We do our best to keep IONM companies informed about the latest within the healthcare industry.
By Admin | May 11, 2021
Awake TLIF takes minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery one step further and eliminates general anesthesia in favor of local.
By Admin | May 09, 2021
Dear Dr. Mino, On behalf of over 34,000 orthopaedic surgeons and residents represented by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), we appreciate the opportunity to respond to your inquiry regarding Cigna’s revision of coverage for intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) during cervical spine surgery. These following specialty societies fully endorse our position...
By Admin | May 07, 2021
Understanding how to navigate payer relationships is critical for orthopedic practices to succeed. Three surgeons spoke...
By Admin | May 05, 2021
A North Carolina woman's health plan was ordered to cover her spine surgery after a district court found the insurer failed to provide...
By Admin | May 03, 2021
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have successfully reprogrammed a glial cell type in the central nervous system into new neurons to promote recovery after spinal cord injury, revealing...
By Admin | April 29, 2021
After April 2021 there will be no more patients injured during the course of spine surgery.
By Admin | April 28, 2021
Prior authorization remains a key focus for the North American Spine Society's advocacy efforts this year. The organization also has its eyes on enhancing a bill to protect...
By Admin | April 26, 2021
A new method for evaluating microscopic bone health prior to—and predicting complications after—spinal fusion?
By Admin | April 23, 2021
A 59-year-old New Jersey man was billed more than $700,000 after having complex spine surgery following a vehicle crash, exposing gaps between...
By Admin | April 21, 2021
Prior authorization is a contentious issue in spine care at the moment. Beginning July 1, CMS will require the policy for cervical fusion with disc removal and implanted spinal neurostimulators, which physicians say...
By Admin | April 18, 2021
From prior authorization requirements to value-based care initiatives and payer battles, nine spine leaders discuss the biggest challenges affecting their practice today.
By Admin | April 15, 2021
A study published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Spine Surgery found the work relative value units assigned to open decompression and interlaminar stabilization are undervalued.
By Admin | April 12, 2021
Orthopedic providers are pushing back against incoming prior authorization requirements, which they say bring increased administrative burdens and take away from time with patients.
By Admin | April 09, 2021
Medical device companies and surgeons are banding together to ask CMS to roll back new prior authorization requirements set to go into effect July 1.
By Admin | April 07, 2021
New research by a team from the Cleveland Clinic and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has determined that surgeries performed late in the workweek, and those culminating in...
By Admin | April 05, 2021
Ok. The answer to this question may, at first glance, appear to be self evident. Sort of like: Is the Pope Catholic? Or...
By Admin | April 03, 2021
Outpatient surgery and fewer fusions are likely the future of spine surgery, according to Peter Derman, MD, a spine surgeon with Texas Back Institute in Plano.
By Admin | April 01, 2021
At the start of 2020, healthcare workers felt desperate for accurate information on how to protect themselves and their patients from the novel coronavirus. What a difference a year makes.
By Admin | March 28, 2021
A new method for evaluating microscopic bone health prior to—and predicting complications after—spinal fusion? An expert on the technique, called high-resolution quantitative computed tomography, weighs in.
By Admin | March 24, 2021
From multidisciplinary spine centers to the continued growth of telehealth and rapid migration to the outpatient setting, 10 surgeons outline how spine care delivery will evolve in the next five years.
By Admin | March 19, 2021
Spine surgery, as with any surgery, carries the risk of complications. Though rare, neurological injury has the potential of incurring serious sensory and motor injuries. Due to the nature of complications that can occur with spine surgery, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), or neuromonitoring, is increasingly being used to avoid post-surgical neurological complications.
By Admin | March 12, 2021
The owner of Texas Center for Orthopedic and Spinal Disorders in Fort Worth was sentenced Feb. 25 to 10 years in prison for his role in a $10 million healthcare fraud scheme.
By Admin | March 04, 2021
Senate Concurrent Resolution 15 designates June of every year as Scoliosis Awareness Month. For those unfamiliar with it, scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine, and is often diagnosed in children and...
By Admin | February 25, 2021
Purpose: To investigate the long-term (> 7 years) clinical outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy for lumbar degenerative disease to address postoperative problems including postoperative dysesthesia (POD), residual back pain and...
By Admin | February 18, 2021
From revamping codes to reversing prior authorization requirements and increasing reimbursement, six spine surgeons discuss CMS changes that would enhance spine care.
By Admin | February 15, 2021
Many surgeons believe a single-payer healthcare system would decrease spine payments toward current Medicare rates and payments and limit access to care. Here, five surgeons share their thoughts on how a single-payer system would affect spine practice.
By Admin | February 09, 2021
Individualized infection prevention strategies tailored to operative level are needed in spine surgery, according to...
By Admin | January 27, 2021
Austin, TX (STL.News) Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Ada Booth, M.D. and Walton “Boyd” Bush, Ed.D. to the Texas Medical Board District Four Review Committee for terms set to expire on January 15, 2022. Additionally, he appointed Leanne Burnett, M.D., and reappointed Philip “Phil” Worley for terms set to expire on January 15, 2024 and appointed Ruth Villarreal and Andrew “Jimmy” Widmer, M.D. for...
By Admin | January 21, 2021
One of the ways to enhance clinical competence is through Medical Simulation training. The training has been proven to have many advantages that help improve medical practitioners’ competencies, and in return, improve patient safety and reduce health care costs.
By Admin | January 18, 2021
If you've been told you have a herniated disc, you probably have also been told you need a spinal fusion, which up to a year ago has been the traditional treatment for herniated discs. However,...
By Admin | January 15, 2021
The AXIS 2021 Annual Virtual IONM Symposium Live Zoom Event is Only Two Weeks Away. Register Today!
By Admin | January 14, 2021
When a patient with intensifying neuromuscular symptoms was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant tumor in a highly vascularized location, a multidisciplinary surgical team mobilized to plan a swift intervention and execute a high-risk surgery.
By Admin | January 13, 2021
Congress voted to protect patients' access to surgical care by delaying steep Medicare payment cuts from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that it included in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), according to the...
By Admin | January 10, 2021
Noting that the prevalence of spine problems has increased manifold during the COVID-19 lockdown, a senior Delhi-based doctor says that looking at the increasing number of spine-related cases, it would not be an overstatement to say that there is a silent epidemic building up. The associated factor is the forced sedentary lifestyle, and prolonged sitting, lack of exercise and poor activity. Poor understanding of spine ergonomics leads to improper...
By Admin | January 07, 2021
SMS In North Texas, COVID-19 patients make up more than a quarter of all of those in the hospital. More than half of all intensive care unit patients are being treated for...
By Admin | January 04, 2021
People hospitalized with COVID-19 and neurological problems including stroke and confusion have a higher risk of dying than other COVID-19 patients, according to a study published online today by researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the journal Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These findings have the potential to identify...
By Admin | January 01, 2021
ROSEMONT, Ill., /PRNewswire/ -- The importance of involving patients in the decision-making process for orthopaedic surgical procedures is the focus of a new review article published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons® (JAAOS). The literature review took a close look at the concept and practice of shared decision-making (SDM) and the ways it empowers
By Admin | December 23, 2020
As an orthopedic surgeon and veteran healthcare executive, Wael Barsoum, MD, sees the Biden administration taking steps to accelerate population health in orthopedics.
By Admin | December 18, 2020
A team of researchers in the United States and Japan reports that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) measurably decreased pain and reduced motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, both as a singular therapy and as a “salvage therapy” after deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies were ineffective...
By Admin | December 09, 2020
An AI-assisted platform for spine surgery, currently under development, will subsume methods to stratify risk, predict outcomes, and...
By Admin | December 03, 2020
A novel approach to spinal fusion surgery results in a reduction of blood loss during surgery and less ileus, or intestinal blockage, postoperatively, as well as reduced operative times and hospital stays, according to a new study from researchers at NYU Langone Health published in The Spine Journal online November 13. Spinal fusion, a surgery which connects two or more vertebrae in the spine to treat degenerative or deformity-related spinal conditions such as spinal stenosis, scoliosis, and spondylolisthesis, has traditionally been performed using...
By Admin | November 25, 2020
A team of Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers and neurosurgeons has received $13.48 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop implantable ultrasound and other devices that could revolutionize care for people suffering from spinal cord injuries. The results could benefit thousands of U.S. service members and civilians who sustain spinal cord injuries every year. The electronic device will be the size and flexibility of...
By Admin | November 18, 2020
The final 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) failed to provide relief from a significant shift in physician and non-physician payments expected to take effect on January 1, 2021. Thousands of comments submitted by providers, patients, and Members of Congress highlighted the importance of mitigating payment cuts associated with budget neutrality requirements triggered by higher payment and modified reporting requirements for evaluation and management (E/M) services. Due to CMS's unresponsiveness to address these concerns, organizations representing more than 1 million physicians and...
By Admin | November 12, 2020
The RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol has been the preferred method of treatment for acute musculoskeletal injuries since its origin in a 1978 publication entitled “Sports Medicine Book” by Dr. Gabe Mirkin. These guidelines have been used by coaches and healthcare providers for over four decades with the intent of expediting the recovery process and reducing inflammation. Although popular...
By Admin | November 08, 2020
Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery Center was among the first ASCs to perform robotic spine surgery with the ExcelsiusGPS system, which it acquired in 2018. The practice remains at the forefront of robotic spine surgery and...
By Admin | November 05, 2020
The 4th Saudi Spine Society Annual Conference - This Sat Nov 7th - Course Director -Dr. Faisal Riaz Jahangiri
By Admin | November 03, 2020
October 20, 2020 - Renowned Spine Surgeon Michael Wang, M.D. professor of neurological surgery and chief of neurosurgery at UHealth Tower—the flagship hospital of the University of Miami Health System--has performed a spinal surgery using special goggles with augmented reality (AR) technology that provides surgeons with 3-D, x-ray vision.
By Admin | October 28, 2020
Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas (MINT) has proactively adapted to a new ‘normal’ lifestyle during COVID-19 by employing technology to better serve its patients.
By Admin | October 25, 2020
Marcelo Gerjoi and Duncan Crow have trained to provide emergency medical services during combat. Their deployment to Texas over the summer as part of a COVID-19 response unit was not a war, but at times, it must have felt like...
By Admin | October 18, 2020
Vertebral body tethering, a novel minimally invasive surgery for scoliosis, is helping some patients get back to activity in half the time of those who...
By Admin | October 14, 2020
A new device that attaches to eyeglasses has been designed to provide fluoroscopic guidance during spine surgery, Medical Xpress reports.
By Admin | October 10, 2020
Robotics is picking up steam in spine and orthopedics, with emerging surgeons particularly drawn to the latest technologies in their specialties.
By Admin | October 07, 2020
Ernest Braxton, MD, former chief of neurosurgery at San Antonio Military Medical Center, is one of a handful of surgeons offering awake spinal fusions in the U.S., The Aspen Times reports.
By Admin | October 01, 2020
The use of telehealth has become a common practice during the pandemic. Now, some doctors hope it continues to be...
By Admin | September 25, 2020
President Donald Trump on Sept. 24 signed two executive orders implementing his "America First Healthcare Plan."
By Admin | September 22, 2020
Sandra Grant, 62, still struggles with the memory of the back pain that made it almost impossible for her to get through the workday. “I just felt so embarrassed,” she says. “It bothered me that my coworkers could see me in pain.” Sandra says her pain also made her feel her job was at risk. After pain management treatments...
By Admin | September 20, 2020
Researchers at the University of Calgary have developed and validated a clinical prediction scale that can be used to determine which patients are more likely to experience inadequate pain control following elective spine surgery.
By Admin | September 18, 2020
Dallas-based neurosurgeon Ricky Kalra, MD, recently removed a "lemon-sized" tumor from a patient's spine in a complex procedure that lasted almost 10 hours, NBC affiliate DFW reports.
By Admin | September 16, 2020
The September issue of Neurosurgical Focus focuses on anterior approaches to thoracolumbar spine surgery. Although anterior spine surgery has been around for a while, the adoption of anterior approaches has been restricted by the "perceived morbidity of these techniques compared to
By Admin | September 15, 2020
In 2018, accreditation company DNV GL Healthcare began offering its Orthopaedic Center of Excellence designation for hospitals certified in three of its four orthopedic service line programs — spine surgery, hip and knee replacement, shoulder surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.
By Admin | September 13, 2020
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For the first-time. a new study has been published in the International Journal of Spine Surgery, authored by Drs. Todd H. Lanman and Jason Cuellar, MD, documenting the successful outcome of a conversion of an Anterior Cervical Fusion to Artificial Disc Replacement.
By Admin | September 10, 2020
The Senate will vote Sept. 10 on a slimmed-down COVID-19 relief bill, according to The Hill. Senate Republicans released the roughly $500 billion package Sept. 8. It is about half of...
By Admin | September 08, 2020
Dallas-based physician search agency Merritt Hawkins found that 59 percent of physicians think COVID-19 will cause independent physician practices to close in its national biennial survey.
By Admin | September 06, 2020
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols can reduce postoperative use of opioids in patients undergoing elective spine and peripheral nerve surgical procedures, according to...
By Admin | September 04, 2020
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 27, 2020 — PrecisionOS Technology, developers of the Surgical Mastery Platform™, announced today the details of a major breakthrough in basic and advanced fundamentals of arthroscopy training. The company has created the first-of-its-kind arthroscopy simulator available on...
By Admin | September 01, 2020
SAN ANTONIO - Officials at UT Health San Antonio have revealed the institution was invovled in a ransomware attack back in May. According to a letter sent to supporters, a third-party database provider Blackbaud Inc., discovered the...
By Admin | August 28, 2020
Eleven spine surgeons and one physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist discuss how their patient evaluation considerations have changed during the pandemic and how their practice has evolved to...
By Admin | August 25, 2020
Hospitals and surgery centers across the U.S. have been implementing robots that are designed to improve surgical precision and provide more reproducible spine surgeries. Three spine surgeons discuss where we are with spinal robots today and what...
By Admin | August 20, 2020
Neurosurgeon Zarina Ali, MD, of Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine has developed a program that helps decrease opioid use and length of stay after elective spine and peripheral nerve surgery.
By Admin | August 17, 2020
CMS' Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule for 2021, announced Aug. 3, laid out significant cuts for surgeons in several specialties.
By Admin | August 14, 2020
The proposed 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 3, 2020 failed to address a significant shift in...
By Admin | August 11, 2020
A multidisciplinary team from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have found that an increased length of stay...
By Admin | August 09, 2020
Orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia, MD, has called for a reform of the U.S. healthcare system, which he described as a "bureaucratic nightmare" in his book, 'Healthcare from the...
By Admin | August 07, 2020
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons announced their opposition to CMS' Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule for 2021, which would reduce...
By Admin | August 04, 2020
With a pandemic raging, doctors in the city were avoiding in-person meetings with patients whenever possible, to prevent the coronavirus spreading. Bederson and his surgical team used telehealth...
By Admin | August 01, 2020
After two hours of sleep a night for four months and seeing a member of his team contract the virus, Joseph Varon, MD, is growing exasperated. "I'm pretty much fighting two wars: A war against COVID and a war against stupidity," Dr. Varon, MD, CMO and chief of critical care at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, told NBC News. "And the problem is...
By Admin | July 28, 2020
NuVasive, the leader in spine technology innovation, focused on transforming spine surgery with minimally disruptive, procedurally integrated solutions, and the...
By Admin | July 25, 2020
Canaccord Genuity's latest survey results indicated that the "sharp bounce-back" in orthopedic surgery volumes to end the second quarter may be...
By Admin | July 18, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced many new challenges for spine practices, but industry leaders believe those that aim to thrive post-pandemic must prepare for the future now.
By Admin | July 16, 2020
Five spine surgeons discuss the impact of COVID-19 on consolidation in the spine field.
By Admin | July 14, 2020
Texas Back Institute in Plano is keeping a close eye on the rising COVID-19 cases in the state as major hospital chains again begin to restrict elective...
By Admin | July 12, 2020
Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Center for Orthopaedic and Multi-Specialty Surgery agreed to resolve allegations that it made improper payments in exchange for...
By Admin | July 10, 2020
A study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) has found a correlation between patient-reported pain at discharge from inpatient surgery and the number of opioids prescribed during the 90-day postoperative period. These results suggest...
By Admin | July 08, 2020
ROSEMONT, Ill., July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Americans have the highest opioid use rates, leading to abuse,i the orthopaedic community has committed itself to studying prescription methods and patient populations to help mitigate potential...
