Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1425344
13 SPINE SURGEONS HOPD Total cost: $7,323 Medicare pays: $5,858 Patient pays: $1,464 13. Laminectomy, facetectomy and foramino- tomy (unilateral or bilateral with decompres- sion of spinal cord, cauda equina and/or nerve root[s], [eg, spinal or lateral recess stenosis]), single vertebral segment; lumbar (63047) ASC Total cost: $3,954 Medicare pays: $3,163 Patient pays: $790 HOPD Total cost: $7,132 Medicare pays: $5,706 Patient pays: $1,426 14. Partial removal of bone with release of spinal cord or spinal nerves of one inter- space in lower spine (63030) ASC Total cost: $3,817 Medicare pays: $3,053 Patient pays: $762 HOPD Total cost: $6,995 Medicare pays: $5,596 Patient pays: $1,398 15. Endoscopic decompression of spinal cord, nerve root(s), including laminotomy, partial facetectomy, foraminotomy, discec- tomy and/or excision of herniated interver- tebral disc, 1 interspace, lumbar (62380) ASC Total cost: $2,929 Medicare pays: $2,343 Patient pays: $585 HOPD Total cost: $6,264 Medicare pays: $5,011 Patient pays: $1,253 n $3.8M awarded to woman 5 years after botched spine surgery By Alan Condon A jury awarded a woman $3.8 million Aug. 13 after a botched spine surgery she had more than five years ago, according to the Chica- go Daily Law Bulletin. Four notes: 1. In March 2016, Edith McFarland underwent a lumbar spinal fusion, during which a pedicle screw was misplaced. 2. After the procedure, Ms. McFarland developed chronic back pain and was unable to work, according to the report. 3. Anthony Rinella, MD, of Illinois Spine and Scoliosis Center in Homer Glen, performed the surgery. 4. In another lawsuit, an appellate court ruled earlier in August that an Illinois hospital should not face vicarious liability claims over the alleged negligence of Dr. Rinella in a widower's wrongful death case. n Spine device CEO speaks out against kickback allegations By Carly Behm T he CEO of SpineFrontier described recent kickback charges against him and the company's CFO as "baseless," Boston Busi- ness Journal reported Sept. 17. SpineFrontier CEO Kingsley Chin, MD, and CFO Aditya Humad were in- dicted by the U.S. Department of Justice Sept. 7 on counts of conspir- acy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Justice Depart- ment said the two bribed surgeons to use SpineFrontier's products and paid them between $32,625 and $978,000 each. Dr. Chin spoke out against the allegations in an email to Boston Business Journal. "America is a great country in which we do get the chance to tell our story to an impartial jury of our peers and hope to be vindicated," he told the publication. He also told the Boston Business Journal that the allegations have been "very damaging." Two people pleaded guilty to related charges in August 2020. n