Spine

From research into how evidence-based guidelines affect lumbar spinal fusion to cost savings achieved in bundled payment programs for spine surgery, here are five recent studies drawing interest from surgeons:

Intraoperative neuromonitoring services company Assure Holdings has appointed Isador Lieberman, MD, to its medical advisory committee.

Robert Watkins, MD, performed spine surgery on actress Katherine Heigl earlier this week, according to an ABC News report.

From pursuing learning opportunities to discussions with colleagues and continuing to practice your craft, nine spine surgeons share how they maintain their skill sets.

A Thomas Jefferson University study published in Neurosurgery found that lumbar spinal fusions were three times more likely to achieve better outcomes when evidence-based guidelines were followed, EurekAlert reports.

CMS' inpatient-only list, which has been around since 2000, will be phased out by 2024, beginning with the 266 orthopedic procedures that were removed from the list in 2021.

Ehsan Jazini, MD, placed his 100th pedicle screw using augmented reality technology at Reston-based Virginia Spine Institute.

Washington state health officials restricted the license of a Spokane-based neurosurgeon after he was accused of performing spine surgeries that weren't medically necessary, according to a report from The Spokesman-Review.

Arianne Boylan, MD, became the first female neurosurgeon at Hartford (Conn.) Healthcare Network when she joined the system's Spine Wellness Center in Westport, Conn., in early March, according to a report from News 12: The Bronx.

A study published in the March 15 issue of Spine examines whether U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings correlate with cervical fusion outcomes.