Dear OTW Reader:
Spine surgeons getting flack from hospitals? Spine surgeons guessing at diagnoses? Dr. Javad Parvizi homes in on periprosthetic joint infection, Drs. Russell Warren and Gunnar Andersson receive awards, and more…
Spine Surgeons Getting Flack From Hospitals?
A spine surgeon tells OTW, “Those of us in private practice—especially those of us who are just starting out—are really disheartened about reimbursement. I’ve been in practice for a year and a half…in that short period of time I’ve seen reimbursements for our procedures change twice. We have multiple codes for procedures, and the powers that be are starting to bundle those codes such that we are getting paid not for four procedures, but for two. Another issue is that my hospital, like many, is tightening controls and limiting our independence in terms of what products we want to utilize. My colleagues and I are getting flack along the lines of, ‘We don’t want you to use this bone graft because it is too expensive and insurance won’t pay. Every time you put this into a patient it’s a pure loss for us.’ In this environment, we can’t do what is optimal for patients.”
OrthoData: New President and CEO
Ric Navarro has come aboard OrthoData as the new president and chief executive officer. Navarro, who will also serve on the company’s board of directors, has over 25 years of medical device and implant experience. Most recently he served as the VP and Site Manager for Integra LifeSciences spine division in Akron, Ohio. Prior to that, Navarro, who is an inventor on 21 patents, was in senior management at Theken Spine and was a co-founder and VP R&D for Theken Disc, a company that developed the first lumbar artificial disc to incorporate microelectronics. In addition he has held senior engineering, quality, and operations roles with Integra, Biomec, Allen Medical Systems, AcroMed and the Cleveland Clinic.
VBrothers Could Benefit From Fire Sale
An ortho PR insider tells OTW, “The recent troubles of Japan’s Olympus Corp., a world leader in medical imaging (as well as in cameras), may thwart its ambitions to become a major player in the orthopedics sector. The company is alleged to have made several high ticket investments for which it overpaid and circulated cash back to various employee-related entities. Although its U.S. investments in Stryker’s biomaterials business and device companies such as SBi are not the focus of investigations, Olympus’s $100 million pitch into orthopedics now may well unravel. Should this occur, New York-based Viscogliosi Bros. LLC—the original suitor for the Stryker business—could benefit from any fire sale of those assets.”
Gunner Andersson Honored by Museum
Dr. Gunnar Andersson, of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) fame, was recently honored by the Swedish American Museum for his support of the organization and contributions to the field of spine care, according to a MOR news release. Dr. Andersson is the co-chair of the board of trustees for the Swedish American Museum and remains active in the Swedish American community. He was recently recognized with the 2010 Freedom of Movement Award from the Arthritis Foundation and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of the Study of Lumbar Spine. Dr. Andersson earned his medical degree at the University of Goteberg and completed his residency at Sahlgren Hospital in Sweden. He also completed a fellowship in orthopedics at The London Hospital in the United Kingdom.
Tackling Periprosthetic Joint Infection
The esteemed Javad Parvizi, M.D., director of research for The Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, tells OTW, “If you ask any orthopedist what are his or her three biggest challenges, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) will be one of the things they mention. Next year I will assume the presidency of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSI); we have made it our mission to address all of the issues that face orthopedic surgeons at present. To this end, we are focusing on defining PJI, and well as developing a standardized protocol for treatment. As it is now, an orthopedist in Cleveland is likely treating a PJI differently from one in Seattle. A huge challenge is that there is not a substantial amount of evidence out there…and whatever evidence we have is low level. So, we have launched multiple randomized controlled trials to address the lack of evidence. The studies will show whether we need intravenous versus oral antibiotics, determine the length of antibiotic treatment, define the role of washing out infected joints as opposed to removing them and so on. The mission is underway.”
