Becker's Spine Review

23 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Texas spine, orthopedic hospital to replace shuttered facility By Alan Condon L egent North Houston Surgical Hospital in Tomball, Texas, is under construction and on track to open in January, Community Impact Newspaper reported Sept. 9. The hospital will offer concierge-level spine and orthopedic services with an emphasis on pain management procedures as well, according to the report. Legent North Houston Surgical Hospital will feature five operating rooms and is expected to be in network with all major commercial insurers — Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna and Aetna — by the end of the year. The building was previously Memorial Hermann Tomball Hospital, which closed, according to the report. n US Orthopaedic Partners eyes expansion into 3rd state By Alan Condon U .S. Orthopaedic Partners, a private equity-backed management services organization, could soon be expanding into Georgia, its third state, according to Rebusiness Online. The orthopedic platform has agreed a lease for a 10,445-square-foot space at NorthWinds Office Park in Alpharetta, Ga., which is about 26 miles north of Atlanta, according to the report. Earlier in 2022, USOP acquired its ninth practice and supports more than 170 providers across 39 locations in Alabama and Mississippi. USOP began 2022 with six affiliate practices and aims to double in size by the end of the year. n Florida spine group adds 3 surgeons By Carly Behm W est Palm Beach, Fla.-based Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute added three surgeons to its team, according to a Sept. 5 email shared with Becker's. The surgeons are pediatric neurosurgeon Kaveh Asadi, MD, neurosurgeon Scott Raffa, MD, and pediatric orthopedic surgeon Katherine Miller, MD. Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute is part of St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. It opened in 2009. n New York spine group now accepts major insurance plans By Alan Condon H arrison-based Brain and Spine Surgeons of New York, a 20-physician group, are now accepting major commercial insurance plans, USA Today reported Sept. 19. e practice inked contracts with providers including Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Oxford and Blue Cross Blue Shield. By going "in- network," BSSNY can offer patients the same level of care with fewer administrative hurdles. "In the past, insurance companies made it difficult to join their networks but because of our size and clinical research, we have successfully negotiated with most plans that satisfy both the providers and insurance company goals," John Abrahams, MD, president of BSSNY and co-director of the Orthopedic Spine Institute, told the publication. Previously, the practice was limited in patient referrals because "we were out of network," Dr. Abrahams said. "is allows BSSNY to offer all of our specialty services to our local community and beyond." BSSNY performs more than 3,000 surgeries annually and has invested more than $1 million on their research and development effort over the past four years, according to the report. n

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