Becker's ASC Review

53 ORTHOPEDICS Minnesota surgeon performs 4-level fusion on 500-pound patient By Alan Condon A 500-pound man with debilitating back pain was turned away from four spine surgeons in Ohio before Minnesota neurosur- geon Hamid Abbasi, MD, PhD, agreed to take on the case with a unique approach. Dr. Abbasi, CMO of Burnsville, Minn.-based Inspired Spine, took a mini- mally invasive approach to the surgery, performing a four-level L2-S1 fusion with the oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion technique. Dr. Abbasi said the OLLIF approach allowed him to safely perform the surgery, without requiring the patient — who had a BMI of 62.5 — to lose 100 to 200 pounds. The patient was up and walking the day after surgery and discharged from the hospital two days later, according to a June 15 news release. The OLLIF procedure takes less than two hours, which is safer than the six- to eight-hour operative time for traditional approaches, Dr. Abbasi said. OLLIF also uses a 15mm incision resulting in minimal blood loss and preserves muscles and the adjacent tissue. n 2 groups merge to form Nevada's largest musculoskeletal care platform By Alan Condon Reno-based Spine Nevada and Tahoe Fracture & Orthopedic Medical Clinic in Carson City, Nev., merged to create a 60-provider group, which is the largest musculoskeletal care platform in the state. The combined practice will continue to operate under its existing brands, which include Tahoe Fracture, Spine Nevada, Swift Urgent Clinic and Vein Nevada. Tahoe Fracture will join Spine Nevada under Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance Co.'s Nevada care network. It will have access to HOPCo's clinical and quality infrastructure, IT tools and claims analyt- ics to partner with health systems, provider groups and payers. The partnership aligns with HOPCo's mission to team with musculoskel- etal practices, health systems and payors to develop value-based care programs — such as bundled payments, shared savings and population health — that improve quality and reduce the cost of care. "The addition of Tahoe Fracture to HOPCo's platform in Nevada is a big step forward in creating a high-performing clinically integrated network in the Reno, Carson City and Lake Tahoe markets," said Wael Barsoum, MD, chairman of HOPCo Nevada's board of directors, said in a June 30 news release. "Tahoe Fracture's commitment to exceptional outcomes and patient-first model makes them an ideal partner to continue to transform the musculoskeletal care market in Nevada." 2 spine surgeons on how private equity will affect orthopedics By Alan Condon P rivate equity among spine and orthopedic prac- tices has grown steadily over the past few years. Recently, a 21-physician spine practice in Law- renceville, Ga., snagged private equity investment. Here's how two spine surgeons see private equity af- fecting practices in the near future: Note: Responses were edited for style. Question: How do you think private equity investment will affect spine practices in the next two to three years? David Essig, MD. Northwell Health (Great Neck, N.Y.): Private equity can provide a much needed infusion of capital to practices. is can be particu- larly helpful to those recovering from the pandemic. However, it is important to remember that these are not altruistic grants. Depending on the horizon of the deal, potential savings and clinical benefits may not be realized by the physicians. Furthermore, such deals may strain relationships be- tween senior partners and their junior counterparts. at being said, I do feel that PE will play an integral role in the future as far as providing helpful insights derived from their experience in other industries that will help us improve the delivery of high quality and cost-effective medical care to our patients. Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD. e Robotic Spine In- stitute of Silicon Valley (Los Gatos, Calif.): I think private equity contribution to allow private practices to stay independent is something that is not to be dis- couraged. It is certainly something that will become more important as we move toward a need for greater efficiency and a more businesslike approach to sustain our practices in the ever-changing and more challenging healthcare environment of tomorrow. e upside will be the introduction of much greater business acumen and efficiencies that could allow us to stay away from hospital employment and possibly boost the bottom line for all. e downside would be that decisions could be forced upon us by nonclinicians solely for monetary gain, which is in stark contrast with the way we have usually practiced and approached the people we care for. e philosophy in most practices is still very much: 'e patient comes first, monetary reimburse- ment is second,' and I am hopeful that that will not get turned upside down with the ever-increasing role private equity will play in our world. n

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