By Admin | July 02, 2020
The North American Spine Society (NASS) has cancelled its 35th Annual Meeting, which had been due to take place in San Diego, USA, between 7–10 October due to...
By Admin | June 29, 2020
Coronavirus momentarily shut down elective surgeries, making some health care workers worry about losing their jobs. One team of doctors at Littleton Adventist Hospital stepped up to ensure their team could stay together during the pandemic.
By Admin | June 26, 2020
During the Becker's Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC virtual event, four orthopedic and spine surgeons outline answered the question: Q: What technology will be most essential for spine surgeons in the future?
By Admin | June 24, 2020
Augmedics has announced that its xvision Spine System (XVS), augmented reality guidance system has been successfully used for the first time in a spinal fusion surgery in the USA.
By Admin | June 22, 2020
Dr. Vaccaro participated in a fireside chat during the Becker's Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + the Future of Spine Virtual Event on June 19, discussing his outlook for spine, technology and private practice in the future.
By Admin | June 15, 2020
Newswise — Philadelphia, June 9, 2020 – As the COVID-19 pandemic sent entire communities into lockdown, doctors quickly adopted telehealth strategies without knowing...
By Admin | June 08, 2020
Here are three spine and neurosurgery devices recalled by device companies in the past year:
By Admin | June 03, 2020
Less invasive approach yields remarkable results and is now available to Texans in need WACO (May 26, 2020): Local neurosurgeon, Dr. Steven Zielinski, has become the first surgeon in the country to perform a revolutionary new...
By Admin | June 02, 2020
Axis Neuromonitoring is offering this course to train the senior specialists/technologists in the field of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM). This course is the first-ever diploma offered for senior technologists. It is a complete online course utilizing advanced software for online lectures, webinars, peer-reviewed research papers, case reports, discussion forums, and quizzes. All candidates will complete 20 units in 24 weeks. Target Audience: The course mainly targets candidates who want to learn about IONM and technologists with a keen interest in developing their skills in IONM.
By Admin | June 01, 2020
Axis Neuromonitoring is offering this course to train the supervising neurophysiologists in the field of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM). This course is the first-ever fellowship offered for senior neurophysiologists.
By Admin | May 31, 2020
Axis Neuromonitoring is offering this course to train remote-monitoring/ supervising-physicians in the field of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM).
By Admin | May 28, 2020
Here are three hospitals expanding spine and neurosurgery programs: Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital partnered with Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Healthcare to develop a $35 million rehab facility for spinal cord injury.
By Admin | May 26, 2020
As some states begin to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations such as CMS, the American Hospital Association, the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons have released new guidance on when and how hospitals and surgical facilities should resume elective surgical cases.
By Admin | May 22, 2020
Five spine and orthopedic surgeons discuss where the biggest safety concerns lie for patients and staff during the return to elective surgeries.
By Admin | May 20, 2020
Eleven spine surgeons answer the question: What will the 'new normal' look like in spine post-pandemic.
By Admin | May 18, 2020
When everywhere the discussion is going on regarding coronavirus cases, one different case had come at Super Speciality Hospital.
By Admin | May 15, 2020
Need counseling about the care of bone or joint issues?
By Admin | May 13, 2020
As elective surgeries resume, orthopedic surgeons will have critical questions to ask and answer before going back into the operating room.
By Admin | May 11, 2020
"To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unparalleled challenge for all of us is an understatement," said orthopaedic surgeon and AAOS spokesperson Stuart Fischer, MD, FAAOS.
By Admin | May 07, 2020
Dr. Pascal Jabbour became alarmed when he and other doctors noticed a significant number of stroke patients had tested positive for COVID-19. “What is unusual is those patients were young — relatively young — with no risk factors for stroke. So patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s,” he said.
By Admin | May 06, 2020
This week’s Case Debate Series, hosted by NuVasive, Inc., features a spirited debate regarding the preferred thoracolumbar procedure approach: anterior or posterior?
By Admin | May 05, 2020
CMS is expanding its list of audio-only telephone services covered by Medicare as well as making several other updates to telehealth coverage. Five updates...
By Admin | May 04, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court on May 1 refused to hear an appeal by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in a whistleblower lawsuit against the health system and 13 neurosurgeons, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
By Admin | April 29, 2020
Hospitals across the U.S. cut elective, non-essential orthopedic, spine and neurosurgery procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states are beginning to look ahead to re-opening some operating rooms for non-COVID-19 patient procedures, but in hard-hit areas, medical supplies are still needed on the front lines. While hospitals have canceled or postponed most orthopedic, spine and neurosurgery cases, they are losing significant revenue.
By Admin | April 28, 2020
Spine surgery experts in Texas have found minimally invasive artificial disc replacement to show “significantly better results” compared to traditional cervical spine procedures. According to Dr. Scott Kutz, MD, head of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas (MINT), minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is the better option when it comes to cervical spine surgery. This is in terms of complications and recovery period involved in the procedure. In an article published on the clinic’s blog, the neurosurgery expert emphasized how traditional spinal surgery is prone to plenty of risks.
By Admin | April 25, 2020
Ayodele Buraimoh, MD, is a spine surgeon with Bethesda, Md.-based The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. Dr. Buraimoh specializes in the treatment of degenerative spinal conditions as well as spinal trauma, deformity and tumors. He has expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery and traditional open techniques. He graduated with a biology degree from Harvard University in Boston, earned his medical degree from Boston University and completed an orthopedic residency at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
By Admin | April 22, 2020
According to preliminary research, staying active as you age—even at a low intensity—can lead to better brain function and a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Older people who remain active had larger total brain volume compared to those who reported lower amounts of activity. Older people who stay active—even at a low intensity—may have bigger brains than those who are more sedentary. This preliminary research was scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting on April 25, but the meeting was canceled due to the global coronavirus outbreak.
By Admin | April 17, 2020
A recent article released by Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas reveals the science behind some breakthrough minimally invasive surgical procedures that have improved chances of success and recovery rates for back surgery.
By Admin | April 05, 2020
The global Microsurgery for Neurosurgical Instruments market study presents an all in all compilation of the historical, current and future outlook of the market as well as the factors responsible for such a growth. With SWOT analysis, the business study highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each Microsurgery for Neurosurgical Instruments market player in a comprehensive way.
By Admin | March 30, 2020
The researchers say that the anterior approach to hip arthroplasty is slightly more risky than the posterior or lateral approaches. "The small but statistically significant increase in the risk of major surgical complications associated with the anterior approach may help inform decisions for total hip arthroplasty," write Daniel Pincus, MD, PhD, of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Canada, and his colleagues.
By Admin | March 27, 2020
Dr. Scott Kutz, an expert in the field of cervical spine surgery, has published a new article that discusses how minimally invasive spine surgery has shown “significantly better results” in terms of risks and recovery period than traditional open spine surgery.
By Admin | March 23, 2020
NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) neurosurgeon, Julian Bailes, MD, is the first in Illinois to begin offering GammaTile® Therapy, a new approach to treating malignant brain tumors. The FDA-cleared, Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) is designed to delay tumor regrowth for patients with high grade gliomas, meningiomas and brain metastases. The first patient in the state was treated by Dr. Bailes who is chairman of the department of neurosurgery and co-director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute. Neuro-oncologist Ryan Merrell, MD, will also be participating in this new surgical therapy at NorthShore.
By Admin | March 20, 2020
Physicians and other medical professionals will no longer need a new license to care for patients across state lines, according to a statement made by Vice President Mike Pence during a White House press briefing on March 18. The briefing touched on the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The administration has taken several steps in recent days to relax regulations in an effort to streamline access to care as the outbreak spreads across the country. For example, the government will no longer enforce penalties for violating certain aspects of HIPAA and HHS has expanded access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries.
By Admin | March 18, 2020
Insightec announced that it signed definitive agreements for a $150 million Series F financing round with a post-money valuation of $1.3 billion. The Haifa, Israel–based company is the developer of the Exablate Neuro incisionless neurosurgery platform. Insightec touts the Exablate Neuro as the first MR-guided focused ultrasound device to win FDA approval for treating certain movement disorders in people suffering from essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease who have not responded to medication.
By Admin | March 16, 2020
The main objective in the treatment of patients with epilepsy is to achieve adequate control of their seizures. These attacks sometimes affect patients more than expected. Of course, this process enables improving their quality of life and avoiding deterioration and exclusion associated with the presence of frequent and sustained epileptic seizures over years. According to brain-surgery.com, there are many people suffering from this kind of issue, it’s not difficult to conclude that this kind of brain surgery might save thousands of lives.
By Admin | March 13, 2020
A leading group of medical experts on Tuesday declined to endorse cognitive screening for older adults, fueling a debate that has simmered for years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said it could neither recommend nor oppose cognitive screening, citing insufficient scientific evidence of the practice’s benefits and harms and calling for further studies.
By Admin | March 11, 2020
In a square-off between total disc replacement (TDR) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), which procedure is more popular—at ground zero for total disc replacement, The Texas Back Institute? Researchers from the Texas Back Institute set out to determine that and more in their work, “In which cases do surgeons specializing in total disc replacement perform fusion in patients with cervical spine symptoms?” The study appears in the January 2, 2020 edition of The European Spine Journal.
By Admin | March 09, 2020
Biopharmaceutical company MicroCures partnered Feb. 19 with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine to study spinal cord regeneration after trauma. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Defense will evaluate MicroCures' lead product, siFi2, in animal models with spinal cord injuries.
By Admin | March 08, 2020
Dagmar Turner was worried about losing her ability to play the violin during brain surgery, so she played the instrument during the operation.
By Admin | March 01, 2020
Based on 45,000 clinical studies, 82 clinical questions and 100 recommendation statements, this is the most comprehensive review of the diagnosis and treatment for low back pain ever assembled. The remarkable effort and indispensable reference for spine and neurosurgeons was the collective effort of 11 physician societies dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. According to North American Spine Society (NASS), “Compared to a typical NASS guideline with 400-600 literature search results and approximately 30 clinical questions, the Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain guideline resulted in over 45,000 literature search results and contains 82 clinical questions with over 100 recommendation statements.”
By Admin | February 25, 2020
Brain surgery is getting smarter. The journal Nature Medicine recently published a study that found a new imaging technique that allows pathologists to diagnose brain tumors faster and more accurately than ever before. The study focused on Invenio Imaging technology’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) in making accurate diagnoses. So, will computers replace doctors? That’s unlikely. Treating the human brain requires a human approach. But AI is poised to become an invaluable tool in improving a physician’s ability to make an accurate diagnosis, predict future issues, and come up with minimally invasive surgical plans.
By Admin | February 21, 2020
TUESDAY, Feb. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- You scheduled your surgery and made sure both your doctor and hospital are in your insurer's approved network of providers. Everything went without a hitch -- until a whopper of a bill showed up in the mail for "out-of-network" care during your operation. The average out-of-network surprise bill tops $2,000, a new study finds. And about 20% of patients who had surgery using a doctor and hospital considered in-network for their insurance got a surprise bill.
By Admin | February 13, 2020
The North American Spine Society published guidelines Jan. 29 for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain in adult patients. The publication, "Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Spine Care: Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain," focuses on 82 clinical questions and is the largest clinical guidelines that NASS has produced. Paul Matz, MD, a neurosurgeon with Casper-based Wyoming Neurosurgery and Spine and the evidence-based guideline development committee co-chair, spoke to Becker's Spine Review about the motivation behind the guidelines and what he hopes it will achieve.
By Admin | February 11, 2020
Surgeons at Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital here have removed a tumour from the thalamus part of the brain of a six-day-old baby girl. The doctors said the baby was born to a couple in early January at a Government Hospital in Erode. At birth, the child did not cry and doctors at the Erode GH referred her to the Salem hospital where the tumour was detected.
By Admin | February 07, 2020
In fall 2019, Northwell Health and Allscripts combined forces to create the next-generation EHR. The cloud-based, voice-enabled and AI-powered EHR will be designed based on input from Northwell clinicians, IT experts and administrators alongside Allscripts' development and systems integration expertise. It's not every day a 23-hospital, 14,000 physician system partners with an IT solutions company to reengineer a piece of technology as ubiquitous as the EHR. Worth noting, too, is how the organizations aren't setting out on this effort quietly. The announcement of their partnership last fall made clear their accountability for results, not only at Northwell but the industry at large, by showing what's possible when EHR users and developers innovate together.
By Admin | February 06, 2020
The North American Spine Society announced the release of evidence-based clinical guidelines for multidisciplinary spine care for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. The guidelines can help practitioners treat adult patients with non-specific low back pain above the knee, according to a press release issued by the North American Spine Society.
By Admin | February 05, 2020
NEW DELHI: A one-and-half-year old child, suffering from spinal deformity due to tuberculosis in his spine, was successfully treated at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. This is the first known surgery in India wherein such a complex procedure was carried out on an infant and screws were used to fix the deformity, and reduced the deformity from 110 degrees to 40 degrees.
By | February 04, 2020
The North American Spine Society on Jan. 29 released guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain in adult patients. The publication is titled "Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Spine Care: Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain." It contains 82 clinical questions surrounding diagnosis and treatment of low back pain.
By Admin | February 03, 2020
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nick Mucerino's passion has always been hockey. But after a big hit on the ice, the 16-year-old started feeling severe pain in his lower back. "The way I can describe it is somebody taking an ice pick down your spine," Mucerino said. It turns out that he suffered a pars fracture.
By Admin | January 30, 2020
Plano, United States - January 23, 2020 /MarketersMedia/ — Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas, one of the leading providers of minimally invasive surgery in Texas, recently published an article that is designed to help inform back surgery patients about the benefits of MIS procedures.
By Admin | January 28, 2020
Highly ergonomic and minimally invasive cortical strip electrodes on track for commercialization in 2020 MILAN, Italy, January 23, 2020 / B3C newswire / -- WISE Srl, a medical device company developing next-generation implantable leads for neuromonitoring, neuromodulation and brain-machine interfacing, has completed enrolment in the pivotal clinical study of its first product, the WISE Cortical Strip. The WISE Cortical Strip (WCS) is a single use medical device for IntraOperative Neurophysiological Monitoring during brain tumor and epilepsy surgeries. It is used for continuous recording of the brain’s electrical activity and for brain stimulation. The WIN Study is a prospective, interventional, multi-center, open-label premarket study performed in expert centers in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The study is designed to confirm the safety, performance and intended use of WCS for CE and 510K certification purposes.
By Admin | January 22, 2020
Sometimes, what looks like bad news comes along with a silver lining. This is not one of those times. For years, we’ve seen the evidence that hospital mergers generally contribute to rising health care costs in America. That’s despite hospitals arguing otherwise. But now, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine rubs salt in the wound by showing how hospital mergers aren’t improving health care quality and often make it worse.
By Admin | January 20, 2020
Vertebral compression fractures are caused by the loss of bone mass from aging, osteoporosis, or cancer. They are painful and affect more than just your spine. We spoke with Dr. Jay Jagannathan of Jagannathan Neurosurgery to talk about the symptoms and treatments as well as talk to one of his patients about her experience.
By Admin | January 17, 2020
When a patient is told they may need spine surgery, the first question they often have is about the risk. Doctors at the Spine Clinic of Oklahoma City are making strides in minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) ensuring reduced risk for their patients when compared with traditional approaches.
By Admin | January 16, 2020
awesome power. Some have turned to brain engineering in an attempt to transcend humanity and become cyborgs, merging directly with computer to augment their intelligence. In the medical field, researchers are using brain engineering to try to cure diseases that have long plagued humanity. These can be diseases affecting motor function or mental health, and the results of this research will have far-reaching implications for the future of humanity.
By Admin | January 15, 2020
Many surgeons believe that the use of a 3D-printed drill guide template shortens operative time and reduces intraoperative blood loss compared with those of the free-hand technique. In this study, we investigated the effects of a drill guide template on the accuracy of pedicle screw placement (the screw placed completely in the pedicle), operative time, and intraoperative blood loss.
By Admin | January 14, 2020
Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was introduced several decades ago and is an increasingly favourable option for delicate surgeries. A recent study1 indicates that IONM procedures have risen 296% from 2008–2014. So, what is it and how does it benefit spine surgery? Jay Jagannathan discusses IONM’s relevance to complex spinal surgeries.
