Here are eight things for spine surgeons to know for Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014.
Drs. Chad Prusmack, Stanley Herring selected as 2014 Super Bowl spine surgeons.
Stanley A. Herring, MD, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist with an emphasis on spinal disorders and concussions, and is also the team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and co-medical director for the Seattle Sports Concussion Program. Chad J. Prusmack, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon with Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic and a neurosurgical consultant to the Denver Broncos and has a special interest in sports medicine of the spine and brain.
Dr. Alan Brown met with U.S. Representative to discuss healthcare, spine policy.
North American Spine Society member Alan Brown, MD, JD, recently met with U.S. Representative Adam Smith to discuss important policy issues for spine patients and surgeons. Dr. Brown met Rep. Smith at the Bellevue (Wash.) Bone and Joint Physicians and toured the facilities. Topics discussed include improving patient care, reducing costs and integrating electronic medical records and physical therapy into the practice.
CMS cuts epidural injection payment.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's 2014 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule significantly decreases reimbursement for several interventional pain procedures, including a 33 percent cut for cervical epidural payments, a 56 percent cut for cervical epidural when performed in an office setting, a 19 percent cut for lumbar epidural injection payments and 49 percent cut for lumbar epidural when performed in an office setting.
Traumatic spinal cord injuries on the rise.
The cumulative incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries in older adults increased between 2007 and 2009. Researchers used the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and identified adult ED visits between 2007 and 2009 with a principal diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury and found they increased from 79.4 per million of older adults in 2007 to 87.7 percent by the end of 2009.
Total hospital costs for adult spinal deformity reach $120k.
A study recently published in The Spine Journal examined the cost of treating patients for adult spinal deformity at hospitals from 2005 to 2011. The researchers found total hospital costs were $120,394 on average. Also, primary surgery costs were $103,143 on average and readmissions costs were $67,262 per patient.
NASS selected Ortech Data Centre for management, design of registry.
The North American Spine Society chose Ontario, Canada-based Ortech Data Centre to design and manage the NASS registry. The NASS registry will begin as a pilot which will test the data collection process, platform and measures and determine the administrative and cost burden to participants before expanding the registry to NASS membership.
MicroPort Scientific to build orthopedic business training facility.
MicroPort Scientific looks to open an 8,500-squart-foot facility in Arlington, Tenn., as it transitions to the ownership of MicroPort Orthopedics, which it recently-acquired from Wright Medical. The facility will house the training operations for orthopedic surgeons. Construction is slated to begin this spring.
New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute opened new office.
Bedford-based New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute announced the opening of a new office in Nashua, N.H. Adrian Thomas, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute, has begun seeing patients in the Nashua location.
Stanley A. Herring, MD, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist with an emphasis on spinal disorders and concussions, and is also the team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and co-medical director for the Seattle Sports Concussion Program. Chad J. Prusmack, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon with Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic and a neurosurgical consultant to the Denver Broncos and has a special interest in sports medicine of the spine and brain.
Dr. Alan Brown met with U.S. Representative to discuss healthcare, spine policy.
North American Spine Society member Alan Brown, MD, JD, recently met with U.S. Representative Adam Smith to discuss important policy issues for spine patients and surgeons. Dr. Brown met Rep. Smith at the Bellevue (Wash.) Bone and Joint Physicians and toured the facilities. Topics discussed include improving patient care, reducing costs and integrating electronic medical records and physical therapy into the practice.
CMS cuts epidural injection payment.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's 2014 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule significantly decreases reimbursement for several interventional pain procedures, including a 33 percent cut for cervical epidural payments, a 56 percent cut for cervical epidural when performed in an office setting, a 19 percent cut for lumbar epidural injection payments and 49 percent cut for lumbar epidural when performed in an office setting.
Traumatic spinal cord injuries on the rise.
The cumulative incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries in older adults increased between 2007 and 2009. Researchers used the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and identified adult ED visits between 2007 and 2009 with a principal diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury and found they increased from 79.4 per million of older adults in 2007 to 87.7 percent by the end of 2009.
Total hospital costs for adult spinal deformity reach $120k.
A study recently published in The Spine Journal examined the cost of treating patients for adult spinal deformity at hospitals from 2005 to 2011. The researchers found total hospital costs were $120,394 on average. Also, primary surgery costs were $103,143 on average and readmissions costs were $67,262 per patient.
NASS selected Ortech Data Centre for management, design of registry.
The North American Spine Society chose Ontario, Canada-based Ortech Data Centre to design and manage the NASS registry. The NASS registry will begin as a pilot which will test the data collection process, platform and measures and determine the administrative and cost burden to participants before expanding the registry to NASS membership.
MicroPort Scientific to build orthopedic business training facility.
MicroPort Scientific looks to open an 8,500-squart-foot facility in Arlington, Tenn., as it transitions to the ownership of MicroPort Orthopedics, which it recently-acquired from Wright Medical. The facility will house the training operations for orthopedic surgeons. Construction is slated to begin this spring.
New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute opened new office.
Bedford-based New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute announced the opening of a new office in Nashua, N.H. Adrian Thomas, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute, has begun seeing patients in the Nashua location.