Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/984530
19 SPINE SURGEONS Judge orders former Mayfield Brain & Spine surgeon to halt practice after non-compete violation — 6 insights By Shayna Korol A Hamilton County, Ohio, judge ordered neurosurgeon Mario Zuccarello, MD, to stop practicing medicine within a 25-mile radius of Norwood, Ohio-based May- field Brain & Spine. Mayfield filed a lawsuit against its former partner for allegedly violat- ing a non-compete agreement, the Cincinnati Business Courier reports. Here are six things to know. 1. e University of Cincinnati Physicians currently employs Dr. Zuccarello, which is affiliated with the UC Health. In 2017, May- field Brain & Spine ended its formal affiliation with UC Health and UC College of Medicine to bring the neurosurgery department fully in-house. 2. Dr. Zuccarello was a physician-shareholder at Mayfield, having ownership interests in a variety of Mayfield-affiliated entities. While Mayfield had a relationship with UC Health, Dr. Zuccarello performed cases at the sys- tem's hospital and was named chairman of neurosurgery at the UC College of Medicine in 2010. 3. When Mayfield ended its formal relationship with UC Health July 1, 2017, Dr. Zuccarello continued to perform cases there. In October 2017, Mayfield informed Dr. Zuccarello his em- ployment would be terminated Dec. 12, 2017, due to his continued involvement with UC Health. 4. As a partner of Mayfield, Dr. Zuccarello signed a non-compete agreement which bars him from practicing neurology or neuro- surgery with 25 miles of any office Mayfield maintains for two years aer the termination of his employment. 5. Dr. Zuccarello's lawyers argued in a court filing under Ohio law, a physician non-com- petition clause is considered unreasonable when a physician's services "are vital to the health, care and treatment of the public" such that the "demand for his medical expertise is critical" to the community. "If I am restrained from practicing neurology and neurosurgery for two years in Southwest- ern Ohio, I'm not sure where I will go or what the patients or (physician) residents who de- pend on me will do," Dr. Zuccarello stated in a court filing. "While I am fortunate I do not require the income, this is not how I wish to spend the last few years of my career that be- gan more than 40 years ago in Italy. Further, my patients include many individuals who are not as fortunate and will find it difficult to obtain continuation of care for complicated neurological conditions." 6. e suit claimed Dr. Zuccarello tried to per- suade some Mayfield physicians to quit and become employees and faculty members of UC Physicians. Mayfield requested a permanent or- der that Dr. Zuccarello not violate the non-com- pete agreement and an unspecified sum to com- pensate the group for damages. n A ISASS names Belgian spine surgeon 2018-19 president: 5 key notes By Laura Dyrda T he International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery named Marek Szpalski, MD, 2018-19 president at its annual meeting last week. Here are five things to know. 1. Dr. Szpalski is chairman of the department of orthopedic trauma surgery at Brussels, Belgium-based IRIS South Teaching Hospitals. He also serves as associate professor at Free University of Brussels and an adjunct associate professor of orthope- dics at New York City-based New York University. 2. He is an ISASS board member and a past president of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. 3. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Szpalski is deputy editor of European Spine Journal and is on the editorial board of other scientific journals. 4. Dr. Szpalski succeeds Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, as president of the organization. 5. The 2018-19 board of directors also includes Jack Zigler, MD, as treasurer as well as Frank Phillips, MD, Domagoj Coric, MD, and Massimo Balsano, MD.5. Dr. Kralick remained on staff after the incident. He also has staff privileges at HCA Alaska Regional and Providence. n