Spine

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…

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: