Spine

Howard An, MD, director of spine surgery and the spine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, recently received the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, according to a Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush news release.

Outpatient spine is still almost entirely out-of-network, but a few payors are beginning to agree to reasonably priced in-network carve-outs. Merritt Healthcare, based in Somers, N.Y., successfully negotiated carve-outs for 16 spine procedures with a payor in Massachusetts. Matt Searles,…

The number of spinal fusions has increased dramatically over the past decade and many insurance companies are tightening the indications for coverage of the costly procedure. Greg Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JKF…

The North American Spine Society is calling for recommendations of spine surgeons to receive three organizational awards and is also reviewing committee appointments for the coming year, according to NASS news releases.

A new prediction rule developed in the Netherlands is able to reliably predict a patient's ability to walk after traumatic spinal cord injury, according to a study published in The Lancet.

Dynamic stabilization is a good alternative treatment option for degenerative spinal disease, though it preserves only limited motion and multi-level stabilization could cause stress on the adjacent level above, according to an article published in The Journal of Spinal Disorders…

There is a significant risk of morbidity for children who sustain spinal cord injuries from All-terrain vehicle accidents, according to recent research presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Diego.

The short-term clinical complication rates are lower when using the rigid occipitocervical construct during cervical spine surgery compared to the non-rigid occipiotcervical fusion, according to a study published in The Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.

Internal pedicle screw fixation is safe for treating pediatric patients with upper and middle thoracic deformity, according to an article published in The Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.

Joseph Maroon, MD, team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently performed a discectomy on linebacker James Harrison, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.