By Admin | January 13, 2020
(HEALTHDAY NEWS) -- THE bones that form your spine are cushioned by round discs. A herniated disc is a disc that has been pushed out of place, says the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
By Admin | January 10, 2020
Average physician reimbursement for all hip and knee joint procedures fell more than 30 percent in the past 20 years, according to a study published in The Journal of Arthroplasty. For the study, researchers evaluated trends in Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000-19 for hip and knee arthroplasty procedures. The authors queried the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons coding reference to uncover which CPT codes were most frequently used to document adult hip and knee reconstruction. They paired the codes with physician payment data from CMS.
By Admin | January 09, 2020
As the medical director of Toronto's Krembil Brain Institute, Dr. Gelareh Zadeh is at the top of the neurology — more specifically, neurosurgery — industry. But throughout most of her journey to get there, she says she's been the only woman in the room.
By Admin | January 08, 2020
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (DECEMBER 17, 2019). Spine surgeons from seven institutions in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, conducted a multicenter, prospective study of spine surgeries performed in patients 80 years of age and older. Although the overall perioperative complication rate was high--20%, there were no major systemic complications and no deaths in the patients. The surgeons conclude that spine surgery is safe in this age group.
By Admin | January 07, 2020
Telemedicine can be appropriate for evaluating patients who experience a concussion, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or headache, as well as for assessing many patients who live with epilepsy, dementia or movement disorders, a new study from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) suggests.
By Admin | January 06, 2020
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons coding reference was queried to estimate the CPT codes most often used in hip and knee adult reconstruction in order to evaluate monetary trends in Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2019 for the most prevalent hip and knee arthroplasty procedures.
By Admin | January 06, 2020
2020 Axisneuro IONM Workshop & Seminar Registration
By Admin | January 02, 2020
The former CEO of Palo Pinto General Hospital in Mineral Wells, Texas, has pleaded guilty to defrauding BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, Cigna Texas and UnitedHealthcare out of millions of dollars, according to the Department of Justice.
By Admin | January 02, 2020
Seven spine and neurosurgeons discuss what strategies they will introduce in their practices next year. Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.
By Admin | December 30, 2019
It appears Texas will get one of the strongest laws in the nation against surprise medical bills after all. Earlier this year, lawmakers passed legislation to protect people in state-regulated health plans from getting outrageous bills for out-of-network care. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, wavered last month when the Texas Medical Board drafted the rules for its implementation. The board, made up of health care providers, tried to get a blanket exception to the law for virtually all nonemergency cases.
By Admin | December 27, 2019
EHR software vendors and healthcare providers have consistently overstated the abilities of their medical records software in order to receive undeserved millions in government subsidies, according to an investigation by Fortune and Kaiser Health News.
By Admin | December 26, 2019
Jeffrey Wang, MD, is co-director of the USC Spine Center at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles who completed his term as president of the North American Spine Society in September. Dr. Wang spoke to Becker's Spine Review about the future of value-based care in spine and goals for his practice in 2020.
By Admin | December 24, 2019
A local cheerleader is defying the odds and walking again nearly three months after fracturing her spine during a devastating accident. NBC10’s Tim Furlong spoke to Lauren Garrett about her amazing recovery.
By Admin | December 23, 2019
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Out of the Middle applauds a letter sent to Congress yesterday on behalf of nearly 900 smaller and independent physician practices across medical specialties that outlines the potentially devastating unintended consequences that certain legislative proposals to solve surprise bills could have on physicians' ability to care for patients in our communities.
By Admin | December 20, 2019
For more information please read, Cutting edge neurosurgery clinic, by SW Times.
By Admin | December 19, 2019
Abdul was 5 years old when an abandoned Soviet landmine exploded in his hand. The skull implant that saved his life that day was causing serious problems by the time he turned 10 — and an American doctor knew he had to help.
By Admin | December 17, 2019
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers appear to be just as satisfied with a video evaluation given by a neurologist using telemedicine as they have been with those done through an in-person visit, a review from the American Academy of Neurology reports. The review, “Teleneurology is neurology,” which also looked into its use with people with neurological disorders like epilepsy and dementia, was published in the journal Neurology.
By Admin | December 16, 2019
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For people with many neurologic disorders, seeing the neurologist by video may be as effective as an in-person visit, according to a review of the evidence conducted by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The evidence review examined all available studies on use of telemedicine for several neurologic conditions – stroke being one of the conditions that is well-validated and highly utilizes telemedicine – and is published in the December 4, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the AAN. The results indicate that a diagnosis from a neurologist by video for certain neurologic conditions is likely to be as accurate as an in-person visit.
By Admin | December 13, 2019
Consumer advocates are worried that a proposed rule could undo the protections in Texas’ balance billing legislation. After a law was passed this summer to keep Texas patients out of arbitration between providers and insurers when there are surprise medical bills, some worry that a loophole in the legislation will be used to confuse patients and increase balance billing.
By Admin | December 12, 2019
The Texas Medical Board is changing its tune about how to interpret Texas’ latest surprise billing legislation. Last week, controversy arose about rules written by the Texas Medical Board in the interpretation of Senate Bill 1264, which was meant to prevent patients from being involved in the balance billing process, were criticized for creating a large loophole for physicians to exploit.
By Admin | December 11, 2019
Richard Wohns, MD, JD, founder of NeoSpine in Puyallup, Wash., discusses the biggest threat he sees to spine care, insurance company denials, and how spending a little upfront could provide better outcomes and significant savings in the future.
By Admin | December 09, 2019
With the drop of traumatic injuries and the development of testing, cerebral vascular disease is becoming a leading ailment in neurosurgery department, medical experts said on an international skullbase surgery symposium in the city over the weekend.
By Admin | December 06, 2019
I know this seems silly now, in the world of instant, on-demand everything, but when I was a kid, they would show “The Wizard of Oz” on TV once a year. For us kids, that was a huge deal. We looked forward to it for weeks. And if you missed it, Oh man, you had to wait a whole year for it to come back on TV again. So really, all I’m saying here is that year is a long time to wait for anything, whether it’s Dorothy and the witch, or whether it’s something really significant, like say, your next appointment with your neurologist.
By Admin | December 05, 2019
Camden, N.J.-based Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital performed a kidney transplant on the wrong patient Nov. 18, hospital officials confirmed to CBS 3 Philly. The mix-up involved two patients who have the same name and are close in age. The 51-year-old patient who received the kidney was also on the transplant list, although ranked lower in priority.
By Admin | December 04, 2019
Bind Benefits' Shawn Wagoner and OMERS Ventures' Michael Yang tussle over dueling visions of the future of health insurance, specifically whether consumers have the wherewithal to make prudent buying decisions, at a recent Bay Area event.
By Admin | December 03, 2019
Nix Medical Center, a 208-bed hospital in San Antonio has closed, and its medical equipment will be sold at auction.
By Admin | December 02, 2019
November 20, 2019 - The Department of Health and Human Services is once again being asked to add data standards to its proposed data sharing rules to ensure the protection of patient privacy as interoperability increases throughout the healthcare sector. Sen. Mark Warner sent a letter to HHS stressing the need for changes to its upcoming rules on information blocking and interoperability. CHIME has made similar recommendations to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
By | November 29, 2019
Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery provides a single source for the reader to keep abreast of developments in the most rapidly advancing subspecialty within neurosurgery. Technological advances in computerassisted surgery, robotics, imaging and neurophysiology are being applied to clinical problems with everincreasing rapidity in stereotaxis more than any other field, providing opportunities for new approaches to surgical and radiotherapeutic management of diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and spine. Issues feature advances in the use of deep-brain stimulation, imaging-guided techniques in stereotactic biopsy and craniotomy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and stereotactically implanted and stereotactically guided radiotherapeutics and biologicals in the treatment of functional and movement disorders, brain tumors, and other diseases of the brain. Background information from basic science laboratories related to such clinical advances provides the reader with an overall perspective of this field. Proceedings and abstracts from many of the key international meetings furnish an overview of this specialty available nowhere else. Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery meets the information needs of both investigators and clinicians in this rapidly advancing field.
By Admin | November 27, 2019
A new study offers a model for creating a sustainable neurosurgery programs in poor, remote locations.
By Admin | November 26, 2019
A proposed rule takes a narrow exemption to the law ? intended to be used only when patients want a particular out-of-network doctor and agree to financial ramifications ? and instead would require all out-of-network providers in nonemergency situations to give patients that waiver, thereby creating confusion.
By Admin | November 22, 2019
Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) consists of a group of neurodiagnostic techniques that assess the nervous system’s functional integrity during surgical operations. A retrospective analysis of a pediatric female patient was conducted who underwent 12 operations for the correction of scoliosis, tethered cord, and split spinal cord wherein IONM played an important role. From age 3 to 6, she underwent six procedures including a release of the tethered cord, resection of the filum terminale, removal of a T11–T12 bony spur, release of L3 adhesions, repair of subcutaneous meningocele, and correction of scoliosis with a vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rod (VEPTR) technique without the use of IONM. However, a multimodality IONM protocol with somatosensory evoked potentials, transcranial electrical motor evoked potentials (TCeMEP), and an electromyogram was utilized during the later procedures. At age 6 (the seventh procedure), a VEPTR expansion was performed, with loss and recovery of the lower extremity motor evoked potentials. The postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a partial split cord malformation with retethering of the spinal cord. We repaired her split cord malformation and tethered cord while employing IONM. Using IONM for her operation was crucial because a sudden significant loss of TCeMEP resulted in a cancellation of the procedure; the MRI showed a thick remnant attached to the spinal cord. If the procedure was performed without IONM, we could have missed the underlying pathology, an error that may have resulted in paraplegia. We strongly recommend using IONM during high-risk surgical procedures to help significantly reduce the risk of permanent postoperative complications.
By Admin | November 21, 2019
What to do about the United States’ ever-expanding medical costs has been a key issue during the presidential primary season. Medicare-for-All, Medicare-for-more, Medicare-if-you-want-it, and a bevy of other healthcare policies have been key talking points for every serious Democratic presidential candidate. Steve Love is the CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, a 90 member hospital organization that helps hospitals collaborate and advocate for initiatives they value, and he says that while the hospitals want to be politically neutral and are for increased coverage, Medicare for all is not the answer. He calls it a “cry for help.” There is a legitimate issue in lack of coverage, but a single payer system is not the answer. “A ‘ Medicare-for-All’ product would upend 180 million Americans who currently receive health insurance through their employer. The funding could become political and not in the best interest of the patient,” he says.
By Admin | November 20, 2019
Cleveland Clinic has successfully performed its first in utero fetal surgery to repair a spina bifida birth defect in a nearly 23-week-old fetus. A multispecialty team of clinicians performed the surgery in February, and the baby, a girl, was later delivered by caesarean section near full term June 3, making it northern Ohio’s first surgery of its kind. Mother and daughter are doing well.
By Admin | November 19, 2019
Pituitary tumors are a problem that can go undiagnosed for your entire life. In most cases they are benign, but in some rare cases, they can be malignant. Michelle met with Dr. Jay Jagannathan from Jagannathan Neurosurgery to talk about how exactly these can affect people and what to know about diagnosis. Pituitary tumors are growths of abnormal cells within the pituitary gland, which is the gland that controls hormone function.
By Admin | November 18, 2019
House solution to surprise medical bills reaches 100 co-sponsors. - The Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R. 3502), by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), now has more support than any other pending surprise bill legislation in Congress. - And groups representing hundreds of thousands of physicians, including the American College of Emergency Physicians, urged House and Senate leadership to avoid handing more power to insurance companies. Instead, consider a more balanced approach that includes independent dispute resolution. Read the letter.
By Admin | November 15, 2019
Martin Quirno, MD, is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon and clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. A Brazilian citizen, Dr. Quirno moved to Argentina as a teenager and graduated from CEMIC Medical School in Bueno Aires before moving to the U.S to further his career.
By Admin | November 14, 2019
Conventional surgery by opening the skull to treat brain aneurysm — a localised swelling of the wall of an artery — is less costly than minimally invasive surgery, doctors said on Tuesday.
By Admin | November 13, 2019
On Tuesday, doctors performed surgery on a woman's brain - while thousands of people watched on Facebook Live. Jenna Schardt was the person under the knife - and in the spotlight - during the livestreamed brain surgery at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. She needed a mass of seizure-causing blood vessels removed from her brain, and when the hospital approached her about streaming the procedure via Facebook Live, she was more than willing.
By Admin | November 12, 2019
CHICAGO — Spine surgeons may be able to mitigate some dural tears and subsequent cerebrospinal fluid leaks by taking steps preoperatively and intraoperatively to prevent and manage these complications, a presenter at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting said. According to Daniel K. Resnick, MD, MS, anticipating a dural tear and being aware of options to treat it, as well as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, are critical to avoiding and managing these spine surgery complications.
By Admin | November 11, 2019
Spine surgeons in the U.S. perform more than 400,000 spinal fusions each year as a way to ease back pain and prevent vertebrae in the spine from wiggling around and doing more damage. However, reports estimate that on average some 30% of these surgeries fail to weld these vertebrae into a single bone, causing continued back pain.
By Admin | November 08, 2019
Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren's "Medicare for All" proposal would cost some Kaiser Permanente employees their jobs, Chairman and CEO Bernard Tyson said Nov. 4 on CNBC's "Closing Bell" from the @ Work: People + Machines Summit in San Francisco.
By Admin | November 07, 2019
More than 99,000 people watched neurosurgeons Randall Graham, MD, and Bartley Mitchell, MD, remove a tumor from a patient's brain in an awake neurosurgical procedure on Oct. 29, reports The Dallas Morning News.
By Admin | November 06, 2019
Serious patient care deficiencies, including three that constituted "immediate jeopardy," were discovered at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, according to a Houston Chronicle report. CMS conducted an inspection at MD Anderson at the end of August after a previously investigated patient death. It detailed its findings in a report that was made public last week.
By Admin | November 05, 2019
Matthew Goodwin, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and neurological surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Goodwin completed surgical training in both neurosurgery and orthopedics and specializes in the treatment of complex spinal conditions. His practice focuses on spinal tumors including metastatic and primary cancers of the spine, benign-aggressive lesions of the spine and other noncancerous lesions requiring surgical treatment. In August, SpineLine, the primary publication for North American Spine Society members, recognized Dr. Goodwin in its '20 Under 40' list of top spine surgeons for 2019. Here, Dr. Goodwin discusses the importance of patient and price transparency and the evolution of robotics in spine.
By Admin | November 04, 2019
An automated, intraoperative tissue-harvesting tool combines xenon illumination with advanced resection for post-procedural analysis in the molecular era.
By Admin | November 01, 2019
Pune: A cosmetic back deformity surgery was successfully conducted on a 14-year-old girl from Satara at a city-based government hospital. The child and her parents had been looking for a treatment for scoliosis in many hospitals over the past few years.
By Admin | October 31, 2019
Nico launched its latest FDA-cleared device, the Nico Myriad Novus, to enhance visualization in minimally invasive neurosurgery procedures.
By Admin | October 30, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- When a 48 year old active young lady realized her hearing and balance were slowly deteriorating in performing her day to day activities, she consulted with her doctor and was referred to a neuro-otologist. After several tests and imaging procedures she was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, also known as a vestibular schwannoma.
By Admin | October 25, 2019
A jury found that neurosurgeon Robert Replogle, MD, did not have to disclose his connection with spinal device company Spineology before receiving a patient's consent to a spinal fusion using one of the company's implants. What you need to know: 1. In late 2010, Dr. Replogle performed a minimally invasive fusion of the L5-S1 vertebrae on a patient with two prior procedures that did not relieve her pain – first a spinal decompression and then a multilevel fusion. He used a unilateral pedicle screws and an OptiMesh graft, developed by Spineology. At the time, he had a consulting agreement with the company and $110,000 worth of its stock, which he failed to disclose to the patient.
By Admin | October 24, 2019
Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, hundreds of thousands of physicians unified under the Out of the Middle Coalition applaud Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD, (D-Calif.) and Phil Roe, MD, (R-Tenn.), for reaching 100 cosponsors on their bipartisan solution to address surprise medical bills. This legislation now has more support than any other pending surprise medical billing legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
By Admin | October 23, 2019
Back pain is one of the most common pain complaints for adults in the United States, according to research reported by the National Institutes of Health. While many sources of back pain clear up in a few days or weeks, chronic back pain is any pain that persists for more than 12 weeks, often even after an initial injury or underlying cause has been treated.
By Admin | October 22, 2019
The Joint Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Section is dedicated to the treatment of functional disorders of the nervous system through the use of stereotaxy and other forms of surgical technology.
