Spine

As the reimbursements for spine and orthopedic procedures continue to stay stagnant, or drop in some cases, practices are working harder than ever to protect margins while ensuring top-quality patient care.  Taking site-of-service control, treating payer contracts as living documents…

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health performed what is believed to be the world’s first GammaTile procedure on spinal tumor, clickondetroit.com reported May 20. GammaTile is a small implant with radioactive cesium-131 seeds in a titanium capsule. It’s designed for targeted radiation…

Spine surgery is evolving rapidly as minimally invasive procedures, motion-preserving implants and outpatient spine techniques continue transforming how complex spinal conditions are treated. Across the U.S., spine surgeons are advancing the field through innovation in deformity correction, cervical disc replacement,…

Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health physicians are using point-of-care ultrasound technology to reduce imaging burden on patients with cerebrospinal fluid disorders.  Ryan Lee, MD, assistant professor of neurological surgery and director of the Hydrocephalus, Chiari and Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders Center, introduced…

Chad Campion, MD, of Germantown, Tenn.-based Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics, is thinking ahead about the next cohort of endoscopic spine surgeons. In 2025 he launched a first-of-its kind endoscopic spine surgery fellowship for post-fellowship or practicing orthopedic spine surgeons. The three-month training…

Spine surgeons often work with medical device representatives when leveraging the latest technologies and implants. For two spine surgeons those relationships have evolved, along with professional boundaries. Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons…

As the spine surgery landscape shifts, so does the workforce needs at spine practices. Evolving complexities in both spine care and billing needs have created gaps where crucial roles are harder to hire and retain. Spine leaders discuss how they…

The way spine surgeons manage their cases has been largely shaped by one persistent hurdle: prior authorization. The extra steps that come with prior authorizations and potential denials have made spine surgeons more nimble to get ahead of them. From…

Daniel Refai, MD, of Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare, performed the world’s first continuously navigated endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Dr. Refai used Amplify Surgical’s dualPortal & dualX platform for the procedure, according to a May 17 news release. The case was…

Carmel, N.Y.-based Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group is expanding access to cervical and lumbar disc replacement procedures across the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut.  Dean Perfetti, MD, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery, is leading the effort,…