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INSIDE: 50 Spine Surgeons Focusing on Scoliosis, 11th Annual Orthopedic, Spine & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference Brochure INSIDE Dr. Charles Mick Priorities for Spine Surgeons Post Reform p. 13 SPINE REVIEW Dr. Todd Albert January 2013 • Vol. 2013 No. 1 5 Tips for Entrepreneurial Spine Surgeons p. 14 Are ACOs Beneficial for Spine Surgeons? Dr. Nick Shamie discusses p. 37 Biggest Challenges for Spine Surgeons in 2013 Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein discusses p. 8 INDEX Table of Contents p. 6 Spine Practice Trends p. 14 Leadership p. 36 Spine Device & Technology p. 38 Pain Management p. 42 100 Spine Surgeons Advancing the Field By Laura Miller and Heather Linder Here is a list of 100 spine surgeons who have contributed to the advancement of the field of spine surgery through their leadership, research, education or innovative developments. Behrooz A. Akbarnia, MD, is the medical director at the San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders and a clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego. He has been president of the Scoliosis Research Society and a driving force in the Growing Spine Study Group. continued on page 30 10 Key Trends in Spine Surgery for 2013 By Laura Miller Several leaders in the spine surgery field discuss the key trends to watch for 2013. 1. Coverage denials will continue among many payors. This year more than ever, spine surgeons are reporting coverage denials from insurance companies for surgery as well as other procedures and tests. 5 Factors for Spine Surgeons to Negotiate Better Payor Contracts By Laura Miller Here are five factors for spine surgeons to better payor negotiations. 1. Gather objective quality data. Insurance companies will ask for quality data during contract negotiations. Make sure you can produce information about your individual outcomes and highlight any positive points, such as a lack of complications, return to work status and pain scores. The inability to treat patients quickly and efficiently could lead to health problems in the future, especially for patients with degenerative conditions. "It would be in surgeons' best interest to have some kind of objective data such as outcomes data to show insurance companies or workers' compensation carriers to justify what they do and how effective they are," says J. Brian Gill, MD, a spine surgeon at Nebraska Spine Center in Omaha. "We do research studies on our patients for outcomes on post-surgical patients and look at Ostwestery scores as well as neck disability and return to work status. We compare that to available data continued on page 8 continued on page 15 "The last two years have been extremely challenging," says Neel Anand, MD, director of spine trauma, minimally invasive spine surgery at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles. "Seemingly, everything is being denied, including MRIs and CT scans. We spend at least 50 percent of our time, compared to two years ago, getting approval for patients and talking to non-medical personnel. Sometimes even then, we aren't able to get clearance for the surgery." SAVE the DATE 11th Annual Orthopedic, Spine and Pain Management-Drive ASC Conference June 13-15, 2013 in Chicago Featuring keynote speakers Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), Geoff Colvin, Brad Gilbert, Forrest Sawyer and more than 135 speakers. For more information visit www.beckersspine.com.