By Admin | October 21, 2019
Here are 14 health systems expanding spine and neurosurgery services in 2019. 1. Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare broke ground on the Emory Musculoskeletal Institute in Brookhaven, Ga., Oct. 4. The 180,000-square-foot facility will include spine, orthopedics, physical therapy and imaging in one location.
By Admin | October 18, 2019
Researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data on the effect of electrical stimulation therapies on spinal fusion. They found significant improvement overall in the rates of bone fusion following a course of electrical stimulation in both preclinical (animal) and clinical (human) studies.
By Admin | October 17, 2019
According to new research, certain ratios of correction of cervical parameters contribute to improving neck disability. The study, authored by Katherine E Pierce (NYU Langone Medical Centre, New York, USA) and colleagues, was recently nominated for Best Paper at the 34th Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society (NASS 2019; 25–28 September, Chicago, USA), where Pierce presented the group’s findings. The authors—Pierce and colleagues, including senior author Peter G Passias—note that certain cut-offs of radiographic differences from baseline to one year were found prioritising C2–T3 angle, followed by cervical lordosis, C2 slope, C2–C7 plumb line, and McGregor’s slope, all strongly associated with meeting the minimal clinically important difference for the neck disability index score. They conclude: “Prioritising these radiographic alignment parameters will optimise patient-reported outcomes for patients undergoing cervical deformity surgery.
By Admin | October 16, 2019
CHICAGO — An appropriate use criteria study presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting showed decompression without fusion was inappropriate for most cases of degenerative scoliosis and stenosis. Using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method, Michael D. Daubs, MD, and colleagues developed 260 scenarios based on seven different clinical characteristics of patients with degenerative scoliosis and stenosis. A panel of neurosurgeons, orthopedic spine surgeons, physiatrists, a researcher/physical therapist and a geriatrician discussed the risks and benefits and rated the appropriateness of the following five treatments for each scenario: decompression alone; fusion alone; decompression and fusion; fusion and deformity correction; and decompression, fusion and deformity correction, according to Daubs.
By Admin | October 15, 2019
As many as 100,000 UnitedHealthcare plan members could lose in-network access to all eight Houston Methodist hospitals and dozens of its out-patient facilities on Dec. 31 after the insurer announced it was dropping the major hospital system from its network. The move would affect anyone with a UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plan as well as those covered under the insurer’s Medicare Advantage program for seniors, both the hospital and the insurance company confirmed on Thursday. Medicare Advantage enrollment for 2020 begins next week.
By Admin | October 14, 2019
CHICAGO — Surgical outcomes and improved health-related quality of life scores can be achieved at 1 year postoperatively when patients with more severe cervical deformity alignment are managed with surgical plans that take their unique spinal parameters into account, a presenter said at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting. Sohrab Virk, MD, and his colleagues at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York identified the three groups of more severe morphotypes of cervical deformity that need to be managed differently to be patients with cervicothoracic, flat neck and focal or kyphotic deformity.
By Admin | October 11, 2019
ZAGREB, Sept 30 (Hina) – Over the past 11 years, Croatia has invested HRK 42 million in medical robotics and developed a successful robotised neurosurgery system, the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investments has said.
By Admin | October 10, 2019
Raymond Gardocki, MD, joined Memphis, Tenn.-based Campbell Clinic Orthopedics after completing a spine surgery fellowship at the Los Angeles Spine Surgery Institute in 2004. Dr. Gardocki specializes in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery and adapted endoscopy into his practice after performing his first procedure in 2017. In February, he completed his 100th endoscopic spine surgery using Joimax technology. Although there are some challenges to overcome in the training, Dr. Gardocki maintains that endoscopy is the least invasive, safest approach to spine surgery, which allows for a decrease in morbidity rates and recovery times. Here, Dr. Gardocki shares his insight on endoscopic spine surgery and the benefits of awake surgery.
By Admin | October 09, 2019
Texas has the worst rate uninsured people in the country for the second year in a row, according to information released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas was one of only nine states to see an increase in the number of people without health insurance, as the rate increased from 17.3 percent in 2017 to 17.7 percent (around five million people) in 2018. The increase could see increased stress put on the healthcare system in North Texas and statewide, having significant economic impacts.
By Admin | October 08, 2019
Here are three hospitals that have incorporated virtual reality into neurosurgery procedures. Pediatric neurosurgeon Kurtis Auguste, MD, adapted virtual reality to plan procedures at University of San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform, developed by Surgical Theater, allows surgeons to navigate through the patient's brain using virtual reality.
By Admin | October 07, 2019
CHICAGO — Although payments are sometimes lower for spine surgery performed at an ASC vs. a hospital outpatient department, a presenter here said the efficiencies and lower risk related to spine surgery performed outpatient in a hospital may make it the preferred treatment setting for many types of spine surgery cases. “Risk is something that has to be taken into great consideration here,” Michael P. Steinmetz, MD, said during a symposium at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting about ASCs as the next possible frontier in spine surgery.
By Admin | October 04, 2019
BACKGROUND No prior reports have focused on the natural history and long-term outcomes of intramedullary spinal cord cavernous malformations (ISCCMs) in children. OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of pediatric ISCCMs and identify the risk of hemorrhage. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed a series of 20 pediatric patients (<18 yr old) from a consecutive series of 254 patients with ISCCMs evaluated at a single institution.
By Admin | October 03, 2019
The Spine Journal, the official journal of the North American Spine Society, published a DiscGenics study examining preclinical testing for Discogenic Cells, reports OA Online. Five insights.
By Admin | October 02, 2019
The AMA and other physician organizations representing hundreds of thousands of U.S. doctors are outlining for policymakers how to keep patients out of the middle of any billing disputes that arise between physicians and health insurance companies. “As your committees develop a legislative solution to protect patients from surprise medical bills, we urge you to keep in mind the potential for unintended consequences of congressional action to impact patient access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities,” says a letter sent to the chairmen and ranking members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee.
By Admin | October 01, 2019
Intraoperative technology (IOT) is an expanding field designed to produce better patient outcomes and decrease iatrogenic injury. Neurosurgical residents often encounter these machines in the operating room. Therefore, our primary objective was to assess the influence of IOT on neurosurgery residents’ surgical skills and training.
By Admin | September 30, 2019
NEW HAVEN -- It's a nightmare scenario when under the knife, waking up in the middle of surgery and knowing what's going on. But in some cases, it can be a life saver. Surgeons at Yale New Haven's Smilow Cancer Hospital have perfected a procedure called an awake craniotomy. FOX61's anchor Jenn Bernstein and photographer Mike Howard were invited into the operating room, where they had a chance to see an incredible procedure first-hand.
By Admin | September 27, 2019
Five spine and neurosurgeons share changes in their patient population and provide insight into how it may evolve in the future. Question: How has your patient population changed over the past five years? How do you expect it to evolve in the future?
By Admin | September 26, 2019
Johnson & Johnson is looking to robotics and digital surgery to drive future innovation and growth in the healthcare and orthopedics space. The company has made key acquisitions in the robotics space over the past few years, including the up to $5.75 billion purchase of Auris earlier this year, and Monarch, a minimally invasive technology to obtain lung biopsies. The company also brought on Fred Moll, MD, a founder of robotics company Intuitive and Auris, to lead its robotics efforts.
By Admin | September 25, 2019
Mumbai: A rare spinal cord tumour forced an 11-year-old Kurdistani boy to limp for most of his life. However, after successfully undergoing complex spinal microsurgery at a hospital in Parel, the patient, Goran Shakhawan, will now be able to walk properly and can resume his normal activities like the children of his age. Goran was 5-years-old when his mother noticed that he was limping due to the shortening of his left leg and scoliosis, a condition that causes abnormal lateral curvature of the spine.
By Admin | September 24, 2019
Richard Chua, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon and fellow of the American College of Surgeons at Northwest NeuroSpecialists in Tucson, Ariz. Dr. Chua is a founding member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and an active member of several societies including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Here, Dr. Chua shares his insight on artificial intelligence, robotic-assisted spinal fusion and the development of outpatient procedures in spine.
By Admin | September 23, 2019
San Diego, California-based NuVasive, Inc. has announced the commercial launch of Modulus TLIF-A, a porous titanium spine implant engineered for the transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure. This completes the NuVasive’s Advanced Materials Science (AMS) portfolio for all major posterior interbody fusion techniques used in TLIF. "The Modulus TLIF-A system is the perfect synergy between optimized material properties and deliverability," said Jeffrey L. Gum, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center. "The lattice design allows for improved imaging characteristics, a prime environment to promote fusion and an ideal modulus of elasticity. Additionally, the system optimizes surgical workflow by utilizing a single instrument for implant insertion and articulation."
By Admin | September 20, 2019
The hospital said that the newly unveiled 3D microscope and robotic surgical device would help in enhancing safety and précision, besides decreasing surgical time.
By Admin | September 19, 2019
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has developed an evidence-based guideline for the treatment of patients with myelomeningocele. Executive summaries of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele were published today in Neurosurgery.
By Admin | September 18, 2019
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (NYSE American: MRIC) announces that its ClearPoint Neuro Navigation System has recently completed its 3,000th neurosurgical procedure. “This milestone is a testament to the value surgeons are placing on precision guided therapy, especially in neurosurgery where the stakes are the highest,” commented Joe Burnett, President and CEO of MRI Interventions. “Although the timing is coincidental, we were thrilled to share this success with the team at the University of California, San Francisco, who have partnered with us for the last decade in refining our platform and ensuring the voice of not only the doctor, but also that of the patient, is included in every improvement. It is also important to note that not only did UCSF perform the 3,000th case using ClearPoint, they also performed the 3,001st case that same day. UCSF is among the now ten centers scheduling two cases per day utilizing the same MRI scanner, which has been a strategic push for us in the past year.”
By Admin | September 17, 2019
James Harrop, MD, is chief of the division of spine and peripheral nerve surgery at Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia as well as the neurosurgery director of the Delaware Valley SCI Center in Philadelphia and neurosurgery director for adult reconstructive spine. He details the most interesting advancements of the past decade for spine surgery and spinal cord injury, as well as which treatments are most promising for the future. Note: Responses were edited for style and clarity.
By Admin | September 16, 2019
Deep Brain Stimulation is an advanced neuromodulatory therapy that is utilized to restore function in patients with many neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Essential and other forms of Tremor, Dystonia and patients with Neuropsychiatric Diseases. The Yale Neuromodulatory Center, led by Dr. Jason Gerrard, MD PhD, is the premier DBS center in Connecticut and one of the most active DBS centers in the NorthEast.
By | September 13, 2019
Jaime Nieto, MD, is chief of the section of neurological surgery and spine surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Dr. Nieto describes the big technology trends in spine today, and the threat of siloed care.
By Admin | September 12, 2019
Compared to the literature available about how to manage acute and chronic infection in the total joint arthroplasty, few guidelines are available to help orthopedic surgeons manage postoperative infection in spine surgery patients, an orthopedic spine surgeon said at the Musculoskeletal Infection Society Annual Open Scientific Meeting, here. “The large national associations, like the North American Spine Society and [American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons] AAOS, we really don’t have guidelines from them and that’s partly because of the data or the lack thereof. Clinical practice is highly variable,” Joseph H. Schwab, MD, MS, said
By Admin | September 11, 2019
Background: The insertion of available cervical retractor systems is relatively complex for the limited exposure required for single-level anterior cervical diskectomy. Objective: To introduce a novel cervical retractor system and report the initial experience of its application.
By Admin | September 10, 2019
When University of Virginia neurosurgeon Dr. Hasan Syed co-founded the Global Brainsurgery Initiative, he was returning his attention to a problem he first noticed as a child, traveling from his home in Northern Virginia to visit relatives in Pakistan.
By Admin | September 09, 2019
One of the medical specialties highly hopeful in AI’s potential to guide care is neurosurgery. That’s because patients with traumatic brain injuries often present care teams and family members with an especially thorny decision: Operate to potentially save a life or withhold surgery to possibly avoid severe postsurgical disabilities? Stat News drills into the ways AI can help guide such decisions in a piece posted Aug. 14. The article’s author, Duke neurosurgeon Jacquelyn Corley, MD, wraps her discussion around the case of an elderly patient who arrived in a trauma center after a car crash. The man was unconscious and showed signs of an accumulating brain bleed.
By Admin | September 06, 2019
Noblesville, Indiana-based Nexxt Spine LLC has announced that the FDA has cleared for commercial sale via the 510(k) process the NEXXT MATRIXX Stand Alone Cervical System. According to the company, “NEXXT MATRIXX Stand Alone Cervical System is a stand-alone anterior cervical interbody fusion system intended for use as an adjunct to fusion at one or two contiguous levels (C2-T1) in skeletally mature patients for the treatment of degenerative disc disease (defined as discogenic neck pain with degeneration of the disc confirmed by history and radiographic studies.”
By Admin | September 05, 2019
Richard Berger, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, has performed more than 10,000 outpatient joint replacement surgeries. Now, he's trying to get more physicians to do more outpatient surgery themselves. Joint replacement patients who go home the same day of surgery are as happy, if not happier, than those who remained in the hospital, according to a study out of Rush University Medical Center led by Berger.
By Admin | September 04, 2019
Intraoperative multimodality neuromonitoring (IONM) has been established as the standard adjunct to spinal deformity surgery.1-6 Despite its universal acceptance and use, there remains significant controversy into what constitutes a neuromonitoring change, what significance does that change represent, what actions should be taken in response to the change, and which factors led to the changes.
By Admin | September 03, 2019
Alexander Winkler-Schwartz focuses on the computer-generated brain on the screen while, below, his hands gently remove the virtual brain tumour inside the mannequin’s head. An artificial intelligence algorithm tracks the neurosurgery resident’s every movement – ready to classify his performance as part of a research project at McGill University, where intelligent machines are learning to rank people based on how deftly they take away the tumour.
By Admin | August 29, 2019
A Texas judge has ordered Richardson’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas to pay more than $21 million to Knox County Hospital in unpaid insurance claims because of “acts to be willful conduct of fraud,” according to the Times Record News in Wichita Fallas.
By Admin | August 29, 2019
Newswise — ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (August 1, 2019) — In August 2019, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) has turned the focus of Neurosurgical Awareness Month to the diseases and treatments of the spine. To share information, all of the association’s Patient Pages relating to conditions and treatments of the spine, which reside on www.aans.org, were updated by fellows of the association.
By Admin | August 28, 2019
The human brain is a remarkable piece of equipment. The National Library of Medicine calls it “the control center of the body. It controls thoughts, memory, speech and movement. It regulates the function of many organs.” When your brain is healthy, it manages all those functions automatically.
By Admin | August 27, 2019
This article is a portion of a book titled "Challenges, Risks and Opportunities in Today's Spine World " edited by Stephen Hochschuler, MD, Frank Phillips, MD, and Richard Fessler, MD. You can find links to the previous chapters at the end of this article. The healthcare industry is clearly in the middle of a learning period, the goal of which is to understand how value-based care functions differently from fee-for-service care and the benefits a shift may provide. While this comment may surprise some practitioners who are not looking beyond the horizon, make no mistake that defined bundled payment programs are a temporary practice space, and the industry is in the middle of a learning curve for the future of healthcare. The next 8-10 years will be a period of folding in more and more clinical activity until enough information can be gleaned to shape a final value-based model. Early activity in bundled programs demonstrates the development of increased use of evidenced-based medicine, a better understanding of costs, improvements in care coordination, and higher quality patient care. It is for this reason that it is extremely important not only to participate in these value-based models for educational and financial benefit, currently, but also to look with a critical eye to ensure a sustainable final model evolves.
By Admin | August 26, 2019
An innovative multiple technology operating room (OR) platform helps surgeons adopt a more efficient and less disruptive minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approach in all spine procedures.
By Admin | August 23, 2019
A mother's sight was saved after she had an operation to remove a brain tumour - through her nose. Jackie Llewellyn-Robinson first became aware that something might be wrong when she started to feel dizzy and lightheaded when standing up. But she had no idea of the horrible ordeal that was to come when a few days later the vision in her left eye became blurred.
