Spine

A study published in the recent issue of The Spine Journal analyzed the perioperative costs associated with single-level minimally invasive and open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

Spine surgeon Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD, managing partner with the Orthopaedic & Spine Center in Newport News, Va., recently reported on the trend of having monetary conversations with patients.

Patients with mild, moderate and severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy showed improvement in functional, disability-related and quality-of-life outcomes one year after undergoing surgical decompression surgery, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Morris (Ill.) Hospital & Healthcare Centers announced the addition of Mir H. Ali, MD, to its medical staff.

Chetan K. Patel, MD, moderated a symposium about robotics and navigation in the spine surgeon's operating room at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting.

Steven Cyr, MD, was named chief of staff at Victory Medical Center Landmark in San Antonio.

Rockford (Ill.) Spine Center has been named to the Rockford IceHogs' medical network, according to a Rockford Register Star report.

Cost saving efforts as a result of healthcare reform has taken over the healthcare industry in various forms, including accountable care organizations, population health management and bundled payments.

An article published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques compared the clinical and radiologic outcomes of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion procedures with and without pedicle screw support in patients with degenerative disc disease.

Robert J. Weil, MD, has been named chief medical executive for the northeast region and associate chief scientific officer of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System, according to a Times Leader report.