Staff, Author at Becker’s Spine Review

House Judiciary Committee Passes Bill Limiting Insurer Antitrust Exemptions

The House Judiciary Committee voted to approve the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act (H.R. 3596), which would eliminate federal antitrust immunities available for health and medical liability insurers for price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation, according to a…

New Ascension CEO Served as Executive at RTI Biologics, Zimmer

Guy L. Mayer has been named president and CEO of Ascension Orthopedics, according to a release from Ascension.

Citing Heavy Workload, Orthopedic Surgeon Moves to New State

Timothy Micek, MD, is moving from Cornerstone Orthopaedics in Richmond, Ky., to the two-physician Collierville (Tenn.) Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, outside Memphis, according to a release from Collierville Orthopedics posted on Dr. Micek's blog.

Stryker Reports Modest Third Quarter Sales, but 7% Gain in Orthopedics

Stryker Corp., maker of orthopedic devices and other products, reported a 1.2 percent overall gain in third-quarter sales, according to a release from the company.

Spine Surgery Company NuVasive Reports 42 Percent Sales Increase

NuVasive, maker of minimally-invasive spine surgery devices, posted third-quarter sales of $94.9 million, up 41.8 percent from the $66.9 million that it posted during the same period last year, according to a release from the company.

Reimbursements Falling for Many Common Spine Surgery Procedures

Physicians are paid less today for many common spine procedures than they were in 2000, according to the blog of Jeffrey Binder, president and CEO of Biomet, which makes spine surgery devices.

First-Year Enrollment in U.S. Medical Schools Up 2%

First-year enrollment in both new and existing U.S. medical schools rose this year by 2 percent over 2008 to nearly 18,400 students, according to data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Wholesale Costs for Hospital and Physician Practices Continue to Rise

Wholesale costs increased 0.2 percent for hospitals and 0.1 percent for physician practices during the month of September, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

St. Elizabeth Healthcare Plans New Spine Center in Kentucky

St. Elizabeth Healthcare, based in Northern Kentucky, is planning to consolidate its spine care units into a single spine center at its hospital in Florence, Ky., according to a report in The Enquirer.

4 Best Practices for Staffing Hospital-Based Spine Programs

Chicago-based NeuStrategy and San Diego-based SpineMark recently completed a nationwide survey of hospital-based spine programs to determine best practices of leading spine programs.