By Admin | August 22, 2019
As reported in Modern Healthcare, on June 15, 2019, Grays Harbor Community Hospital and its Harbor Medical Group discovered databases containing patient electronic health records (EHRs) had been hit by ransomware, which encrypted files across its network. Hackers demanded a ransom of more than one million U.S. dollars in bitcoin, a cryptocurrency. After contacting the FBI, Grays Harbor was advised to not pay the ransomware and is working with security experts to recover the affected databases and re-establish access to the entire electronic medical record (EMR). It is also working with third-party cybersecurity experts to upgrade security systems and protocols, and implement more robust backup procedures.
By Admin | August 21, 2019
A complex brain aneurysm was removed through a unique bypass surgery. Neurosurgeon D. Shyam said that the patient approached the hospital after complaining of frequent headaches and double vision. Scan revealed that a large aneurysm or an abnormal vessel dilation was located in the brain. If ruptured, it could cause sudden loss of life or a stroke.
By Admin | August 20, 2019
MiRus received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Galileo spine alignment monitoring system. Galileo received the 2018 Spine Technology Award at the North American Spine Society meeting for excellence and innovation in spine surgery navigation. The device is a non-optical real-time measuring system for segmental and global sagittal spine alignment.
By Admin | August 19, 2019
Ten spine surgeons reveal the trends in healthcare that could have a negative impact on spine surgeons and care delivery in the future. Timothy Witham, MD. Johns Hopkins Bayview (Baltimore): The usual issues, mainly insurance companies dictating the way we care for patients and limiting the opportunities for patients to receive certain treatments.
By Admin | August 16, 2019
A $4.2 million settlement was reached on July 3 in Niedzwiadek v. Anmuth, the Atlantic County case of a Southampton woman who died following routine neck surgery after the physician who was supposed to be monitoring her signals remotely allegedly was out driving and making phone calls.
By Admin | August 15, 2019
NuVasive, a company based in San Diego, California, is releasing its Pulse system. The product combines a number of technologies, including neuromonitoring, global alignment, rod bending, imaging with radiation reduction, and navigation, to help surgeons perform spinal procedures.
By Admin | August 14, 2019
John O'Brien, a former insurance industry executive, will step down less than one year after his appointment as senior advisory to HHS Secretary Alex Azar on drug-pricing reform. He had worked for HHS since March 2017 and also previously worked for CMS.
By Admin | August 13, 2019
Hi. I'm Dr Stephen Krieger, the neurology residency program director at Mount Sinai in New York. I'm here at the American Academy of Neurology 2019 meeting in Philadelphia to tell you about an education research project that we presented this year. We have been very interested in why students become neurologists. This is a topic of interest in our field. A recent publication by Gutmann and colleagues[1] looked at some of the reasons why students said they wanted to be neurologists.
By Admin | August 12, 2019
NuVasive has announced the launch of its Pulse integrated technology platform. According to a press release, “Pulse is the first, single platform to include multiple technologies designed to help surgeons adopt more efficient, less disruptive surgical approaches in all spine procedures.”
By Admin | August 09, 2019
OSLO, Norway — All patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) should undergo MRI, a new guideline for diagnosing and treating this condition recommends. The guideline, developed by a task force of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), also recommends that neurovascular contact (NVC) should not be used to confirm a diagnosis of primary TN but to determine whether surgery is warranted.
By Admin | August 08, 2019
Shoulder Replacement Implants Market Introduction Shoulder replacement is a surgical procedure that replaces the original ball and socket surfaces of the shoulder with similar shaped prosthetic implants. Various types of shoulder replacement procedures can be performed depending on the needs of patients. Some of the procedures include total shoulder replacement, reverse shoulder replacement, partial shoulder replacement, shoulder resurfacing, and revision shoulder arthroplasty. Embedding the right prosthetic implant depends on the type of surgical procedure to be performed. For instance, use of HemiCAP implants is an active alternative to a total shoulder replacement procedure.
By Admin | August 06, 2019
Here are eight key developments from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic in the past year, focused on its orthopedic, spine and neurosurgery services. 1. The Mayo Clinic revealed plans to build a $233 million oncology facility on its Jacksonville, Fla., campus which will feature proton beam therapy, which is used for tumors of the spine, brain and neck among others. The treatment was introduced at Mayo's Rochester, Minn.-based campus in 2015 and Phoenix campus in 2016.
By Admin | August 05, 2019
Teleneurology is one branch of the expanding field of telemedicine. In this exclusive MedPage Today video from the recent American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Philadelphia, Marisa McGinley, DO, of the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the technology's advantages and limitations for neurologists. Following is a transcript of her remarks: I think that teleneurology is not going to be the right fit for every single encounter with a patient, and it's also kind of [based on] us, as a field, learning about where it can be additive and not subtractive. Admittedly, there's a lot to figure out in that respect.
By Admin | August 02, 2019
AGRA: Neurosurgeons of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and ..
By Admin | August 01, 2019
Andrew Freese, MD, is a neurosurgeon at Suburban Community Hospital in East Norriton Township, Pa. Here, Dr. Freese discusses what technology he is most excited about in spine, thoughts on how to tackle the opioid epidemic and more.
By Admin | July 31, 2019
Newport Beach, Calif.-based Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian showcased Surgical Theater's virtual reality medical imaging technology in a tour of its ORs, reports The OC Register. Three insights:
By Admin | July 30, 2019
Out of the Middle, a coalition of leading health care providers, applauds today's introduction of the bipartisan Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act. This is the only legislative framework before Congress that takes patients out of the middle of medical billing disputes, continues to ensure patients have access to health care services when and where they need them, and provides a level playing field for physicians and insurers.
By Admin | July 29, 2019
n recent times, spine surgery has seen a major change in its procedure. What was traditionally done as “open surgery” which involved the complete exposure of the anatomy, can now be done with lesser damage to the body. This spine surgery treatment is called Minimally Invasive Surgery and has been around for quite some time.
By Admin | July 25, 2019
On Feb. 7, the AANS and the CNS joined more than 100 state and national medical societies in sending Congress a letter outlining organized medicine’s core principles on so-called “surprise medical bills.” Given growing concern over the practice of unanticipated medical bills — largely driven by narrow insurance networks, which leaves some patients on the hook with the bill if they receive care from an out-of-network provider — Congress and the Trump Administration are considering legislation and/or regulations to address this problem.
By Admin | July 23, 2019
For months, Sovereign Valentine had been feeling progressively run-down. The 50-year-old personal trainer, who goes by "Sov," tried changing his workout and diet to no avail. Finally, one Sunday, he drove himself to the hospital in the small town of Plains, Mont., where his wife, Jessica, happened to be the physician on call. "I couldn't stop throwing up. I was just toxic."
By Admin | July 19, 2019
Both the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the North American Spine Society (NASS) have praised an extremely rare tri-partisan Washington initiative (Democrats and Republican in Congress; President Trump) to act on the sometimes-huge surprise medical bills patients receive after surgery. At the same time, Trump was expected to issue an executive order, possibly this work week (May 28-31) which would require caregivers to publicly post prices and might send the Justice Department after so-called regional health care monopolies (see below).
By Admin | July 18, 2019
CMS found serious care deficiencies at Houston-based MD Anderson Cancer Center during two investigations this spring, according to the Houston Chronicle. CMS investigated the facility in early April and mid-May after MD Anderson reported an adverse event involving a blood transfusion in December 2018. Regulators found issues involving nursing care, laboratory services, patient rights, institutional oversight and quality assurance, according to CMS letters cited by the Chronicle.
By Admin | July 17, 2019
Months ago, I reviewed medical claims for an employer interesting in reducing its annual increases in healthcare costs. The employer had an ordinary health plan for its covered members: a $1000 deductible and a $2500 out-of-pocket maximum. Granted, these member responsibilities might be a tough challenge for its low-wage workers but overall it was a common plan.
By Admin | July 15, 2019
The Department of Justice charged three Oklahoma-based physicians, including an orthopedic surgeon, are charged with violating the anti-kickback statute for their role in a scheme dating back to November 2012.
By Admin | July 12, 2019
The spine surgeon's ability to negotiate payer contracts and approval for procedures and new technology is an important part of running an effective practice. Here, four spine surgeons discuss the big payer trends in spine and identify opportunities for the future.
By Admin | July 11, 2019
The son of a Burlington County woman who died after neck surgery is set to receive $4.2 million to settle a case involving a doctor who was allegedly out driving and making phone calls instead of remotely monitoring the operation.
By Admin | July 09, 2019
A new study published in Spine examines 90-day readmission rates for lumbar spine surgery. The study authors used the 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database to examine data for elective, inpatient, primary lumbar spine surgery patients. There were 169,788 patients included in the analysis.
By Admin | July 03, 2019
Bacterial infections following spinal fusion occur at a rate of approximately 12.7%.1 These infections most commonly involve Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, and are linked to reprocessing (rewashing and resterilizing) pedicle screws and exposure inside “sterile-field” in spinal surgery.2-4 Reprocessed screws have been found to harbor corrosion, biofilm, endotoxins, fatty tissue, and soap residue mixed with fat, whereas exposed pedicle screws in “sterile-field” become contaminated.3-5 New research suggests that avoiding reprocessing altogether and shielding pedicle screws intraoperatively with an impermeable guard can prevent or reduce the degree of contamination and resulting surgical site infections (SSIs).4 SpineUniverse spoke with coauthors of this study—Aakash Agarwal, PhD, Neel Anand, MD, and Jeffrey C. Wang, MD—to determine the magnitude of the issue, and how to prevent surgical site contamination linked to pedicle screws in spine surgery.
By Admin | July 01, 2019
The infection of the surgical site following a neurosurgery operation is one of the most complex complications facing specialized surgical nursing, due to its potential danger for the appropriate recovery of the patients.
By Admin | June 28, 2019
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is an extremely painful yet rare orofacial pain condition, and clear understanding of its mechanism and management remains an enigma.1 Originally known as tic douloureux due to its characteristic facial tics, this disorder may be described as a paroxysmal unilateral facial pain along the distribution of one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve. The maxillary and mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve are most commonly affected, followed by the ophthalmic branch.2 The incidence of TN is 4 per 100,000 individuals, but increases to 20 per 100,000 in those over age 60. It is more common in females, with a 3:2 female:male ratio, and typically presents in individuals aged 50 or older.1
By Admin | June 26, 2019
Stephen Kalhorn, MD, is a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He treats patients for spinal cord, brain and spinal column disorders, including degenerative conditions affecting the spine such as neck pain, spine fractures and scoliosis among others. Here Dr. Kalhorn discusses innovations in spine, how to tackle the opioid epidemic and more.
By Admin | June 24, 2019
When a Neurology Consult Is Unnecessary
By Admin | June 19, 2019
A new Texas law aims to protect patients like Drew Calver, pictured here with his wife, Erin, and daughters, Eleanor (left) and Emory, in their Austin, Texas, home. After being treated for a heart attack in April 2017, Calver, a high school history teacher, got a surprise medical bill for $108,951.
By Admin | June 19, 2019
Both the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the North American Spine Society (NASS) have praised an extremely rare tri-partisan Washington initiative (Democrats and Republican in Congress; President Trump) to act on the sometimes-huge surprise medical bills patients receive after surgery. At the same time, Trump was expected to issue an executive order, possibly this work week (May 28-31) which would require caregivers to publicly post prices and might send the Justice Department after so-called regional health care monopolies (see below).
By Admin | June 19, 2019
On Feb. 7, the AANS and the CNS joined more than 100 state and national medical societies in sending Congress a letter outlining organized medicine’s core principles on so-called “surprise medical bills.
By Admin | June 17, 2019
A study run at five military and veterans' hospitals has identified the first highly-scalable intervention for addressing cognitive deficits that can occur after mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). The study results were presented at the 9th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference in Washington DC. The intervention studied was the brain training app BrainHQ, made by Posit Science.
By Admin | June 14, 2019
Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is an intracranial, invasive method for treatment of chronic pain. Main indications for MCS are central post stroke pain, neuropathic facial pain, phantom limb pain and brachial plexus or spinal cord injury pain. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) with burst waveform has been proved to be more effective than tonic mode in chronic pain. Necessity to replace depleted batteries of motor cortex tonic stimulators gave us an opportunity of applying burst stimulation. The objective of the pilot study was to evaluate the effects of burst stimulation applied on motor cortex in patients with chronic pain syndromes as well as comparison to tonic mode.
By Admin | June 13, 2019
A brain aneurysm can happen to anyone at any time, even if they’re more common in people over the age of 40. It’s important to understand which brain aneurysm risk factors you can’t avoid and the ones you can take control of yourself.
By Admin | June 11, 2019
Troy Vincent Sr., the executive vice president of football operations at the National Football League, recently posted five “myths” about youth football and related injuries, as well as “facts” to debunk each myth, on his Facebook page. The document has come under fire in some circles because it has been said the league’s sole intent in issuing it is to refute some of the beliefs that playing tackle football at the high school and lower levels is unsafe.
By Admin | June 08, 2019
This year's American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting featured a nook of the exhibit hall called the Innovation Hub. Per the AAN website, it was intended to "…offer dynamic, interactive opportunities to explore the brain's final frontiers."
By Admin | June 05, 2019
Wednesday morning, October 10, 2018. I was standing in an OR, 2,500 km away from my home and my medical school, trying to recall the five layers of the scalp to answer the question posed by Dr L., a seasoned neurosurgeon who was the leading physician in my first ever observation of a neurosurgical procedure. It was my starting day as a clinical attachment student in the neurosurgical oncology department of a National Health Service Hospital in the United Kingdom, and I was waiting to participate in a craniotomy for the removal of a malignant brain tumor.
By Admin | May 31, 2019
Scoliosis is an abnormal curve of the spine. Often diagnosed in early adolescence, most cases show symptoms such as uneven shoulders, waist or hips, says the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
By Admin | May 30, 2019
The outline of a forthcoming House proposal to end surprise medical bills has drawn mixed reactions from healthcare groups.
By Admin | May 24, 2019
The United States Department of Justice has announced that it has broken up a $1.2 billion Medicare scam that sold unneeded orthopedic braces to seniors around the country.
By Admin | May 21, 2019
A spinal fusion has been the traditional treatment for a herniated disc but Sanjay Jatana, MD, a fellowship-trained cervical spine specialist at a Denver-based spine center within Spine Center Network, says that may no longer be the case.
By Admin | May 16, 2019
Over the past month, six spine and neurosurgeons joined new practices or were promoted to new leadership roles within their organization.
By Admin | May 09, 2019
Improvements were sustained at 10 years for patients treated with the Mobi-C cervical disc in the trial that led to its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013, a new study shows.
By Admin | May 02, 2019
New medical evidence shows improved mechanical fixation with a novel inset shoulder implant that minimizes surgical complications and may increase the longevity of artificial shoulder replacements. This new study in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery demonstrates, for the first time, successful long-term results with a promising new technology that is gaining the attention of shoulder surgeons.
By Admin | April 30, 2019
New research suggests chronic inflammation may be a useful biomarker for future cognitive decline in later life.
By Admin | April 22, 2019
Researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have found that a genetic mutation seen in about half of all brain tumors produces a response that prevents radiation treatment from working. Altering that response using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs restores tumors’ sensitivity to radiation therapy, extending survival in mice.
By Admin | April 17, 2019
Professional soccer players may be vulnerable to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests.
By Admin | April 09, 2019
Texas lawmakers on Monday advanced a bill that would extend legal cover to state-licensed professionals who deny services based on their faith, according to the Dallas News.
By Admin | April 04, 2019
Kaiser Permanente paid Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh about $114,000 for about 20,000 copies of her self-published children's books while the healthcare organization was seeking a lucrative contract from a spending board controlled by the mayor, The Baltimore Sun reported this week.
By Admin | April 01, 2019
An increased demand for stroke evaluations at St. Charles Bend has overwhelmed community neurologists, leading to an overhaul of stroke care at the hospital and the injection of new stroke care expertise.
By Admin | March 26, 2019
Emergency and urgent hospitalizations are associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline in older adults, report researchers at Rush University Medical Center. Results of their study, published in the Jan. 11, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that hospitalization may be a more of a major risk factor for long-term cognitive decline in older adults than previously recognized.
By Admin | March 21, 2019
A college freshman who thought her headaches were symptoms of a common cold that she had picked up after moving into her new dorm this fall has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Laura Nuttall, 19, has already undergone brain surgery and radiotherapy for the tumors, but her family says that they’re not sure how much time she has left.
By Admin | March 18, 2019
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has updated it's evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of adults with metatstic brain tumors, first published in 2010.
By Admin | March 15, 2019
Big belly, small brain? As if muffin toppers didn’t have enough to deal with, a new study that an expanding waistline triggers a shrinking brain.
