Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1312132
36 ORTHOPEDICS How Google ranks top spine surgeons By Laura Dyrda A group of researchers examined how Google ranks top spine surgeons and published their findings in Spine. e study authors searched for the top 25 spine surgeon websites by search rankings for the largest 25 cities in the U.S. ey ana- lyzed the websites for information including degrees, experience and characteristics of the practice, as well as online ratings and social media followers. ere were 625 surgeon websites examined in the study. Researchers found: 1. e categorical variables that correlated with higher average Google search terms were orthopedics instead of neurosurgery as the specialty; board certification; and top 40 residency program graduation. 2. ere was not a significant difference in the physicians with an MD versus DO credential. 3. e number of years in practice, publi- cations or H-index did not correlate with online search rankings. 4. Social media followers and online rankings on sites like Healthgrades did not correlate with ranking among top results of Google searches. 5. e study authors concluded: "Google search rankings do not always align with patient preferences, currently promoting orthopedic over neurosurgical specialists, graduating from top residency programs and board certification, while largely ignoring academic pedigree, research, social media presence, and online ratings." In a viewpoint published by Spine, William Weeks, MD, Nitesh Jain, and James Wein- stein, DO, wrote, "We anticipate that future consumers of elective surgeries (like most spine surgeries) will seek information more indicative of quality than those that [this article] studied, such as surgical volumes, surgical appropriateness, and process and outcomes measures." To ensure patients have that information, the authors said customer-friendly tools, longitudinal billing data and patient remote outcomes will need to be aggregated to help patients decide on the best place to seek spine care. e authors warn that search engines that don't take these factors into consideration "will usher medicine into an era of chicanery, where advertising, social media presence and misleading or contrived evaluations will influence care decisions to the detriment of those who believe them." n NASS reveals winners of 2020 Recognition Awards — Drs. Richard Guyer, Jeffrey Wang & more By Alan Condon T he North American Spine Society on Oct. 5 an- nounced the winners of its 2020 Recognition Awards. Honorees are nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to NASS and the spine field. Following are the winners of this year's awards: Richard Guyer, MD, won the Leon Wiltse Award for dem- onstrating excellence in leadership and clinical research in spine care. Jeffrey Wang, MD, received the Spine Advocacy Award for his contribution to federal advocacy efforts on behalf of patients and NASS members. Barbara Boyan, PhD, earned the Henry Farfan Award for excelling in spine-related basic science research. Michael Klein Jr., MD, received the David Selby Award for his work on the art and science of spinal disorder management. n CMS, AAOS launching bundled payment initiative in January By Alan Condon C MS and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' registry program will collaborate on a model year four Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Program. Starting Jan. 1, CMS will use the registry's data as part of its alternate quality measures set to promote value- based care and improve decision-making through pay- ment models for musculoskeletal care. The registry is the first musculoskeletal program to be affiliated with BPCI's advanced program. William Maloney, MD, chair of the registry oversight committee, said the partnership will help reduce the reporting burden for participating sites and ensure that quality measures are accurate and meaningful. Registries included in the initiative are the American joint replacement registry, the shoulder & elbow regis- try, the musculoskeletal tumor registry and the Ameri- can spine registry. In the fall, registry participants can update agreements with CMS for each clinical episode to reflect their choice of measure set. n