Orthopedic

Neal ElAttrache, MD, is set to operate on Alex Singleton, a player for the Denver Broncos, on Oct. 15 in Los Angeles, according to a Sept. 30 report by 9 News. 

On Oct. 1, UnitedHealthcare's national prior authorization gold-card program went into effect. The payer first announced the program in August, and debuted its list of eligible procedures on Sept. 1, which included several orthopedic and spine-related codes. 

Hattiesburg, Miss.-based Southern Bone & Joint Specialists recently suffered a cybersecurity incident that may have affected the protected health information of 7,162 individuals.

Alexandria, La.-based Rapides Regional Medical Center completed its first wireless, handheld robotic total knee replacement in the state, TV station WNTZ Fox 48 reported Oct. 1. 

Savannah, Ga.-based Optim Orthopedics has launched a digital care app, OptimNOW, to give patients direct access to orthopedic care 24 hours a day, according to an Oct. 1 report from Grice Connect.

Christopher C Hasty, MD, completed the first BEAR implant procedure Sept. 3 at ECU Health in Greenville, N.C.

Orthopedic surgeon Haines Paik, MD, joined Crovetti Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has completed the world’s first all-plastic total ankle replacement surgery, according to an Oct. 1 report from The Moco Show.

Freehold, N.J.-based Alliance Orthopedics is adding foot and ankle specialist Michael Thomas, DPM, at its Middletown, N.J., practice. 

The Great Falls (Mont.) Clinic has tapped Alan Greenwald, MD, to join its team as an orthopedic and bone specialist.