By Admin | March 11, 2019
"The American Academy of Neurology believes that a specific, uniform standard for the determination of brain death is critically important to provide the highest quality patient-centered neurologic and end-of-life care," Dr. James A. Russell from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, told Reuters Health in an email interview.
By Admin | March 07, 2019
This operative video is a detailed look at minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
By Admin | March 04, 2019
A woman received nearly $375,000 from her insurance company over several months for treatment she received at a California rehabilitation facility. A man received more than $130,000 after he sent his fiancée's daughter for substance abuse treatment. Those allegations are part of a lawsuit winding its way through federal court that accuses Anthem and its Blue Cross entities of paying patients directly in an effort to put pressure on health care providers to join their network and to accept lower payments.
By Admin | February 25, 2019
Adult and pediatric spine surgeries have increased in numbers over the last several years (1). Given the difficult nature of spine surgery, ranging from simple lumbar decompression to advanced spinal deformity, iatrogenic neurologic injury is a rare but real complication. Recent studies have shown that the annual incidence of perioperative neurologic deficits after cervical and lumbar spine surgery increased by 54% from 0.68% in 1999 to 1.05% in 2011 (2). These neurologic complications are especially prevalent (up to 8%) in procedures requiring vertebral column resections (VCR). Given these findings, a reliable method of detecting potential neurologic complication during spinal surgery is essential (3,4).
By Admin | February 22, 2019
This paper explores the vast Truven MarketScan database (IBM, Armonk, New York) to compare costs associated with transsphenoidal microsurgical and transsphenoidal endoscopic approaches, using data derived from healthcare claims to multiple health plans and employers in 2010 to 2014.
By Admin | February 15, 2019
Focused ultrasound (FUS) thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus provide similar benefits for patients with essential tremor, according to two presentations delivered at the annual meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society. The techniques’ surgical procedures, associated risks, and adverse event profiles may influence neurologists and patients in their choice of treatment.
By Admin | February 12, 2019
A Clovis High School teacher is quickly recovering after having technology-aided open brain surgery in December. Brain mapping technology was used during the procedure at Covenant Health to remove a part of Marco Hicks’ brain that was causing epilepsy and debilitating seizures.
By Admin | February 05, 2019
Orthopedists as a group are suffering more stress from being metaphorically chained to electronic health records systems (EHRs) than any other specialty, a new study says.
By Admin | January 31, 2019
With Texas making headlines regarding its uninsured rate and rural hospital closings, the Texas Medical Association has a tall task ahead of the 2019 legislative session in Austin. The 2018 election saw Democratic gains across the country, including Texas, but the state still remains in Republican hands. Legislators will have a chance to improve some of the state’s most persistent problems, and the TMA hopes to represent physicians and uphold its mission of improving the health of all Texans.
By Admin | January 28, 2019
Anxious about your aging brain? The study was published this week in the online medical journal for the American Academy of Neurology. However, specialists who are not yet convinced of its effects would find this new study as a "randomized, clinical trial" that proves its beneficial result, via WSLS.
By Admin | January 23, 2019
While football helmets have come a long way from their initial leather design—which only featured a little, if any, padding—the potential for concussions and reducing injury has maintained at the forefront of the industry.
By Admin | January 16, 2019
One of the toughest decisions facing someone with MS is whether to begin treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Equally tough, I think, is deciding which DMT road to travel — because there are three roads that can be followed.
By Admin | January 14, 2019
If you want to understand the shifting sands of healthcare, you'll find no better place than the nonprofit provider track during the infamous JP Morgan Healthcare Conference that took place this week in San Francisco.
By Admin | January 09, 2019
The Public Health Act was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, which requires hospitals to make a public list of the hospital’s standard charges starting this year, but the posted price doesn’t tell the full story. Insurance, a person’s health, and the negotiated rate between insurers and providers complicates the out-of-pocket payment, the posted prices might not mean much to the average consumer.
By Admin | January 07, 2019
As recently as a month ago, Bryan Williams had to plan every day carefully, making the most of the time between when his medications kicked in and when they wore off, leaving him exhausted and in pain.
By Admin | January 02, 2019
A brain tumor isn’t always cancer, and it’s not always a devastating diagnosis.
By Admin | December 29, 2018
A herniated disc can cause pain, numbness or weakness in an arm of a leg, but there are plenty of treatments designed to help.
By Admin | December 18, 2018
Despite the fact that neurosurgery is critical to treating a variety of medical conditions — from brain tumors and strokes to aneurysms, disorders of the spine and more — many people don’t know much about it. For one thing, many think that neurosurgery simply refers to brain surgery — and while it does include brain surgery, it also encompasses much more. The term is actually short for neurological surgery, and it involves the diagnosis and treatment of disorders or injuries that affect any part of the nervous system, including the brain, spine, cervical spine (neck) and nerves throughout the body.
By Admin | December 11, 2018
Games are the building blocks for five-year-old Rebecca Roper of Enid. She's having fun at her latest physical therapy appointment, building a wall out of huge cardboard blocks. Soon they switch to tossing balls, and then Rebecca holds her therapist's hand tightly as she walks barefoot along a stretch of wooden board.
By Admin | December 04, 2018
The era of routine robotic-assisted spinal surgery is on the horizon. Despite the hype, however, there remains little market penetration, with affordability and the degree of value-added by such technology representing significant barriers to complete disruption of standard practice.
By Admin | November 27, 2018
Orthopedics company Bio2 Technologies has received FDA approval to begin enrollment in an IDE clinical study to evaluate its Vitrium bioactive glass as a cervical interbody fusion device. Vitrium will be evaluated as a structural device that facilitates bone remodeling via a gradual conversion from Vitrium to the patient’s own bone.
By Admin | November 21, 2018
In spine surgery, "arthrodesis" is the term used to describe fusion of adjacent vertebrae following removal of an intervertebral disc. Arthrodesis is achieved by placing a bone graft or bone graft substitute between the vertebrae to bridge the empty space so that new bone can grow between. "Pseudarthrosis" is the term used to describe failure of this expected new bone growth.
By Admin | November 19, 2018
In a survey of about 1,600 active neurologists, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) found that 60 percent experienced at least one symptom of burnout. A high number of neurology residents (73 percent) and fellows (55 percent) were also affected by burnout. With such a high rate of burnout among neurologists, the AAN began mitigation attempts at the individual, organizational and national levels at the same time as they measured burnout.
By Admin | November 13, 2018
A recent study has concluded that the clinical benefits of a minimally invasive surgical technique appear to “diminish” as a function of fusion length. The data, which examined the relationship between open versus minimally invasive lumbar fusion and the number of levels fused, were presented by Virginie Lafage (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USA) at the North American Spine Society (NASS) annual meeting (24–29 September, Los Angeles, USA).
By Admin | November 09, 2018
Low back pain is the leading cause of work-related disability in the United States!
By Admin | November 06, 2018
For those of you who are 65 or older and covered by Medicare, medical care may soon change for the worse, as many doctors see it.
By Admin | October 30, 2018
John Sarcona was at a baseball game when his mother Joanne found the bloodied T-shirts in his laundry hamper. His bedding was bloody too, and she knew something had gone terribly wrong.
By Admin | October 25, 2018
Medtech companies in the spinal market are rushing to join the robotic revolution, with Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED) leading the pack, according to a Leerink Partner analyst’s note from the North American Spine Society’s 2018 annual meeting.
By Admin | October 23, 2018
Results of a preoperative score — the readmission after posterior spine fusion or RAPSF score — can help predict which patients are likely to require readmission after elective one- and two-level posterior lumbar fusion. Furthermore, it may help during joint decision-making to assess whether a patient is indicated for surgery or requires presurgical optimization, a presenter said.
By Admin | October 17, 2018
The incidence of cervical and thoracic spine fractures has increased, especially in white females ages 80 to 89, according to a study reported at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, Sept. 26-29.
By Admin | October 15, 2018
LOS ANGELES — The evolution of total disc replacement prostheses over time from devices with constrained cores to ones with more mobile cores may ultimately help mitigate adjacent segment disease in patients, according to results of a post hoc analysis presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting.
By Admin | October 12, 2018
LOS ANGELES — Patients undergoing outpatient anterior cervical discectomy and fusion may have a greater risk for perioperative complications than patients who undergo the surgery as an inpatient procedure, according to results presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting.
By Admin | October 10, 2018
Spineology Inc., an innovator in anatomy-conserving spine surgery, is excited to announce that John Chi, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Neurosurgical Spinal Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, presented 12-month outcomes data from Spineology’s SCOUT clinical trial at the recent annual meeting of the North American Spine Society (NASS) in Los Angeles, California.
By Admin | October 04, 2018
Two of the largest nonprofit health systems in Texas have signed a letter of intent to merge into a combined entity. Baylor Scott & White Health and Memorial Hermann Health System say they are coming together to increase integrated and cost-effective healthcare that is focused on the consumer.
By Admin | October 02, 2018
People who improve their health and fitness post-40 can expect a healthier and happier time of it in midlife.
By Admin | September 28, 2018
Research published in Neurosurgery found outpatient spine procedures are just as safe or safer than procedures performed in an inpatient setting.
By Admin | September 26, 2018
Patients suffering from mental and neurological disorders, including autism, ADHD and dementia, could benefit from new developments in brain scanning technology.
By Admin | September 25, 2018
Important research by Barrow Neurological Institute neurosurgeons and University of Washington (UW) scientists on novel imaging technology for malignant brain tumors was published in the August issue of the Nature journal, Scientific Reports.
By Admin | September 19, 2018
Holly Pittard is a Brody medical student who has an interest in physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as family medicine. For those of you who may have never met doctors who specialize in PMR, they are nerve, muscle, bone and brain experts who treat injury or illness nonsurgically to decrease pain and restore function. You can read more about PMR at www.aapmr.org. Here is what Holly wants you to know.
By Admin | September 17, 2018
This article was reported and written in a collaboration with ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative journalism organization. Dr. José Baselga, the chief medical officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, resigned on Thursday amid reports that he had failed to disclose millions of dollars in payments from health care companies in dozens of research articles.
By Admin | September 12, 2018
An artificial intelligence platform identified neurological diseases in CT scans 150 times faster than human clinicians.
By Admin | September 06, 2018
Not moving is the worst thing you can do for back pain. When you've been cleared to exercise, try these core-strengthening moves instead.
By Admin | September 04, 2018
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Epilepsy Society (AES) have provided new recommended practice guidelines for the management of new-onset and treatment-resistant epilepsy with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).1,2 The new guidelines highlight the evidence supporting the use of lamotrigine, vigabatrin, levetiracetam, pregabalin, gabapentin, and zonisamide for reducing the frequency of seizures in new-onset focal epilepsy and treatment-resistant epilepsy.
By Admin | August 30, 2018
Thinning of retina linked to loss of brain cells that control movement The eyes may be a window to the brain for people with early Parkinson's disease. People with the disease gradually lose brain cells that produce dopamine, a substance that helps control movement. Now a new study has found that the thinning of the retina, the lining of nerve cells in the back of the eye, is linked to the loss of such brain cells.
By Admin | August 27, 2018
The growing interest in PEEK-OPTIMA™ spinal implants in China received further impetus at the 11th Congress of the Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (CAOS) held in partnership with the North American Spine Society (NASS). At this event, Fule Science & Technology Development, Beijing, and Invibio Biomaterial Solutions partnered to demonstrate the new Uplifter® Expandable Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Device in a hands-on workshop in Shanghai.
By Admin | August 22, 2018
Zavation, an employee-owned medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and distributes medical device products, announced today the launch of a fenestrated Facet Screw system and a Sacroiliac (SI) Screw system.
By Admin | August 20, 2018
In 2008, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons developed the NeuroPoint Alliance to improve the quality of neurosurgical care. The database is a central registry for members to track acquisitions, analysis and clinical data reporting. Here are five things to know about the nonprofit organization:
By Admin | August 14, 2018
The path to value-based care in healthcare is becoming murky. After a few years of heightened promise and hope, the current and near future reality...
By Admin | August 14, 2018
As blockchain technology has moved from cryptocurrency to other fields, one of New York’s medical schools has opened a center to study its us...
By Admin | May 29, 2018
The new market report on Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market includes data for important years 2018, the post year of the estimate is 2018 and the projection period is 2018 to 2026. Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market is anticipated to hit the Mark of US $ 4.01 Bn 2026 with expanding at a CAGR of 4.7% in 2018 to 2026.
By Admin | May 29, 2018
The Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market is anticipated to hit $ 4.01 Bn by 2026 with a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period 2018 to 2026 in terms of shipment and revenue, respectively during the projection period 2018-2026. The Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market is observing an active growth, increasing rate of Topical Excipients, favorable compensation policies, and increased government funding. The Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market has been sectioned On the basis of product type.
By Admin | May 29, 2018
Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Market 2018 Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of the Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring market which was achieved using the meticulous qualitative insights and the statistical data of the market. The research methodologies were applied during the analysis to prepare the whole document as well as the chronological data that was collected and verified through several important studies.
By Admin | May 29, 2018
The “Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (Ionm) Market” report is the comprehensive compilation highlight the key players operating in market. The report analyses the key trends including product introduction, new business approaches, collaborations, technological development and various other stats applicable in the competitive market by the major market players.
By | May 29, 2018
Global Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Devices Sales Market research report will help you take informed decisions, understand opportunities, plan effective business strategies, plan new projects, analyse drivers and restraints and give you a vision on the industry forecast. Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Devices Sales Market report would come in handy to understand your competitors and give you an insight about sales; volumes, revenues in the Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Devices Sales industry. Both established and new players in Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Devices Sales industry can use report to understand the market.
By | May 29, 2018
The Department of Neurosurgery at the Mount Sinai Health System is one of the first hospitals in the country to use Modus V™, a hands-free, robotically controlled digital microscope that provides advanced visualization in the operating room. The system features a robotic arm with a high-definition camera that projects digital images of neuroanatomy on larger monitors. The system is an alternative to the traditional operating microscope, a mainstay in modern neurosurgery that features an ocular, or eyepiece, used by the surgeon to see magnified images of the brain.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
The report Neurosurgical Prosthesis Market 2018 presents a widespread and fundamental study of Neurosurgical Prosthesis industry along with the analysis of subjective aspects which will provide key business insights to the readers.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
The Report entitled Global Monopolar Forceps Market 2018 analysis the important factors of the Monopolar Forceps market based on present industry situations, market demands, business strategies utilized by Monopolar Forceps market players and their growth synopsis.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
Noah Pernikoff, a young American, is back to his daily life in New York City after becoming the very first patient in the world to go through a complex three-part, robotic-assisted surgery. The robotic arms made the surgery possible for the multidisciplinary team at Penn to remove a rare tumor from Noah’s neck successfully. The tumor was removed from the junction where the skull meets the spine.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
As if the prospect of neurosurgery isn't daunting enough, the idea of having to remain awake for the procedure is enough to turn many Parkinson's disease sufferers off potentially life-changing deep brain stimulation surgery altogether. But now researchers at the Bionics Institute in Melbourne have discovered a unique brain signal that might allow electrodes to be inserted at the correct location in the brain without the patient being conscious.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
The research report on “Global MI Neurosurgery Devices Market” delivers detailed prognosis on current and forecast market situation of MI Neurosurgery Devices in the assessment period, 2018-2023. The report examines MI Neurosurgery Devices market growth history, sales channel, manufacturers profiled in MI Neurosurgery Devices industry, a market share of product type, application and scope of a region in detail.
By Admin | May 09, 2018
Robots are in homes, factories and also in hospitals. Robot-assisted surgery has been around since at least 1985. Since then, robots have been used in developing minimally invasive surgeries such as laparoscopies using flexible fiber optic cameras. The first robotic surgical system, the daVinci Surgery System, received FDA approval in 2000. In a recent advance, a robot was used to cut a precise hole in a skull and it took only 2½ minutes rather than the usual two hours, a game changer for neurosurgery.
By Admin | March 14, 2018
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told a room of hospital executives that the Trump administration is going to give more power to patients, whether hospitals, drug companies, and insurance companies like it or not.
By Admin | March 12, 2018
Hospitals have never been held accountable when it comes to healthcare costs, says Dr. Josh Luke, a healthcare futurist, University of Southern California faculty, hospital CEO. In his latest article for Forbes, he outlines the insanity of how hospitals have never had to disclose prices for services and procedures before they take place, a practice unlike any other industry.
