Similar to 2024, next year will pose challenges to the spine industry, especially when it comes to payer relations. There are also new opportunities for the specialty to develop new technologies.

While each geographic market has its own unique needs, there are some key considerations spine surgeons should be mindful of when thinking about expanding their footprint.

Outpatient spine surgery will keep growing as techniques become more minimally invasive, and centers can take more complex cases.

Here are 10 hospitals and health systems seeking spine and orthopedic surgeons.

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health has become the first system in New York state to offer the Teligen spine surgical system. 

From cost-effectiveness of procedures to disc replacement outcomes, researchers published multiple findings about spine surgery in 2024.

Here are eight major athletes who have suffered spine injuries during their 2024 sports season: 

OrthoSC in Myrtle Beach, S.C., added interventional pain medicine physician Scott Mayhew, MD.

Augmented reality and robot-assisted spine surgery both yielded high precision in pedicle screw placement, a study out of New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery found.

Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital marked the topping off of the upcoming Adams Neurosciences Center, according to a Dec. 5 news release.

Thibodaux (La.) Regional Health System has added orthopedic spine surgeon Russ Parks, MD, to its team, according to a Dec. 4 report from KQKI News. 

With the new year just around the corner, spine surgeons are thinking about their main focus in 2025.

Wajeeh Bakhsh, MD, joined Franciscan Physician Network in Michigan City, Ind.

Denver neurosurgeon Brent Kimball, MD, is among three people and a neuromonitoring business resolving kickback allegations for more than $2 million total, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.

John Dorman, MD, a neurosurgeon at Medical Center Health System in Odessa, Texas, has begun using the Apple Vision Pro AR headset for procedures, according to a Dec. 3 report from OA Online.

Two legal cases involving spine surgeons and implants were settled in the last seven days.

Neurosurgeon Alexander Taghva, MD, introduced focused ultrasound at his practice in Orange County, Calif., according to a Dec. 3 news release.

Southern California Orthopedic Institute added George Wahba, MD, according to a Dec. 2 Instagram post.

Single-level spinal fusions saw similar patient-reported outcomes after a year at an orthopedic specialty hospital and a tertiary referral center, according to a study in the December 2024 issue of The Spine Journal.

Spine technologies are gaining traction, especially among early-career surgeons, but not all of them have strong payer coverage, Ali Mesiwala, MD, said.