Innovative Ortho Leader Recognized
The Minnesota Medical Association has presented its Physician Leadership in Quality Award to Paul Dale, M.D., for his leadership and direction in establishing the Joint Replacement Center at Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria, Minnesota. Dr. Dale, the center’s orthopedic medical director, promoted an innovative treatment approach at the center, which has a camp-like atmosphere and a lake-lodge motif. Before the center was established, patients underwent their procedures and rehabilitation individually. Now, the patients are oriented in groups, eat meals together, and rehabilitate together. The approach has paid off with lower complication rates, improved patient satisfaction scores, and better treatment outcomes.
Changes at Northwestern Orthopedics
Michael Schafer, M.D. tells OTW, “After 32 years of serving as the department chairman, I have stepped down but am still active in the department as program director. I am working with the new chairman, Terry Peabody, to implement programmatic changes. For example, he now holds a weekly meeting with residents, known as, ‘Conversations with Terry.’ I sit in, and we listen to residents’ concerns, we provide feedback, and try to promote an open dialogue. This is going a long way toward getting everyone comfortable with the new chair, and has decreased the overall anxiety level. I’m pleased at the way this is working out…previously, I was doing both roles. This is more appropriate because the chair has so many tugs on him that it is almostimpossible to give the necessary attention to a residency program. There are a lot of requirements coming down the pike that haven’t been implemented yet…these include changes in how residents will be trained, so there will be lots of work for me as program director.”
Russ Warren, M.D. Receives Award
The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles (OFALS) recently held its seventh anniversary gala fund-raiser at The Harvard Club of New York City. During the event, Dr. Russell Warren received the Excellence in Sports Medicine Award. Dr. Warren is Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and Professor of Orthopedics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He has been the team physician for the New York Giants for 20 years, and has been named New York Magazine’s Best Doctor for many years. He is currently the Team Physician for the New York Giants. He is the past President of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Shoulder and Elbow Society.
OREF has New CEO
The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) board of trustees has announced the appointment of Sharon Mellor, Ph.D., CAE as chief executive officer. Mellor, who will assume leadership of the foundation on December 1, 2011, brings with her a vast experience in fundraising for medical and educational foundations. She was most recently associate vice president for resource development at the College of DuPage (COD) and executive director of the COD Foundation. She has also served as CEO for the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, as associate executive director of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation, and in executive positions in development and communications for the American Osteopathic Association. Mellor, a MENSA member, earned a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in organizational behavior and development from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati; an MBA from Loyola University, Chicago; and a BA in journalism and organizational communications from Purdue University.
Spine Surgeons Guessing?
A spine surgeon tells OTW, “We are no good at determining the origin of patients’ pain…to the point where we are probably occasionally treating patients for the wrong diseases. We look at an imaging study and say, ‘Oh, it’s degenerative disc disease’ when it may actually be facet osteoarthritis or a muscle problem. Relying on imaging is not sufficient because discs are supposed to degenerate as we get older. To validate the diagnosis we often do injections, but those are not well validated…you get a lot of false positives and negatives. There are efforts being made to improve imaging, but we need to accelerate the effort and make more research funding available. Unfortunately, I think there is a lack of interest in determining new diagnostic methods. The fact is that we are better at developing treatment methods. This situation reminds me of the old adage, ‘If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’”
Mark Drakos, M.D., Joins HSS
Dr. Mark Drakos, a foot and ankle surgeon who also specializes in sports related injuries, has joined Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). He did his undergraduate work in biomedical engineering at Harvard University, then obtained a medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he was elected a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dr. Drakos completed his orthopedic training at HSS, during which time he received several research grants as well as the Jean McDaniel Award for the chief resident who best exemplifies professional skill, dedication to the ethics of medicine and commitment to resident education. He also received the Lewis Clark Wagner Award for excellence in orthopedic surgery research. Following residency he did a sports medicine fellowship at the HSS where he was an assistant team physician for the New York Giants. He followed that with a second fellowship in foot and ankle surgery at Brown University.
