Thomas Obermeyer, of Barrington Orthopedic Specialists in Schaumburg, Ill., is following the evolution of outpatient surgery, value-based care and consolidation in orthopedics.

Usman Zahir, MD, a spine surgeon at ScopeSpine-The Orthopaedic Group (Dulles, Va.) weighs many questions when it comes to trying new surgical technology.

The choice to adopt surgical technology isn't taken lightly among spine surgeons. While surgical robots can improve efficiency and safety, surgeons also have to evaluate factors including cost-effectiveness and patient outcomes.

Great leaders are able to turn their ideas into action and output, according to Ronald Navarro, MD, regional coordinating chief of orthopedic surgery of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

From implants to robots, surgical technology for the spine has advanced at an exponential rate, and many surgeons are excited about the potential they hold.

Outpatient spine surgery already has a strong foothold, and it provides surgeons with autonomy, according to Kern Singh, MD, co-director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago.

Mihir Patel, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and treasurer at Indianapolis-based OrthoIndy said voice-driven technology was one of the biggest healthcare trends he's excited about.

CMS poses a primary obstacle to outpatient spine migration, according to David Essig, MD, of Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y.

The migration of some spine surgeries to ASCs is well underway, but evolving CMS rules and payer regulations still pose some roadblocks.

Expanding revenue streams through ancillary services is becoming a larger part of the orthopedic practice business model as reimbursement continues to decline and many practices wait for pre-pandemic patient volumes to return.

As spine surgery continues to accelerate to the outpatient setting, five spine surgeons recommend essential technologies for ASCs to invest in.

Frank Kolisek, MD, of Indianapolis-based OrthoIndy, is laser focused on technological advances in orthopedic care.

Neurosurgeon Richard Wohns, MD, founder and president of Nashville, Tenn.-based NeoSpine, has shared his talents in spine surgery by volunteering his services in Nepal and the Maldive Islands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some of the benefits of performing spine surgery at ASCs, but hospitals are still struggling with patients' reluctance to have inpatient procedures.

Robots have made a lot of noise in the spine industry in recent years, but currently offer more hype than clinical value, and can be cost prohibitive to ASCs, according to Frank Phillips, MD, director of spine surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The U.S. healthcare system continues its push away from a fee-for-service system toward value-based care, but providers and payers can't seem to agree on a universal definition for value-based care.

Meagan Fernandez, DO, recently completed her 200th robotic-assisted pediatric spine surgery at Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based DuPage Medical Group opened its third ASC this year as part of its musculoskeletal institute.

One of the first three-level lumbar spinal fusions at an ASC was recently performed by Jeffrey Carlson, MD, president of Orthopaedic & Spine Center in Newport News, Va.

Saqib Hasan, MD, a complex spine surgeon with expertise in minimally invasive techniques, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about how endoscopic spine surgery has benefited his practice and why he anticipates more surgeons adopting endoscopic approaches in the future.