Becker's Spine Review

14 SPINE LEADERSHIP Dr. Frank Phillips Becomes Director of the Division of Spine Surgery at Rush: 5 Key Notes By Laura Dyrda R ush University Medical Center in Chicago named Frank Phillips, MD, director of the division of spine surgery for the department of or- thopedic surgery. Dr. Phillips is a physi- cian with Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. Dr. Phillips follows Howard An, MD, as director of the division of spine surgery. Dr. An held the position for 14 years and he will remain at Rush as the Rush Uni- versity Medical Center Director of the Spine Surgery Fellowship and the Morton International Chair of Spine Surgery. Here are five things to know: 1. Dr. Phillips was one of the first in Chicago to begin using minimally invasive procedures in the 1990s, with a special focus on minimally invasive cervical and lumbar reconstructive surgery. 2. roughout his career, Dr. Phillips has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed manuscripts, received several research awards and mul- tiple extramural research grants. 3. Dr. Phillips has been president of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and program chair for the Cervical Spine Research So- ciety. He is currently on the board for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and the International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine. 4. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Phillips has played an integral role in technology development and was instrumental in developing the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Rush. 5. Dr. Phillips earned his medical degree at the University of Witwa- tersrand Medical School in South Africa and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Chicago Hospitals. His ad- ditional training includes a spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. n 10 Updates on Neurosurgeon Pay By Laura Dyrda H ere are 10 payment statistics and updates for neurosur- geons according to Neurosur- gery Market Watch. 1. The average annual compensation for neurosurgeons was $728,006 in the AMGA 2015 compensation re- port, up from $701,399 in the previ- ous year's report. The average median compensation for neurosurgeons was $747,066 in 2015, up from the 2014 report when the average compensa- tion was $710,000. 2. The average compensation for neu- rosurgeons in single-specialty neuro- surgery practices was $752,141, more than those in multispecialty groups at $737,849. The hospital-employed neu- rosurgeons had the highest compen- sation in the NERVES survey. 3. The NERVES Socio-Economic Study 2014 report showed the average neu- rosurgeon salary dropped 9.8 percent between 2013 and 2014; there was a decline for neurosurgeons in private practice, hospital-employed practices and academic practices. 4. There was a 10 percent decline in the average work RVUs this year according to the AMGA report. The NERVES survey also found a 7 percent decline in work RVUs. 5. There was a 9 percent drop in col- lections, according to the NERVES survey; the AMGA reported similar findings with a drop in the average net collections from $907,054 in 2014, compared with $790,735 in 2015. 6. There is reason for optimism for independent neurosurgery practices. Despite challenges from insurance companies and reimbursement, there is high demand for neurosurgery, ac- cording to the report. The practice an- cillary services and non-direct patient care accounted for 21 percent of neu- rosurgeon compensation last year. 7. Average pay for neurosurgeons on call was $2,448 per day in 2014, a 13 percent increase over the previous year in the NERVES survey. 8. Twenty-two percent of neurosur- gery practices reported participating in ACOs shared savings programs last year, up 11 percent from 2012. 9. The regional breakdown for neuro- surgeon compensation according to the MGMA study is: • Midwest: $850,000 • Southern: $750,718 • Western: $736,838 • Eastern: $683,822 10. More than half — 55 percent of practices — now track neurosurgeons' clinical quality and outcomes data. n Dr. Frank Phillips

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