Minneapolis-based Allina Health is moving higher-acuity procedures such as spine and orthopedic cases from hospital outpatient departments to newly developed outpatient surgery centers, according to the Star Tribune.

Spine surgeon Mark McFarland, DO, was reportedly the first person to perform an outpatient lumbar fusion in the Peninsula region with Medacta's MySpine patient-specific navigation system.

The majority of patients who undergo a minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure can avoid surgery for at least five years, a Cleveland Clinic study found.

The first endoscopic microdiscectomy procedure at DuPage Medical Group's new ASC in Westmont, Ill., was performed by Ashish Patel, MD.

As more spine procedures migrate to the outpatient setting, some spine surgeons will consider investing in ASCs. Although a daunting idea for surgeons, there are factors ASCs can focus on to draw the eyes of spine surgeons.

CMS Releases Proposed 2021 Medicare Hospital Outpatient and ASC Rule

A new app from Medtronic will let patients navigate spinal cord stimulation and therapy.

Since the beginning of the year, Becker's has reported on seven spine-focused surgery centers opened or announced:

Christopher Nanson, MD, and James Ballard, MD, two orthopedic surgeons from Oregon Surgical Institute in Beaverton, joined "Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast" to discuss how to address patient concerns with surgery migration to ASCs. 

Here is a state-by-state breakdown of more than 180 ASCs that perform minimally invasive spine surgery in the U.S.:

Armen Khachatryan, MD, joined the Masson Spine Institute's ASC in Park City, Utah.

One of the first outpatient prone transpsoas procedures in the U.S. was recently performed by Samuel Joseph, MD, of Joseph Spine Institute in Tampa, Fla.

Outpatient spine surgery has grown in the past year, and some ASC administrators are deciding if adding procedures is the right move for their business. Tony Mork, MD, founder of Endoscopic Spine Academy, sees endoscopic spine procedures as an opportunity for ASCs.

From surgical benefits to payer challenges and implementation protocols, two spine surgeons outline key considerations for adding a new spine procedure:

Neurosurgeon Hamid Abbasi, MD, PhD, CMO of Burnsville, Minn.-based Inspired Spine, recently hosted a cadaver lab and surgery observation, where he performed two oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusions.

Jocelyn Idema, DO, founder of Steel City Spine and Orthopedic Center in Pittsburgh, joined "Becker's Spine & Orthopedics Podcast" to talk about how spinal care has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four spine leaders answer four questions on how spine surgery will develop at ASCs:

Park City, Utah-based Southwest Spine & Pain Center is now offering the Minuteman procedure for spinal stenosis, St. George News reports.

Here are seven updates on spine surgery in ASCs since January:

Kenneth Nwosu, MD, a spine surgeon at Puyallup, Wash.-based Neospine, joined the "Becker's Spine & Orthopedics Podcast" to outline the big trends for spine and ASCs today and in the future.