By Admin | February 28, 2018
Wired Magazine has an article detailing how Apple is planning on making electronic health records (EHRs) available through people’s iOS devices. Google made a similar move but failed. However, Apple has a track record of doing what others can’t.
By Admin | February 26, 2018
Trump’s proposed plans to lower the costs of pharmaceuticals have many skeptics who say much more needs to be done, an article by FierceHealthcare says.
By Admin | February 12, 2018
An online retailer, a holding company and a bank could disrupt healthcare as we know it. The three companies, Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase, are banding together to circumvent the complicated web of the U.S. healthcare system and provide their own health services to their employees.
By Admin | February 05, 2018
Between 2016 and 2017, the number of uninsured Americans rose by 3.2 million people, leaving 12.2 percent of the population without health insurance.
By Admin | January 31, 2018
Dr. Wilder Penfield was a pioneer of neurosurgery, having published brain maps in 1937 and 1950 that surgeons still use today. He also created the Montreal procedure, along with his colleague Herber Jasper, which uses electrical probes on a patient’s brain while he or she is awake in order to find the locations of seizure activity.
By Admin | January 29, 2018
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 300 to 400 physicians commit suicide every year. During the physician training period, around 28 percent experience a major depressive episode compared to seven percent in the general U.S. population.
By Admin | January 22, 2018
Much was said on Capitol Hill about health care, but not too much was done in 2017. Here are Politico’s 10 key takeaways from the first year of health care under the Trump administration.
By Admin | January 15, 2018
There were two twin boys conjoined at the head, but before being wheeled into the operating room, their team of surgeons was able to plan ahead with 3D models of the boys’ actual sculls. Taken from CT scans, the models were created with a 3D printer, and they gave the surgeons the unique ability to accurately assess every step of the very complex surgery.
By Admin | January 10, 2018
It isn’t a secret that 2017 was full of political drama surrounding healthcare. And the uncertainty will definitely continue into 2018. There will also be cybersecurity threats, social determinants of patients’ health, and focusing on the patient experience to face, according to Benjamin Isgur, leader of PwC's Health Research Institute.
By Admin | January 08, 2018
In a remote Italian region lives a few hundred people over the age of 90. They have shown to be in excellent mental health, even if their bodies are showing their age.
By Admin | December 13, 2017
Could CVS’s $69 billion purchase of one of the largest health insurers in the U.S. change the healthcare game?
By Admin | December 11, 2017
Apple has partnered with Stanford University to create an app for the latest iWatch that can hopefully detect heart irregularities. Together, they’re launching a study to see if the app can indeed help patients.
By Admin | December 06, 2017
Patient portals provide an easy way for patients to see their lab results, prescription information, doctor’s notes, and more, from the convenience of home--and without having to call and wait.
By Admin | December 04, 2017
Doctors take care of us, but who’s taking care of the doctor? Studies are showing that doctors are increasingly hitting burnout status and suffering from depression, which in turn leads to their making medical errors.
By Admin | November 29, 2017
Fitness trackers like Apple’s popular iWatch and the Fitbit can already monitor a wearer’s sleeping habits, heart rate and steps with impressive accuracy.
By Admin | November 27, 2017
When CVS, the well known pharmacy chain, considered purchasing Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, it shed some light on the future of American healthcare.
By Admin | November 20, 2017
If you fall behind on your health insurance payments, you generally have 90 days to pay before any sort of penalty, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
By Admin | November 15, 2017
Dr. Adrienne Boissy, chief experience officer of Cleveland Clinic Health System, believes empathy plays a huge part in patient care.
By Admin | November 13, 2017
Ochsner Health Care of Louisiana is using technology in order to keep tabs on patients in real time, even offering assistance right after they “go out of bounds.”
By Admin | November 06, 2017
Senators Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, and Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, have a bipartisan plan to to fund critical subsidies to insurers and hopefully stabilize the health insurance market in the wake of President Trump’s order to cut funding.
By Admin | November 01, 2017
If you’re on Medicare, it’s the time to renew your coverage for 2018, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to obtain your coverage.
By Admin | October 30, 2017
Since Congress hasn’t been able to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, as promised, President Trump is now taking it upon himself with an executive order that he recently teased at a meeting with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
By Admin | October 25, 2017
Right now, the United States isn’t producing enough doctors to fill the many spots needed in order to care for our population. Without doctors immigrating from other countries, we would have a severe lack of healthcare providers.
By Admin | October 18, 2017
At birth, citizens of Singapore can expect to live almost three years longer than in Britain or the US, not to mention infant mortality is far lower. The population also pays far less for healthcare than the US, ranking sixth in the world in quality where we rank 37.
By Admin | October 16, 2017
With a higher focus on using technology to keep up with patient records, many doctors complain that they’re simply data entry clerks and not doctors. But the truth is, doctors aren’t being taught what their data entry makes possible--saving even more lives than before.
By Admin | October 09, 2017
In Louisiana and Oklahoma, families spend 1.7 percent of their income, on average, on health expenses. In New York and New Jersey, families averaged closer to one percent. However, US News ranked Louisiana and Oklahoma in the bottom five states when it comes to healthcare.
By Admin | October 04, 2017
John Cassidy, staff writer at the New Yorker, has been writing about politics and economics for the paper since 1995. In his 20-plus years, he’s seen much happen. His latest article outlines the most recent attempts by the Trump administration to repeal, replace, re-do the Affordable Healthcare Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, and why they keep failing and trying again.
By Admin | October 02, 2017
Of the women who work and have kids under 18, 94 percent of those women make healthcare decisions for people other than themselves. They research doctors, ailments, hospitals, insurance, and everything else that comes with monitoring someone’s health.
By Admin | September 27, 2017
When it comes to technology, MIT is one of the top authorities. In their online technology review, they have posted a solution for making electronic health records safer, yet more accessible for care providers, while allowing clinics and hospitals to keep using the software they want to.
By Admin | September 25, 2017
Some areas are prone to flooding. And most of us will at some point need very expensive medical care, thanks to longer lifespans. But for some reason, people have purchased less flood insurance in the last five years--9 percent less in Houston and 15 percent less in Florida.
By Admin | September 20, 2017
With the recent storms hitting Florida and Texas, hospitals in those areas have done their best to remain open in order to help people heal. But just like houses and other businesses, hospitals also suffer damage, lose electricity, and face the many other problems the rest of the community does.
By Admin | September 18, 2017
In an opinion piece written for thehill.com, contributing columnist James Gelfand outlines his reasons to protect the employer-sponsored health insurance system.
By Admin | September 13, 2017
While many Houston residents are reconstructing their homes and dealing with the obvious ramifications from Hurricane Harvey, one water-infrastructure security expert is more concerned with the remaining water.
By Admin | September 11, 2017
The future of healthcare puzzles everyone from patients to experts, but one thing we can probably count on is an increase in healthcare gaming.
By Admin | September 06, 2017
There are currently no mechanisms in place to protect patients from stolen identities in order for others to bill fraudulently or receive care.
By Admin | August 30, 2017
USA Today posted a list of over 20 health care numbers that relate to everything from salaries to how the US compares to other countries. Here’s a sampling:
By Admin | August 28, 2017
It looks like being good to others is good for you, as well. Using brain scans, scientists in Switzerland discovered that even small acts of generosity or charitable promises triggered brain changes that made subjects happier.
By Admin | August 21, 2017
It is no secret that Amazon has hired high-profile executives with healthcare experience, fueling rumors that the company is going to somehow enter the healthcare sector.
By Admin | August 16, 2017
What makes one brain cell different from the next? Scientists are finally on the verge of figuring that out and unlocking the mysteries of how our brains actually work.
By Admin | August 14, 2017
If it’s a machine on a network, it can be hacked. One man found that out when he went to get a cup of coffee and discovered a strange message on the coffee machine, a message he had just reported to IT from his computer.
By Admin | August 09, 2017
The Senate Health Committee is reserving the first week in September for bipartisan hearings in order to strengthen the individual healthcare marketplace.
By Admin | August 07, 2017
Medical device manufacturers, the FDA, healthcare providers, and insurers want to ensure that solutions are indeed providing value to patients, but no one is sure how to collect the necessary data.
By Admin | August 02, 2017
Crowdfunding sites were started to help people raise money for causes, whether it was taking donations for a race, trying to get some money for school, or doing something nice for someone else. But attempting to raise money for medical services quickly became a popular topic, and the trend isn’t going anywhere.
By Admin | July 31, 2017
Amazon has brought on health experts into their corporate family, and that has some investors thinking they may offer pharmaceutical offerings, and more, in the future.
By Admin | July 24, 2017
The proposed healthcare bill that’s dominating headlines needs 50 votes in the house to pass. As of now, it won’t get those 50 votes.
By Admin | July 19, 2017
The plan to repeal and replace the Obama Administration’s Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, isn’t going well.
By Admin | July 17, 2017
Behavioral economics is based on the principle that most people will not change their behavior when given facts. A prime example is the former governor of New Jersey John Corzine’s refusal to wear a seat belt, even though there’s countless data and evidence that proves they save lives. He was nearly killed in an automobile accident in 2007 because he wasn’t wearing his seat belt.
By Admin | July 12, 2017
Healthcare has been front and center of every news cycle for weeks, especially since Republican senators were penning their proposal behind closed doors.
By Admin | July 10, 2017
The Senate released their plans for the future of healthcare to the country, ending the speculation about what will happen to taxes, Medicaid, and pre-existing conditions. Here are the facts:
By Admin | July 05, 2017
By April 2019, all Medicare cards will be replaced with new ones that use a unique identification number and will not contain a patient’s social security number.
By Admin | July 03, 2017
The Washington Post has done some digging and has come out with a comprehensive list of predictions concerning the Senate’s revisement of the much anticipated health care overhaul.
By | June 26, 2017
Texas was the only state holding out on allowing complete telehealth services, requiring patients and physicians or care providers to meet in-person before using any phone or Internet devices to diagnose and treat.
By Admin | June 21, 2017
Thirteen members of Congress have been working on a new healthcare plan, putting them at front and center of the issue. But thirteen Senators have the real power, according to political publication Roll Call.
By Admin | June 19, 2017
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Cybersecurity Task Force released their findings pertaining to cyber security and the healthcare industry. They are urging for a unified effort among sectors--payers, providers, medical device manufacturers, research institutions and software developers--to help stop attacks like the recent WannaCry ransomware attack which impacted dozens of hospitals.
By Admin | June 14, 2017
Can the spread of disease be curbed by not shaking hands? UCLA hospitals are going to find out. Handshakes were banned in neonatal intensive care wards at two of their hospitals in an effort to keep infections from spreading.
By Admin | June 12, 2017
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan scorekeeper, will evaluate the Republican healthcare proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
By Admin | June 07, 2017
The WannaCry cyber attack ravaged systems worldwide, and now the EternalBlue ransomware attack is also proving that many healthcare systems are far from prepared.
By Admin | June 05, 2017
There are no plans for committee hearings to publicly vet a new health care bill currently being written to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Thirteen GOP senators have been selected to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in closely guarded meetings at the U.S. Capitol.
By Admin | May 31, 2017
Hackers attacked computer systems worldwide with stolen software from the National Security Administration. Dubbed the “Wannacry” ransomware outbreak, the hackers locked healthcare personnel out of their computers by exploiting a known vulnerability in the Windows operating system.
By Admin | May 22, 2017
Insurance rates could skyrocket, going up as much as 60 percent in Maryland, if certain Affordable Care Act provisions go away.
By Admin | May 17, 2017
Some areas don’t have large enough populations to support big hospitals, but the communities still need emergency and other medical care. Micro-hospitals can fill the healthcare gap.
By Admin | May 15, 2017
Insurance companies are hesitant to negotiate with freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers according to Dr. Carrie de Moor, President and CEO of Frisco-based Code 3 Emergency Physicians and chairman of the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Freestanding Emergency Centers Section.
By Admin | May 10, 2017
The Legatum Institute, a US-based think tank, reviewed several countries with successful healthcare systems. They measured each country’s performance based on basic physical and mental health, health infrastructure and preventative care.
By Admin | May 08, 2017
Chances are, you’ve used Yelp for restaurant reviews or to assess the skills of a local plumber, but have you ever looked up a hospital? If you’re like a majority of people, you have.
By Admin | May 03, 2017
The popular opinion among doctors is that they do not want to go back to the days of paper record keeping, but they do not enjoy the electronic health record (EHR) software of the post-meaningful use world.
By Admin | May 01, 2017
During an interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, President Trump hinted that healthcare reform and infrastructure changes could be a package deal moving forward.
By Admin | April 24, 2017
The healthcare industry is far behind the banking, retail, and financial sectors when it comes to securing data. And with the implementation of electronic records, more patient data is becoming available with little or no protections.
By Admin | April 19, 2017
Healthcare is attractive to hackers, and experts predict that things will get far worse before they get better.
By Admin | April 17, 2017
Only about 25 percent of young people, 18-34 year olds, want Obamacare repealed, 16 percent specifically wanting it to be repealed and replaced.
By Admin | April 12, 2017
Does telemedicine help patients more effectively than in-person care and does it save money? The findings are all over the place.
By Admin | April 10, 2017
Despite the healthcare bill known as TrumpCare being pulled before a Congressional vote, House Republicans promise that a new bill will appear in its place.
By Admin | April 03, 2017
In other industries, the acquiring and merging of companies generally leads to more expensive products and services, and the recent trend of healthcare providers joining one another to create larger hospital systems has many worried about future costs.
By Admin | March 29, 2017
It looks like patients fare better while hospitals are under inspection, reports the Joint Commission. In fact, patients are far less likely to die within 30 days of admission while the Joint Commission is present and supervising.
By Admin | March 27, 2017
The American Medical Association, AMA, has launched PatientsBeforePolitics.org in order to help keep both patients and physicians informed about the upcoming changes to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, ACA.
By Admin | March 22, 2017
Texas is currently one of the last states to require that physicians and patients meet in-person before allowing any future telehealth services be allowed. However, mHealth Intelligence reports that a compromise bill is heading towards the Legislature that would eliminate this mandate.
By Admin | March 20, 2017
House Republicans have put forward a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Known as the American Health Care Act, the bill is predicted to cut the national deficit at the cost of 24 million Americans losing health care coverage.
By Admin | March 15, 2017
Things don’t appear to be going smoothly for the plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, AKA the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
By Admin | March 13, 2017
Wearable fitness trackers are here to stay, and health insurers are jumping on the bandwagon.
By Admin | March 08, 2017
The statistics are sobering: One in three health records may have been compromised in 2016. But why?
By Admin | March 06, 2017
Right now, patients and physicians in Texas must have a face-to-face meeting before any telehealth services can be used. Texas remains one of the last states in the US with such a mandate.
By Admin | March 01, 2017
When it comes to adopting and implementing electronic health records (EHR), the 14-hospital system of Texas Health Resources has a long history of being advanced.
By Admin | February 27, 2017
Dr. Sinicropi of the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute in Minnesota expects spine care to move to the forefront of medical care in the coming years. Here are five reasons why:
By Admin | February 22, 2017
One of the nation’s largest health insurance providers, UnitedHealthcare, is accusing Dallas lab network Next Health for sticking the insurer with over $100 million in unnecessary drug and genetics tests.
By Admin | February 20, 2017
Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to be leaning towards incorporating health savings accounts (HSAs) into their Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement plans.
By Admin | February 15, 2017
A recent study asked low-income adults about their Medicaid coverage since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Individuals in four states were polled, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky, all of which received expanded Medicaid benefits under the ACA, and Texas, which did not.
By Admin | February 13, 2017
Robert Grand, an attorney specializing in the ACA with the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, worked on the inaugural committee for president Donald Trump as well as the executive committee of Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana gubernatorial campaign.
By Admin | February 08, 2017
When a patient has been treated at an in-network facility, but an out-of-network doctor treats him, that patient will most likely find himself the financial victim of balance billing, a nationwide problem that is more prolific in the Lone Star State.
By Admin | February 06, 2017
If the Affordable Care Act, ACA, also known as Obamacare, were repealed without a replacement, Texas’ individual marketplace would be severely impacted, said Anne Dunkelberg, associate director of the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities.
By Admin | February 01, 2017
Level Two Advertising, in particular owner Kelly Wade Loter, helped served as a middleman between physicians and Forest Park Medical Center.
By Admin | January 30, 2017
The Joint Commission and CMS continue their ban on doctors texting treatment orders, citing that texting can complicate communication and processes.
