HHS' Office of Inspector General on Sept. 15 issued a favorable advisory opinion for a hospital's proposed joint replacement program that would cover complications, JDSupra reported Sept. 21.

Here are four key updates from spine and orthopedic device companies in the last week:

Medtronic enrolled its first patient in a clinical trial for its Braive growth modulation system for scoliosis, according to a Sept. 22 news release.

Columbus, Ohio-based OrthoNeuro will add Siddharth Shetgeri, DO, in October, according to a Sept. 21 news release.

On Sept. 22, 2020, Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute inked its partnership with Orlando, Fla.-based AdventHealth to expand into the Florida market. Rothman's president, Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD, spoke with Becker's about how that push stands a year later and what's in store in the coming months.

Chicago-based Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush is the No. 6 orthopedics center in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Here are eight fast facts on three of its executives:

Medical device manufacturer Orthofix Medical is launching its Opus MG Set, a synthetic bone void filler for orthopedic surgeries, the company said Sept. 21.

An orthopedic surgeon from Minnesota teamed up with his hepatologist wife to create high-heeled shoes that are more comfortable.

A practice that debuted new technology and four more spine centers to know:

Two more surgeons joined the newly-opened Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute in Chillicothe, Ohio, according to a Sept. 21 news release.

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Advanced Disc Replacement Spinal Restoration Center, founded by Todd Lanman, MD, is expanding to Florida.

Spineology received a $15 million venture loan, and the move was led by Horizon Technology Finance Corp., according to a Sept. 20 news release.

Glenwood Springs, Colo.-based health system Valley View is moving ValleyOrtho to an office in Aspen, Colo.

Documentation will be more important than ever if CMS doesn't adjust its 2022 proposal to restore the inpatient-only list, according to Joseph Bosco III, MD, of NYU Langone in New York City.

A North Carolina orthopedic surgeon and his wife were convicted of tax fraud Sept. 20, the Justice Department said.

Medical device company Aurora Spine has closed the private placement of its common shares and warrants to institutional investors for $6,508,139.40 Canadian dollars, or $5,075,166.22, the company said Sept. 20.

New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System's Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance received a $2.3 million grant to support its spinal cord injury program, the health system said Sept. 20.

Mark Foster, president and CEO of Malvern, Pa.-based orthopedic device company Trice Medical, is joining Salt Lake City-based surgical technology company Xenocor as a member on its board of directors, the company said Sept. 20.

Several orthopedic and spine surgeons have joined new practices or accepted appointments at large academic medical centers over the past year.

It has become more common over the past few decades for orthopedic surgeons to subspecialize in spine surgery, and now at least one neurosurgery program is gaining momentum in the space.