Here are seven spine surgeons making the news this week:

Here are the top 10 most-read articles featured on Becker's Spine Review between April 13 and April 17:

Elective and outpatient surgeries are beginning to return in some communities, which will allow spine and orthopedic surgeons to resume care for their patients most in need.

Four spine surgeons discuss innovations in augmented and virtual reality, and how the technologies can advance spine care.

Spine surgeon Melissa Erickson, MD, recently devised a plan to remodel surgical helmets used in  joint replacement procedures into respirators for healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients, WRAL Tech Wire reports.

Here are five spine surgeons making the news this week:

The widespread postponement of nonemergent procedures is expected to take a significant chunk out of hospital revenue in the first and second quarters, with ASCs also feeling the pinch. 

A Pennsylvania appellate court said a $10 million award to a family who sued Tampa, Fla.-based Laser Spine Institute alleging wrongful death was excessive in a 2-against-1 panel ruling, The Legal Intelligencer reports.

Pedro Berjano, MD, PhD, is chair of the GSpine4 Spine Surgery Division at IRCCS Instituto Ortopedico Galeazzi in Milan, Italy. He spoke to NEJM Catalyst about what the COVID-19 pandemic looks like in his hospital as well as in his country, where there have been more than 139,000 confirmed cases and 17,000 deaths.

Louisiana's statewide mandate to postpone nonemergency surgeries could endanger some patients, according to Chad Domangue, MD, a neurologist, psychiatrist and pain management physician interviewed by local CBS affiliate WWL TV.

Two spine surgeons outline payer issues that they recently experienced and how they are dealing with them.

A neurosurgeon in Eugene, Ore., recently proposed that the city's COVID-19 patients be moved to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District to allow other hospitals to focus on non-coronavirus cases, KEZI reports.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recognized Steven Meyer, MD, with its Humanitarian of the Year Award on March 30, the Sioux City Journal reports.

Here are five spine surgeons who received honors, awards or promotions in March:

Spine surgeon Jim Sanfilippo, MD, recently recovered from the coronavirus and is now raising funds for The Food Bank of South Jersey to help give back to his community, reports NJ.com

Here are seven spine and neurosurgeons who joined new organizations, moved locations or received promotions in March:

A Westchester County, N.Y., neurosurgeon recently recovered from the novel coronavirus and has returned to the hospital where he works, reports the Times Herald-Record.

The masks a Billings, Mont.-based neurosurgeon and dentist designed for 3D printers have gone global, with the open-source software file shared in 148 countries, according to the Billings Gazette.

Neurosurgeon Derek Taggard, MD, recently performed the first effective implantation of Nexxt Spine's Matrixx corpectomy system at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, Calif.

In an executive order issued March 19, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey mandated that providers delay elective surgeries to conserve personal protective equipment for those treating COVID-19 patients.