Orthopedic spine surgeon Steven Valentino, DO, of Haverford, Pa., was convicted for a medication kickback scheme with a Houston pharmacy, the Justice Department said Sept. 21.

Medical City Orthopedic and Spine Surgery Center Dallas has opened on the Dallas-based Medical City Spine Hospital Campus, according to a Sept. 21 press release sent to Becker's. 

On Sept. 13, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association submitted comments to CMS on the Medicare 2023 proposed payment rule, including asking that CMS pay separately for different levels of spine procedures. 

Kingsley Chin, MD, formed a new company, Nanisx, to push minimally invasive spine technology into ASCs.

Gainesville, Fla.-based UF Health East is renovating a facility in collaboration with Jacksonville-based Jax Spine & Pain Centers, The Florida Times-Union reported Aug. 31.

There are more than 3,500 orthopedic ASCs in the U.S., according to 2021 CMS figures, but many of them do not offer spine surgery.

From a new ASC on the way to the latest outpatient technology, here are four spine surgery developments since Aug. 1 to know:

Wenzel Spine launched the Stand-alone lumbar interbody fusion procedure using the VariLift-Lx device, the devicemaker said Aug. 29.

Cincinnati-based Mayfield Brain & Spine is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year and continues to look for new ways to expand and innovate, local news outlet WKRC reported Aug. 25.

Here are five updates from medical device giant Medtronic since May 13:

There are more than 3,500 orthopedic ASCs in the U.S., according to 2021 CMS figures, but many of them do not offer spine surgery.

From the time it requires to the revenue implications it entails, negotiating with insurers is one of the most important, if most challenging, aspects of a physician's practice. For surgeons seeking to boost reimbursement rates or ensure bills and claims are paid out as expected, there are a few factors to keep top of mind, as outlined by three spine surgeons.

In the last four months, Becker's has reported on one spine surgery center that opened in Georgia and two more in the works in California and North Carolina.

Newport Beach, Calif.-based DISC Sports & Spine Center broke ground on an ASC in Marina del Rey, Calif., that is expected to open in early 2023.

Staffing company Maxim Healthcare Services signed a lease for 71,000 square feet of a 176,000-square-foot facility that previously served as Laser Spine Institute's Tampa, Fla., headquarters, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

As reimbursement continues to decline and the cost of running a practice becomes more challenging amid rising inflation and staffing difficulties, more independent practices are anticipated to dip their toes into the world of value-based care, seen by the federal government as a viable route to reduce national healthcare spending.

Newport Beach, Calif.-based DISC Sports & Spine Center is planning to grow its footprint in California and around the U.S. through its newly-formed parent company Trias Global, Orange County Business Journal reported Aug. 2.

Inspan merged with Sacrix to form Insrix, a new spine device company, effective July 1.

There are more than 3,500 orthopedic ASCs in the U.S., according to 2021 CMS figures, but many of them do not offer spine surgery.

Here are eight outpatient spine developments Becker's has reported on since May 6: