Spine

Several surgeons debuted spine devices and other techniques during the first quarter from cervical discs to personalized implants. Note: This is not an exhaustive list. 1. Randy Dryer, MD, Curiteva’s CMO, performed the first clinical case using the company’s Inspire standalone ALIF…

During the first quarter of 2026, payers have bolstered both spine devicemakers and practices. Here are five moves to know: Tech coverage 1. UnitedHealthcare will cover Highridge Medical’s vertebral body tethering device, The Tether. The Tether is approved as a…

Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Va., has received the Blue Distinction Specialty Care designation for spine surgery.  Hospitals and medical centers that earn the distinction must meet evidence-based selection criteria, including lower complication and readmission rates, a history…

The University of California, San Francisco Health earned The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery, according to a March 18 news release. The certification was earned by meeting national standards set by the Joint Commission. The program was developed…

Spine surgery is increasingly defined by a tension few outside the field fully see: the collision of clinical complexity and economic constraint. For surgeons like Oliver Tannous, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Washington Hospital Center, that…

Ali Ravanpay, MD, PhD, has been named program director of Seattle-based University of Washington’s neurological surgery residency program, according to a March 18 system LinkedIn post.  Dr. Ravanpay earned his MD and PhD through UW’s medical scientist training program and…

Bayan Aghdasi, MD, performed the first spine surgery integrating both Apple Vision Pro and Stryker’s Q navigation in the San Diego region, according to a March 19 email shared with Becker’s. The surgery, a percutaneous lumbar fusion, was performed at…

The Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset was found to be a feasible option to assist surgeons during lumbar endoscopic spine surgery, according to a study published March 4 in Frontiers in Surgery. Six things to know: 1. A total…

Shrinking reimbursements, rising expectations for outcome data, and the slow march toward value-based payment are forcing spine surgeons to rethink their strategies for long-term sustainability. Three surgeons discuss what will set the successful spine practices apart from the rest. Ask…

Daniel Choi, MD, of Spine Medicine & Surgery of Long Island in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., became the first surgeon to use Medtronic’s O-arm system at West Islip, N.Y.-based Good Samaritan University Hospital. The O-arm was used for a minimally invasive transforaminal…