Here are seven things for spinal surgeons to know for April 3, 2014.
President Obama signs SGR patch, two-midnight rule and ICD-10 delay
The SGR Patch protects physicians until the end of March 2015 from a 24 percent reimbursement reduction due to take effect today under the SGR. The law also delays the two-midnight rule and the implementation of ICD-10 to Oct. 1, 2015.
Costs for SI joint disruption/sacroiliitis around $270 million over 5 years
A retrospective study of Medicare claim-level data examined the cost of care for patients who were treated non-surgically for sacroiliitis. Among the 14,522 Medicare beneficiaries examined, the total cost related to SI joint disruption or degenerative sacroiliitis in five years was approximately $270 million, and the largest part of the cumulative costs were due to inpatient hospitalization, outpatient physician office and hospital outpatient costs.
Hospital for Special Surgery names Dr. Todd Albert surgeon-in-chief
Dr. Albert is a fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon who is currently the chairman of the department of orthopedics and president of The Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Simplified data collection system found effective in spinal deformity cases
Surgeons affiliated with the Scoliosis Research Society recently extracted data from the society's registry on morbidity and mortality to compare two different surgical approaches for deformity cases. With the simplified system, researchers found greater surgeon compliance and similar mortality rates.
U.S. image guided systems market is expected to exceed $200 million by 2020
The fastest growing area of the market is expected to be surgical navigation systems with spinal capabilities. This area is expected to value more than $80 million by 2020.
AAOS Board of Directors adopted a new strategic plan
The plan — "Vision 20/20" — outlines AAOS strategic domains and core values, including excellence and professionalism.
Dr. Charles Rich successfully performs spine surgery on Tiger Woods
Dr. Rich is a neurosurgeon practicing with Neurosurgical Associates in Murray, Utah. He performed a microdiscectomy procedure on Mr. Woods.
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Growing Patient Volume in 2014 & Beyond: 4 Spine Surgeon Initiatives