Spine

East Providence, R.I.-based University Orthopedics added Christopher McDonald, MD, to its Center for Spine Health. Dr. McDonald has fellowship training in spine and orthopedic trauma surgery, according to an Aug. 28 news release shared with Becker’s. He earned his medical…

Bloomfield, Conn.-based Advanced Orthopedics New England has added spine surgeon Alex Ha, MD, to its office as part of an expansion across central Connecticut, according to an Aug. 28 report by we-ha.com.  Dr. Ha specializes in adult spinal deformity, scoliosis,…

Eliminating prior authorization, accelerating Medicare’s inpatient-only phaseout and shifting toward outcomes-based reimbursement are among the top policy changes spine surgeons say would improve access and reimbursement in spine care. Five spine surgeons recently connected with Becker’s to share the single…

Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center launched a new Back & Neck Health Center, and Andrew Hanna, DO, is medical director of the new facility, according to a news release. The Back & Neck Health Center is housed in the MemorialCare…

Commonwealth Pain & Spine, a management services organization, partnered with Adonis for revenue cycle workflows, according to an Aug. 28 news release. Commonwealth Pain & Spine will use Adonis Intelligence and artificial intelligence agents to automate manual and consistent workflows…

Driving Force acquired Wenzel Spine’s Vertebral Motion Analysis technology, according to an Aug. 28 news release. The VMA system was developed with input from spine surgeons and supported by peer-reviewed studies. It uses dynamic fluoroscopy and proprietary software for imaging…

Outpatient spine surgery is growing in popularity, but payer response has varied. Spine surgeons in three markets discuss how they manage. Note: Responses were lightly edited. Question: How do you approach payer negotiations — particularly with commercial plans that may…

A new ultrasound-based imaging approach developed by Katherine Ferrara, PhD, and Byung Yoon, MD, PhD, among others, could transform how spinal conditions are diagnosed and treated, according to a study published July 25 in Science Advances. The method captures dynamic,…

St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, N.Y., opened its Center for Spine and Orthopedics. Five spine surgeons and physiatrists with Commack, N.Y.-based Long Island Spine Specialists will see patients at the hospital’s spine center, according to an Aug. 20…

Some new spine technologies are initially met with skepticism and the argument that they can be “solutions in search of a problem.” Spine surgeons discuss that idea and ideal metrics to determine if new tech is valuable. Ask Spine Surgeons…