Three spine and neurosurgeons discuss what developing technologies they are most excited about in 2020.
Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.
Next week's question: How do you feel about consolidation in healthcare? How will it affect spine surgeons over the next five years?
Please send responses to Alan Condon at acondon@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. CST.
Note: The following responses were edited for length and clarity.
Question: What is one major technological trend you're most excited about in 2020?
Jeffrey Goldstein, MD. NYU Langone Health (New York City): Robotic assisted spine surgery, navigation and intraoperative advanced imaging continue to advance. These modalities will ultimately improve patient safety and outcomes. Allowing surgeons to verify instrumentation placement before leaving the OR has obvious advantages. At NYU Langone Health we are presently evaluating new technologies in each of these areas.
Christian Zimmerman, MD. Saint Alphonsus Medical Group and SAHS Neuroscience Institute (Boise, Idaho): Since medicine is somewhat slower in its adoption of trends and affectations, I believe digital business expansion in healthcare will continue its forward impact. The digital world creates business/patient modeling plans by using digital products, services and experiences, which currently oversee and regulate our practices and grading metrics. Digital platforms have impacted labor in business/healthcare and will continue to reduce required numbers of human assets, which have been seen in other factions of commerce.
Personal data tracking continues to be a universally vigilant issue especially when privacy and exposure is bartered. The possible excitement for some is looking back two decades ago and realizing the digital consequence in healthcare and its potential short and long term.
Harel Deutsch, MD. Rush University (Chicago): I feel that robotics will be the continuing major technological trend and its ever-increasing capabilities will allow us to do new types of less invasive surgeries.