Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/772947
14 SPINE LEADERSHIP Dr. Robert Watkins Performs Spine Surgery on Patriots' Rob Gronkowski By Laura Dyrda R obert Watkins, MD, a Marina del Rey, Calif.-based spine surgeon, performed spine surgeon on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, accord- ing to a Providence Journal report. Mr. Gronkowski injured his back last weekend during a game against the New York Jets. His surgery was scheduled with Dr. Watkins for Dec. 2. Dr. Watkins has operated on Mr. Gronkowski on two separate occasions. Mr. Gronkowski is expected to spend the next eight weeks recovering from the procedure, meaning he will not play for the rest of the season, according to the report. n Value-Designated Spine Centers of Excellence Yield 19% Cost Savings: 5 Insights By Megan Wood S pine centers of excellence deliver cost savings of 19 percent com- pared to other centers, according to a HealthCore study. Health- Core is Anthem's outcomes research subsidiary. Managed Care published the study, which analyzed data on provid- ers in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's Blue Distinction Plus program. The researchers compared value (90-day episodic costs for surgery, postoperative care and readmissions) and quality (compli- cation and readmission rates) of these providers with providers not participating in the BCBSA program. The study included 33,827 adults who underwent spine surgery at value-designated centers and 27,686 adults who underwent spine surgery at other centers. Here are five insights: 1. Value-designated centers had the following episodic costs per surgery: • $3,157 for lumbar discectomy/decompression, reflecting a 16 percent cost decrease compared to other centers • $6,784 for cervical simple fusion, reflecting a 19 percent cost de- crease compared to other centers • $11,134 for lumbar simple fusion, reflecting an 18 percent cost decrease compared to other centers 2. Value-based centers had complication rates of 1.5 percent, com- pared to 2 percent at other centers. 3. All other quality measures were similar between value-designated centers and other centers. 4. The study found more value-designated centers were larger-bed centers in metropolitan areas. These centers tended to be affiliated with medical schools that performed more surgeries and offered more nursing hours. 5. Centers are deemed Blue Distinction Center Plus if they meet clinical requirements and have spine surgery costs under 1.05 times the na- tional average. n Dr. James Weinstein to Retire as Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO in 2017 By Megan Wood J ames Weinstein, DO, will retire in June 2017 from his post as CEO and president of Dart- mouth-Hitchcock health system in Lebanon, N.H., according to Valley News. e health system in- cludes five hospitals and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic's six main locations. Here are six things to know: 1. Dr. Weinstein rose to president and CEO of the system in 2011. 2. e orthopedic spine surgeon joined Dart- mouth-Hitchcock in 1996, taking on the position of di- rector of e Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in 2007. 3. During his tenure, Dr. Weinstein helped found the High Value Healthcare Collaborative, which is a network of providers serving patients across the nation striving to lower costs and boost quality. 4. He also founded Dartmouth-Hitchcock's department of orthopedics, which he chaired for seven years, as well as the Spine Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Center for Shared Decision Making. 5. Dr. Weinstein will maintain his academic and clinical roles in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Geisel School of Medicine departments of orthopedics as well as his en- dowed chair in evaluative clinical sciences. 6. Anne-Lee Verville, the chairwoman of Dart- mouth-Hitchcock's board of trustees, said they will form a search committee of physicians, nurses, trustees and officials from affiliate hospitals, to select a new CEO. n