifles innovation. However, the White House has stated that it will veto the Congress' legislation because the tax pays for coverage provisions for millions of Americans.
Spinal fusion market to see upsurge
The introduction of new technology, surgeon and patient awareness and the growing demand for minimally invasive procedures are having the biggest impact on the spinal fusion market. Also, the demineralized bone matrix segment had the largest market share in 2014 and was bigger than the bone morphogenetic proteins, synthetic bone graft extenders and stem cell therapy.
Spine surgery's RTCs are fragile
A new study published in The Spine Journal reviews evidence-based orthopedics studies, identifying all randomized controlled trials that reported at least one positive outcome. The researchers used Fisher's exact test to compute the Fragility Index values and multivariable linear regression for associated factors. The average Fragility Index was two, indicating that adding two events to one of the trial's treatment arms would eliminate the statistical significance.
Implanet enrolls 1st patient in Jazz Band spine trial
The new major multicentric clinical protocol is designed to study the medical value of the Jazz Band treatment for instrumented thoracic and lumbar arthrodesis. The first patient is enrolled at The Ohio State University for the procedure. H. Francis Farhadi, MD, PhD, is the principal investigator of the study at Ohio State. There are additional patients expected to enroll in the study during the second half of the year.
The impact of workers comp on spinal fusion outcomes & costs
A new study published in Spine examines how workers' compensation impacts cost and outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. There were 132 patients with workers' compensation — 37.5 percent. Revision and reoperation rates were 12.9 percent for the workers compensation rates, compared with 2.7 percent for the non-workers compensation patients.
Premiums to rise $3.3k if Supreme Court strikes subsidies
Those insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could be forced to pay an average of $3,300 more each year in premiums if the Supreme Court invalidates the premium tax credits provided to low-income people from the federal insurance exchange, according to a new study.