Thomas Obermeyer, of Barrington Orthopedic Specialists in Schaumburg, Ill., is following the evolution of outpatient surgery, value-based care and consolidation in orthopedics.

Over the last 30 years, minimally invasive technology has developed rapidly in spine surgery, with many technologies demonstrating significant clinical advantages, but others promising more than they could deliver and largely falling by the wayside.

Usman Zahir, MD, a spine surgeon at ScopeSpine-The Orthopaedic Group (Dulles, Va.) weighs many questions when it comes to trying new surgical technology.

U.S. Orthopaedic Partners struck its third deal in July and added North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic in Florence.

Titan Medical Manufacturing, a developer of orthopedic implants, devices and instruments, has been acquired by Arch Medical Solutions.

From alternatives to spinal fusion to surgical outcomes and expectations, here are some of the most common questions patients ask spine surgeons Gurvinder Deol, MD, and Issada Thongtrangan, MD. The spine surgeons also discuss the importance of educating patients before surgery.

A surgeon debuting augmented reality-assisted technology and nine more orthopedic surgeons to know:

Last year, CMS removed 298 musculoskeletal-related services from the inpatient-only list and detailed its plan to phase out all 1,700 procedures from the inpatient-only list by 2024.

This article is a portion of a book titled "Challenges, Risks and Opportunities in Today's Spine World " edited by Stephen Hochschuler, MD, Frank Phillips, MD, and Richard Fessler, MD. You can find links to the previous chapters at the end of this article.

Spine surgeons are finding it increasingly difficult to get commercial payers to pay for spine-related inpatient services, and changing preauthorization hurdles continue to plague the specialty.

Christus Good Shepherd Health System broke ground July 20 on a $35 million project that will expand its NorthPark campus and create the first orthopedic institute in Longview, Texas, according to the Longview News-Journal.

CMS has proposed bringing back the 298 primarily musculoskeletal-related services removed this year from its inpatient-only list for 2022.

Chalfont-based Pennsylvania Pain and Spine Institute will have a new physician join in August, according to a July 20 news release.

Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Penrose-St. Francis Health Services installed Globus Medica's ExcelsiusGPS robot in July, The Gazette reported July 20.

Thomas Mazahery, MD, of OrthoVirginia performed the Washington, D.C., region's first spine surgery using artificial intelligence-driven robotic technology on July 19.

Robert Kay, MD, has taken on two leadership positions at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

More private equity firms have been entering the orthopedic field, which presents lucrative financial opportunities because of the higher-acuity procedures associated with the specialty and the increasing population of older Americans who need them.

John-Erik Bell, MD, helped develop and debut augmented reality-assisted shoulder replacement technology.

A Florida practice upgrading its space and four more orthopedic centers to know:

The FDA has cleared Nevro's Senza spinal cord stimulator system for the treatment of chronic pain associated with painful diabetic neuropathy.