Becker's ASC Review

65 ORTHOPEDICS Yale surgeons use stem cells to avoid hip replacement in young patients By Carly Behm S urgeons at Yale Medicine in New Haven, Conn., are using stem cell treatments to treat some hip condi- tions without joint replacements, ABC affiliate WTNH reported March 1. Patients in their 30s and 40s with avascular necrosis can have their stem cells used to help the body repair itself. The stem cell treatment works when the blood supply to the hip is injured, the report said. "We know if you don't have this stem cell procedure, 50 percent of these hips are going to collapse," Yale surgeon Daniel Wiznia, MD, told the station. "If you have the pro- cedure, there's a 75 percent chance we can prevent the collapse." n Former Zimmer Biomet CEO invests $5M in orthopedic robotic company By Carly Behm D avid Dvorak invested $5 million in Think Surgical, a medtech company behind the TSolution One total knee replacement surgical robot. Mr. Dvorak is executive chair of Think Surgical's board and managing director of Black Lake Expeditions, which facilitated the investment, according to an April 4 news release. Before joining Think Surgical's board, he spent 16 years at Zimmer Biomet, serving as CEO for most of that time. Think Surgical's TSolution One has been used in thou- sands of joint replacement cases worldwide. It uses an open library to support a variety of implant options, ac- cording to the release. n Lawsuits build against Aetna's spine surgery coverage By Alan Condon A nother lawsuit has been filed against Aetna Life Insurance, arguing that the insurer improperly limits cover- age for lumbar artificial disc replacement by treating the procedures as experimental and investigational. Six details: 1. Aetna uses a clinical policy bulletin — a written directive on coverage positions the insurer considers for certain medical treat- ments — called "intervertebral disc prosthe- ses" when deciding claims for lumbar ADR. 2. e insurer has "systematically denied all requests" for lumbar ADR as "experimental and investigational" under the policy, ac- cording to the lawsuit filed March 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 3. Contrary to Aetna's stance, lumbar ADR was approved by the FDA more than 15 years ago and is considered a safe and effective procedure for lumbar disc disease. 4. Plaintiff Andrew Howard suffered from disc disease at L5-S1 that caused significant pain and mobility and conservative mea- sures such as medication and corrective exercises did not provide adequate relief, according to court documents. Robert Bray Jr., MD, recommended Mr. Howard undergo lumbar ADR, but Aetna denied the request and the patient had to pay for the procedures out of his own pocket. 5. e plaintiff argues that Aetna didn't cover the spine procedure that should have been covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, designed to provide protections to as well as setting rules for employer-sponsored health insurance plans. 6. Aetna is also facing a 239-person class- action suit from 2019 related to its alleged denial of lumbar ADR. n Montefiore Orthopedics breaks ground on 60,000-square-foot Center of Excellence By Carly Behm N ew York City-based Montefiore Orthopedics will open a Center of Excellence in West Nyack, N.Y., in partnership with Westport, Conn.-based Aspect Health, Montefiore Nyack Hospital and Northeast Ortho- pedics and Sports Medicine, according to a March 21 LinkedIn post. The center of excellence will have clinical offices, an ASC and occupational therapy. Groundbreaking for the facility was March 17. Montefiore Orthopedics has 47 physicians, including 42 orthopedic surgeons. n

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