From complex cases on patients with comorbidities to how novel spine surgery protocols or techniques helped achieve a positive outcome, nine spine surgeons from health systems and private practices around the country detail the surgeries of which they are most proud.

A study published in the September issue of the Spine Journal found that telemedicine visits can provide accurate evaluations for pre-op spine patients. 

In January 2018, former Long Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Hospital owner Michael Drobot was found guilty of paying spine surgery kickbacks. Since then, multiple people involved in the scheme have been sentenced, the latest in August 2022.

A study published in The Spine Journal concluded that patient improvement in neck pain was greater than improvement in arm pain following cervical disc replacements. 

A California chiropractor was sentenced to 14 months in prison for his role in a spine surgery kickback scheme, the Justice Department said Aug. 26.

Texas Health Frisco has opened a sixth floor in its practice, according to an Aug. 25 report from Community Impact.

A jury ruled neurosurgeon Mark Fulton, MD, failed to diagnose and treat a patient's spinal injury, leading to his paralysis, Medscape reported Aug. 24.

The first artificial disc replacement in the U.S. was performed in 2000, but the technology has come a long way since then, with many surgeons predicting that the procedure will one day overtake spinal fusion as the standard of care in the cervical spine.

Healthcare entrepreneurs Scott Rifkin, MD, and Frances Rifkin, RN, have pledged a $5.7 million donation to Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System for research in neurology spine oncology. 

Spine surgeons have criticized Medicare's proposed rules for 2023, which would further reduce physicians' professional fees and reimbursement for procedures performed. 

Morgan Lorio, MD, of Advanced Orthopedics in Altamonte Springs, Fla., said he is concerned about how CMS values spine surgery codes compared to suggestions from experts in the specialty.

Here are five spine practices to know:

The 50th class of spine fellows graduated from the John H. Moe Spine Fellowship program, according to an Aug. 18 email to Becker's.

WellSpan is expanding its minimally invasive spine surgery program to two new locations, WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital in Lancaster (Penn.) and Parkway Surgery Center in Hagerstown (Md.). 

An investigation by the CDC and the FDA published in The Lancet reveals new details about a tuberculosis outbreak stemming from spinal allografts.

A neurosurgeon with Rutgers University's two medical schools in New Jersey is returning to work less than a year after he was put on leave amid allegations of professional misconduct, according to the university.

Here are 18 of the largest independent groups in the U.S. ranked by the number of spine surgeons that practice with them. 

IMAC Holdings reported $5 million in revenue in the second quarter and sequential quarterly growth at its retail clinics at Walmart locations.

Novartis reported that two patients have died because of acute liver failure following treatment with Zolgensma, the company's gene therapy used to treat spinal muscular atrophy.

Here are four spine surgeons who joined new practices or added to their titles in August: