Hospital for Special Surgery has appointed Martin Roche, MD, director of hip and knee arthroplasty at HSS Florida in West Palm Beach, where it opened a 60,000-square-foot hospital in January 2020.

Richard Chua, MD, of Tucson, Ariz.-based Northwest NeuroSpecialists, spoke with Becker's Spine Review about robot-assisted spine surgery and his outlook for the year.

Seven months after opening his spine practice, Vladimir Sinkov, MD, spoke to Becker's about payer challenges, outpatient migration and how robotics will become more prominent at surgery centers.

Rapid City, S.D.-based Black Hills Orthopedic & Spine Center and Black Hills Neurosurgery & Spine merged Sept. 1 to form The Spine Center at Black Hills Orthopedics, a 20-physician group that includes five spine surgeons and one neurologist.

Nicholas Grosso, MD, president of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Bethesda, Md., spoke to Becker's about how CMS' physician fee and reimbursement cuts will affect orthopedic surgeons and how orthopedic care delivery will change in the coming years.

Mercy Hospital in Miami is one of three HCA East Florida hospitals now offering augmented reality spine surgery.

Daniel Lieberman, MD, medical director at Phoenix Spine & Joint, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about outpatient migration, how hospitals will compete in orthopedics post-pandemic and the future of spine surgery at ASCs.

It's been a strong year for Des Plaines-based Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. The company went on a merger spree with five deals with Northwest Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Chicago, Hinsdale (Ill.) Orthopaedic Associates, Bradley, Ill.-based Oak Orthopedics, Park Ridge, Ill.-based Orthopaedic Surgery Specialists, and Chicago Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

Gene Austin is the CEO of Columbia (Mo.) Orthopaedic Group. He spoke with Becker's Spine Review about the company's use of workflow automation and how it's helped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October, Raymond Gardocki, MD, joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., where he will help develop the endoscopic spine surgery program.

Twin Cities Orthopedics, a 144-physician group based in Golden Valley, Minn., named Aaron Johnson CEO in October, succeeding Troy Simonson in the role.

Eeric Truumees, MD, was named president of the North American Spine Society earlier this month. Dr. Truumees practices at Texas Spine and Scoliosis and is a professor of orthopedic and neurological surgery at the University of Texas-Dell Medical School, both in Austin.

Mark Malone, MD, founded Austin, Texas-based Advanced Pain Care. A former back pain patient himself, Dr. Malone turned to a spinal stimulator to resolve pain that surgeries couldn't.

Becker's Spine Review spoke with Sonia Eden, MD, newly appointed chief of neurosurgery at Detroit Medical Center Harper University Hospital, about why she joined DMC and future goals.

Alok Sharan, MD, was recently appointed director of spine and orthopedics at NJ Spine and Wellness in East Brunswick, N.J.

Becker's Spine Review spoke with Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD, president of Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, about the secret behind the group's Florida expansion and key markets for orthopedics today.

Jeffrey Cantor, MD, of Cantor Spine Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., outlined the biggest obstacle facing spine providers during COVID-19 and how practices can support each other during this challenging period.

Greg Gullung, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Birmingham-based OrthoAlabama, discusses the biggest barrier for spine providers and how medical practices can help one another push through the COVID-19 crisis.

Eric Makhni, MD, serves as director of quality and informatics of Henry Ford Health System's orthopedic service line and clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine, both in Detroit.

John Burleson, MD, recently graduated from the spine fellowship program at Texas Back Institute in Plano and is set to join Hughston Clinic in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 1.