Retired Lake Worth Beach, Fla., surgeon Merrill Reuter, MD, is being sued for allegedly billing at least 34 patients for spinal fusions he never performed, according to a Nov. 8 The Palm Beach Post report. 

Neurosurgeons have thrown their support behind a bipartisan letter from 152 members of the U.S. House of Representatives that calls on the Biden administration to update the interim final rule by including a key section from the No Surprises Act.

The first neurosurgeon at a Kansas hospital, a competitor on The Masked Singer and eight more spine surgeons to know:

Intraoperative neuromonitoring company Assure Holdings has grown significantly in 2021 from strengthening its network to expanding into its 12th state.

Intraoperative neuromonitoring company Assure Holdings signed an agreement with The MultiPlan Network, according to a Nov. 2 news release.

Alex Vaccaro, MD, PhD, president of Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, has been recognized as the top-rated expert in spine care from 2011 to 2021 by Expertscape, an online platform that ranks people and institutions according to their expertise in diseases, medical conditions and treatments.

Spine and orthopedic experts and leaders spoke with Becker's Spine Review on a range of topics in October, from awake spine surgery to hospital competition. 

Altitude Wellness has signed a management agreement with spine surgeon Kenneth Lee, MD.

Thomas Frimpong, DO, is the first neurosurgeon to join Summit Surgical Hospital in Hutchinson, Kan., The Hutchinson News reported Oct. 29.

The leader of a new medical institute and three more spine surgeons moving to new practices or adding to their titles in October:

From the increasing prominence of neurosurgeons in the spine field to the top three orthopedic and neurosurgery residency programs in the country, here are the 10 most-read articles on Becker's Spine Review in October:

One devicemaker's recent seed funding round could help bring wireless implants to spine surgery, IoT World Today reported Oct. 28.

Each year, 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide suffer a spinal cord injury, which can stem from trauma, disease or degeneration, according to the World Health Organization.

The head of spine surgery at Boston Medical Center was disciplined after admitting to leaving an emergency surgery case to eat in his car and falling asleep in 2016, The Boston Globe reported Oct. 27.

The evolution of minimally invasive techniques, cost savings and an aging baby boomer population are some of the factors contributing to the spine market becoming a key outpatient growth opportunity in the coming years.

NuVasive will release a virtual-reality spine surgery training module, the company said Oct. 27.

Edinburg-based University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Harlingen-based UT Health RGV on Oct. 26 cut the ribbon on the Institute of Neuroscience, local CBS/NBC affiliate KVEO reported.

Healthgrades has recognized 100 hospitals in its Spine Surgery Excellence Award for 2022, which honors facilities that provide superior patient outcomes in back and neck surgeries and spinal fusion.

Ehud Mendel, MD, joined Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., according to an Oct. 25 announcement.

From a botched hip replacement to a dispute with a health system, Becker's Spine Review reported on four court cases involving spine and orthopedic surgeons since Sept. 25.