By Admin | January 25, 2017
Surgeons and healthcare executives were of the 21 people indicted by a federal grand jury in Dallas in conjunction with the Forest Park Medical Center kickback scandal.
By Admin | January 23, 2017
Steve Love, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, sees many things happening in the future of healthcare in Texas, but he knows in order to move forward, everyone needs to do their part.
By | January 11, 2017
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services citing three major roadblocks for healthcare practitioners in comments to Andy Slavitt, head of CMS acting administrator.
By Admin | January 09, 2017
Robert DeMichiei, CFO and executive vice president for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has a plan to help healthcare provider organizations move towards the value-based payment model.
By Admin | January 04, 2017
President-Elect Donald Trump has selected Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon with a long congressional history of loyally promoting the interests of doctors, to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services.
By Admin | December 28, 2016
The passage of the Affordable Care Act allowed nearly 20 million Americans to obtain health care; prior to the act, they were unable to.
By Admin | December 21, 2016
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, there was a 4.3 percent increase in positive consumer sentiment when it came to their health insurance providers. In fact, all major health insurance providers experienced some sort of uptick with their customers’ overall satisfaction.
By Admin | December 19, 2016
Healthcare in the US, not just the Affordable Care Act, is complicated. MACRA, for example, is a 300-page document. CMS released their implementation plan for MACRA, and that document is 1,000 pages.
By Admin | December 14, 2016
Dr. Andrea Gurman, president of the American Medical Association, says that policy makers have the opportunity to reduce physician burdens, allowing them more time to spend with patients while lowering costs.
By Admin | December 05, 2016
In the gambling world, it’s called Monte Carlo, a concept that helps determine outcomes when there are variables to consider.
By Admin | November 28, 2016
The Internet was originally an insecure network designed to allow scientists to collaborate, not to be the backbone of our economy, says former NSA senior counsel Joel Brenner.
By Admin | November 23, 2016
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services are looking to monetize patient outcomes instead of patient volume, and to incentivize that, they’re focusing on primary care physicians.
By Admin | November 21, 2016
Add healthcare to the list of industries who are finding comfort and convenience in cloud-based data sharing.
By Admin | November 14, 2016
How many people do you know who wear some sort of data tracker on their wrist? And how many people track their diets or sleep on their smart phones?
By Admin | November 09, 2016
MACRA’s merit-based, incentive payment system will have an effect on any physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, and certified registered nurse anesthetists who bill over $30,000 a year and provide care to a minimum of 100 patients under traditional fee-for-service Medicare.
By Admin | November 07, 2016
“Oftentimes end users think technology protects them from more than it really does,” said Mark Parkulo, MD, of the Mayo Clinic. “‘The institution wouldn’t let these things come through, right?’ When you tell them there is no way to block everything, they become more aware of the importance of monitoring it.”
By Admin | November 02, 2016
Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), advised health providers to be the pace cars for transition to care under MACRA.
By Admin | October 31, 2016
The Department of Human Health and Services put out a challenge: design a medical bill that actually makes sense to consumers.
By Admin | October 26, 2016
In order to provide coordinated, person-centered care, it is necessary for accountable care organizations (ACOs) to engage consumers and patients on a more regular basis.
By Admin | October 19, 2016
Rather than pursuing Medicaid expansion, the Texas State Health Committee has decided to prioritize the renewal of the 1115 Transformation Waiver, which was originally set to expire.
By Admin | October 17, 2016
Patient therapy and medical training are entering the popular worlds of augmented and virtual reality.
By Admin | October 12, 2016
The largest health insurance companies are backing out of markets, changing their plans, and raising their costs at unprecedented rates, yet are still losing money. And it may not be their faults, according to an op-ed piece by D Magazine.
By Admin | October 10, 2016
Dr. William C. Watters III is currently an orthopedic physician with Houston Methodist Hospital. With a career over 20 years old, he has served as president of the North American Spine Society, was a founding member and former chair of the NASS evidence-based guidelines committee, and was a founding member and former chair of the registry development committee.
By Admin | October 05, 2016
Becker’s Spine Review interviewed Dr. Thomas Scully, a neurosurgeon with Northwest NeuroSpecialists in Tucson, AZ, about the evolution of surgery and how value-based care will impact patients in the future.
By Admin | October 03, 2016
Meet the millennial patient, who approaches healthcare very differently from his or her parents. Millennials are those born generally between 1982 and 2000 and are now the largest generation.
By Admin | September 30, 2016
Originally slated to begin January 1, 2017, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) will now allow providers to meet requirements at a pace of their choosing.
By Admin | September 28, 2016
According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, an increasing number of Americans would like to have online access of their health records.
By Admin | September 26, 2016
The FBI plans to begin a public conversation about electronic privacy, said FBI Director James Comey.
By Admin | September 21, 2016
“The hospital can be a very difficult and dangerous environment for old and frail people,” says Bruce Leff, director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
By Admin | September 19, 2016
The Texas Association of Business (TAB) released two surveys, one to businesses offering health plans and one to the general public, asking how and why people sought care, where they went, and if they would desire calling or video conferencing with their physicians.
By Admin | September 16, 2016
Deep Brain Stimulation is an advanced neuromodulatory therapy that is utilized to restore function in patients with many neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Essential and other forms of Tremor, Dystonia and patients with Neuropsychiatric Diseases. The Yale Neuromodulatory Center, led by Dr. Jason Gerrard, MD PhD, is the premier DBS center in Connecticut and one of the most active DBS centers in the NorthEast.
By Admin | September 14, 2016
The Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending released a report titled “Health Sector Economic Indicators” which highlights eight trends in the sector. All findings are from June 2016.
By Admin | September 12, 2016
In a letter obtained by the Huffington Post, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini informs the Department of Justice that if the DOJ sues to block Aetna’s planned merger with Humana, then Aetna would begin to pull out of health insurance exchanges.
By Admin | September 07, 2016
If you’re looking for a great restaurant, you may go to Yelp and read customer ratings. This model works wonders for food, hotels, and businesses, but the same model is being adopted to evaluate doctors and surgeons, and many are wondering if it tells the entire story.
By Admin | August 31, 2016
Facebook, Twitter, and the other forms of social media have impacted how we obtain news, share information, and learn about the world around us. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that it has also changed the way patients and practitioners interact, learn about health care, and even behave.
By Admin | August 29, 2016
In July of 2016, a four-person panel was held at the D Magazine offices to discuss the necessary steps--and risks--companies and payers need to take in order to minimize healthcare costs.
By Admin | August 24, 2016
Independent practices have been expressing concern over MACRA, specifically that they will not be able to comply with the new laws.
By Admin | August 22, 2016
With the increased usage of digital health records, the threat of hacking increases. Ransomware is a threat which limits a user’s ability to access information until a ransom is paid. It encrypts data, rendering records unreadable by healthcare providers.
By Admin | August 17, 2016
Becker’s ASC Review compiled a list of six things to watch out for in regards to healthcare spending from 2015 through 2025.
By Admin | August 08, 2016
The federal government is considering delaying MACRA because independent practices argue they will not be able to complete the necessary additional paperwork without impacting patients or joining larger hospital groups.
By Admin | August 03, 2016
Over 1,300 independent primary care doctors and specialists have come together as part of a new clinically integrated network, TXCIN, in order to obtain value based contracts from large insurance companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Cigna.
By Admin | August 01, 2016
In the largest sweep in seven year history of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, authorities served 61 warrants to healthcare practitioners who stand accused of bilking Medicare and Medicaid for over $900 million.
By Admin | July 27, 2016
Whether you’re ready or not, you may start seeing bundled payments for spine and orthopedics sooner rather than later. There remain some definite challenges, which may not be completely addressed before the rollout, so practices are doing what they can to prepare.
By Admin | July 25, 2016
In the heated political battle of ridding the U.S. of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, Republicans in the House have introduced a new idea they’re calling a healthcare backpack. The idea is that individuals could use government-alloted tax credits in order to purchase the health insurance they want.
By Admin | July 18, 2016
Insurance providers are shrinking their networks, and independent practices are claiming it makes them unable to compete in a market where they have no share.
By Admin | July 13, 2016
Cigna, known to be one of the main health insurance companies, is combining personnel from its HealthSpring and Qualcare Alliance Networks to form a new company called CareAlliance, LLC. The purpose is to provide advisory and management services, technology infrastructure, and data analytics to assist providers in tracking patient outcomes.
By Admin | July 11, 2016
Richardson-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas has reported losses of $592 million in 2015, and $416 million in 2014. Its parent company, Health Care Services Corporation out of Chicago, Illinois, has also reported losing over $2 billion on “Obamacare” plans in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Illinois, and Montana.
By Admin | July 06, 2016
A comprehensive study performed by two researchers from Johns Hopkins University pulled data from 3,000 different hospitals: 59 percent nonprofit, 25 percent for-profit, 16 percent public. They found that on average, hospitals marked up their services $5.40 for every dollar in patient care costs incurred. Medical City charged $7.70 for every dollar.
By Admin | July 05, 2016
In order to survive, smaller hospitals sometimes merge with larger chains. This gives the small hospitals the ability to negotiate with insurance companies and share in cost savings while cutting overlapping services. However, when hospitals look out for their own interests, patient health can get put last.
By Admin | June 29, 2016
A joint study conducted by the RAND Corporation and the American Medical Association reports that the diversity of new healthcare payment models and increasing amounts of data are overwhelming physician practices.
By Admin | June 27, 2016
If the goal is happy patients, then doctors need to be taken care of first. A study conducted by the American Medical Association in conjunction with RAND Health reports a few of the barriers between physicians and job satisfaction, including complications with electronic health records, payers, and income stability.
By Admin | June 22, 2016
Is there a financial incentive for surgeons to perform spinal fusions? Yes, according to a study conducted by Senate Finance Committee Republicans. Findings show that when doctors have ownership interests with medical-device makers, surgeons generally earn commissions with sales. These same surgeons tend to perform excessive or unnecessary operations in order to earn additional income from commissions.
By Admin | June 20, 2016
In their weekly series of questions, Ask Spine Surgeons, Becker’s Spine Review asks about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. This time, they ask about the biggest changes surgeons have witnessed over their careers. Four surgeons weighed in.
By Admin | June 17, 2016
The New England Journal of Medicine conducted a study to find out which physician behaviors lead to malpractice claims. Results aren’t surprising; patients like to be treated like people and respected. The five key findings are:
By Admin | June 15, 2016
Geisinger Health System of Danville, PA, has enacted their ProvenExperience program, which sounds a bit crazy, even though it was the brainchild of a psychiatrist. Essentially, patients are asked to rate their experiences, list positives and negatives, and request some or all of their co-payment back--up to $2,000--if they feel reparations are necessary. The craziest part? The hospital will always repay the amount, no questions asked.
By Admin | June 13, 2016
Before intraoperative neuromonitoring existed, surgeons could do one of two things to detect neurological deficits in their patients. One, they could have anesthesiologists slowly wake up patients enough to respond to stimuli during surgery. Or two, they could just complete the surgery and test each patient once they naturally woke up.
By Admin | June 09, 2016
A review of patient charts, x-rays, and CT scans evaluated the accuracy of pedicle screw placement in order to gauge the relationship of screw misplacement with morbidity.
By Admin | June 09, 2016
Lower back pain seems to be getting worse and worse for adults in the United States. It is the fifth most common reason for adults to visit the doctor, as well as their most frequently reported discomfort. This correlates with the documented rise of lumbar fusion and other back surgeries. In fact, between the years of 1993 and 2001, total lumbar fusions increased 356%.
By Admin | June 08, 2016
When it comes to the complexities of the human spine and all of the delicate parts it protects, most surgeons side with the use of IONM for invasive procedures, like correcting deformities and removing tumors. Many of those same surgeons would also say that neuromonitorning is unnecessary for simple, by-the-book procedures, like microdiscectomies or laminectomies. However, the pressure to always monitor no matter the surgery is growing, especially when it comes to the risk of malpractice lawsuits.
By Admin | June 01, 2016
It appears that providers open to adopting bundled payments are able to increase their patient volumes from payers seeking cost-effective care, according to a survey reported in Spine Journal.
By Admin | May 25, 2016
A study published in Spine Journal (February 2016 - Volume 41 - Issue 4 - p 344–352) concludes that providers can increase patient volumes from payers by adopting bundled payments. Becker’s Spine Review lists their four conclusions from the study taken from interviews with 24 stakeholders across 18 organizations. Collectively, these organizations perform around 12,000 inpatient spine surgeries each year.
By Admin | May 16, 2016
When it comes to spine surgery and neuromonitoring, there is no medical standard of care to determine if IONM should or should not be used.
By Admin | May 13, 2016
Physician-Owned Distributorships (PODs) lead to unnecessary and overly complicated procedures, often use illegal business practices, and are finding ways to circumvent anti-kickback laws.
By Admin | May 10, 2016
"Further, respondents indicated surgery preauthorization does not lead to appropriate reimbursement in approximately one-third of the cases,” states a study conducted by the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery.
By Admin | March 16, 2016
A new performance-based payment model, created to encourage hospitals and physicians to collaborate, may violate the Stark Law,
By Admin | March 16, 2016
Health and Human Services (HHS) has made a move that will help initiate a better healthcare delivery system
By Admin | March 09, 2016
Researchers conducted a five-year study to determine whether cervical total disc replacement (TDR) carries less risk
By Admin | March 09, 2016
When it comes to back pain, a patient can expect four different courses of action if he sees four different physicians.
By Admin | March 02, 2016
On February 5, 2016, the Dallas Morning News reported that federal investigators were examining a local pharmacy in potential violation of anti-kickback laws.
By Admin | March 02, 2016
Alexander Vaccaro, MD, and Charles Fisher, MD, examined six areas of spinal intervention to determine if clinical norms were the best course of action.
By | March 02, 2016
The Forest Park Medical Center with multiple campuses around the Dallas/Fort Worth area filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy near the end of 2015.
By | February 26, 2016
Dallas-based organizations Baylor Scott & White Health and Tenet Healthcare plan to co-own five hospitals in the North Texas region.
By Admin | February 26, 2016
Medscape, part of WebMD Health Professional Network, has listed the best and worst physicians of 2015.
By Admin | February 26, 2016
A surgeon’s job doesn’t end once he or she leaves the operating room. When it comes to the health of both patients and the practice, documentation plays a key role in improving healthcare.
By | February 26, 2016
Neuromonitoring is a valuable tool that helps keep patients safe, and the numbers back up that claim.
By Admin | February 26, 2016
Representative Greg Bonnen, a neurosurgeon, introduced House Bill 2978 on behalf of the Texas Neurodiagnostic Society.
By Admin | February 26, 2016
Dr. Richard Vogel, neuroscientist and board-certified neurophysiologist, wrote an informative article about dorsal column mapping intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery.
By | February 26, 2016
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas replaced their Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans in the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange and the private individual market with Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans.
By | February 15, 2016
With new and emerging technologies come new ways for patients and doctors to interact. Telehealth includes virtual visits, remote patient monitoring, mobile health applications, and online patient education. It has the ability to revolutionize healthcare as we know it.
By Admin | December 21, 2015
The Austin American Statesman posted an article in November 2015 about how some intraoperative neuromonitoring companies are making backdoor deals with hospitals and surgeons in order to inflate their profits at the expense of insurance companies.
By Admin | June 21, 1987
MINNEAPOLIS - A new study finds that people who have movement problems, symptoms that cannot be explained by an underlying disease, may have chemical changes in specific areas of the brain. The study is published in the June 5, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These symptoms, which include tremors, muscle contractions or problems with walking, are called functional or psychogenic motor symptoms.
By Admin | May 18, 2021
This paper1 explores the vast Truven MarketScan database (IBM, Armonk, New York) to compare costs associated with transsphenoidal microsurgical and transsphenoidal endoscopic approaches, using data derived from healthcare claims to multiple health plans and employers in 2010 to 2014.
By Admin | May 18, 2021
Federal officials are expanding their ability to revoke or deny clinicians' participation in Medicare, claiming new authority to bar those who have harmed patients. Starting January 1, 2020, the giant federal health program will have new power to bar clinicians' participation if agency officials can cite potential harm to patients based on specific incidents, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said.
By | May 18, 2021
Ayodele Buraimoh, MD, is a spine surgeon with Bethesda, Md.-based The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. Dr. Buraimoh specializes in the treatment of degenerative spinal conditions as well as spinal trauma, deformity and tumors. He has expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery and traditional open techniques.
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