Spine

From a revived lawsuit against a prominent commercial payer to a patent infringement case and a tainted spine product that may have gotten a patient sick, here are three spine cases that made headlines in the past month:

While CMS' decision last year to gradually phase out the inpatient-only list has been widely welcomed by the spine community, other regulatory changes related to reduced reimbursement and increased prior authorization requirements have not.

The Novartis gene therapy drug Zolgensma has led to significant improvements in motor function for presymptomatic children with spinal muscular atrophy, European Pharmaceutical Review reported June 21.

Private equity among spine and orthopedic practices has grown steadily over the past few years. Recently, a 21-physician spine practice in Lawrenceville, Ga., snagged private equity investment.

A Delaware man is suing Aziyo Biologics and Medtronic alleging he was infected with tuberculosis after receiving an infected spine allograft, which was produced and distributed by the two companies.

Darrel Brodke, MD, has been appointed chair of the orthopedic department at the University of Utah's Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and CEO of orthopedic musculoskeletal services for U of U Health, both in Salt Lake City.

U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospitals for Neurology & Neurosurgery 2020-21 was published June 15, ranking 50 centers for pediatric neurosurgery and serious neurological conditions.

Summerville (S.C.) Medical Center launched a minimally invasive spine surgery program in April, The Berkeley Independent reported June 16.

Private equity has the potential to help keep spine practices independent, but it doesn't come without risk, according to Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD, of the Robotic Spine Institute of Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, Calif.

A 500-pound man with debilitating back pain was turned away from four spine surgeons in Ohio before Minnesota neurosurgeon Hamid Abbasi, MD, PhD, agreed to take on the case with a unique approach.