Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for March 24, 2016.
SpineGuard, OrthoPediatrics collaborate on pediatric spine technology
OrthoPediatrics entered into an exclusive partnership with SpineGuard to distribute the PediGuard probe to pediatric institutions in the United States. The PediGuard technology will complement the OrthoPediatrics RESPONSE spinal system, designed with pediatric orthopedic surgeons for spinal deformity patients.
Rolls Royce brings Dr. Michael Gleiber on as brand ambassador
Michael Gleiber, MD, founder of PA Concierge Spine Surgery in Boca Raton, Fla., is now a brand ambassador for Rolls Royce. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon with a practice focused on the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. He has training in minimally invasive and motion-preserving spinal procedures.
New York has highest medical malpractice payouts per capita
Diederich Healthcare ranked the 10 states with the highest medical malpractice payouts per capita in 2013 in its 2014 Medical Malpractice Payout Analysis. New York ranks as highest, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Illinois.
CMS's highly-paid surgeons offer more services per beneficiary
The highest-paid surgeons by CMS bill five times higher than the lowest paid surgeons, according to a study published in Surgery. The surgeons who earned more offered more services per beneficiary. The female providers had lower ratios on a multivariate analysis of services per beneficiary ratio.
Phone proves reliable for scoliosis patient data gathering
A new The Spine Journal study examines how reliable the revised Scoliosis Research Society-22 and Oswestry Disability Index questionnaires are in adult spinal deformity when administered by telephone. There weren't any difference between the phone and in-office versions of the SRS-22r or the ODI. The phone administration provided a convenient and reliable tool to reduce follow-up data loss, the study authors concluded.
Global spinal non-fusion market to hit $749M
The global spinal non-fusion treatment market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3 percent to $749 million by 2021. The cervical total disc replacement market will drive the market's growth. More small- and medium-seized companies are now marketing their artificial disc and non-fusion technologies in the space.
Life Spine sales jump 45% in 6 months
The growth is due to a reorganized and driven sales force focusing on exclusive distributorships as well as new procedure solutions. The company plans to release several new products this year, which could lead to further sales increases going forward.
Lumbar discectomy recovery longer than anticipated
Patients undergoing lumbar discectomy may experience a much longer recovery than expected, based on a new Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University study. Khoi Than, MD, found lumbar discectomy recovery time averages about two months to three months, as opposed to the expected few weeks.