Reimbursement of Lumbar Fusion at an Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital Versus Tertiary Referral Center.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To explore the differences in Medicare reimbursement for lumbar fusion performed at an orthopaedic specialty hospital (OSH) and a tertiary referral center and to elucidate drivers of Medicare reimbursement differences.

Summary Of Background Data: To provide more cost-efficient care, appropriately selected patients are increasingly being transitioned to OSHs for lumbar fusion procedures.

Preoperative Opioid Prescribers and Lumbar Fusion: Their Effect on Clinical Outcomes and Postoperative Opioid Usage.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To determine the impact of multiple preoperative opioid prescribers on postoperative patient opioid usage and patient-reported outcome measures after single-level lumbar fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Prior literature has identified opioid prescriptions from multiple postoperative providers increase opioid usage rates.

Risk stratification of patients undergoing outpatient lumbar decompression surgery.

Background Context: Reimbursement has slowly transitioned from a fee-for-service model to a bundled payment model after introduction of the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services bundled payment program. To minimize healthcare costs, some surgeons are trying to minimize healthcare expenditures by transitioning appropriately selected lumbar decompression patients to outpatient procedure centers.

Purpose: To prepare a risk stratification calculator based on machine learning algorithms to improve surgeon's preoperative predictive capability of determining whether a patient undergoing lumbar decompression will meet inpatient vs.

Single-level Lumbar Fusion Versus Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Comparison of 1-year Outcomes.

Introduction: Primary hip and knee arthroplasty represent two of the most successful orthopaedic surgical interventions in the past century. Similarly, lumbar fusion (LF) remains a valuable, evidence-based option to relieve pain and disability related to spinal degenerative conditions. This study evaluates the relative improvements in 1-year health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures among patients undergoing primary single-level LF, primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), and primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

The Effect of Online Prescription Drug Monitoring on Opioid Prescription Habits After Elective Single-level Lumbar Fusion.

Introduction: The United States opioid epidemic is a well-documented crisis stemming from increased prescriptions of narcotics. Online prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are a potential resource to mitigate narcotic misuse by tracking controlled substance prescriptions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate opioid prescription trends after implementation of an online PDMP in patients who underwent single-level lumbar fusion.

Clinical Outcomes at One-year Follow-up for Patients With Surgical Site Infection After Spinal Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Objective: To compare health-related quality of life outcomes at one-year follow-up between patients who did and did not develop surgical site infection (SSI) after thoracolumbar spinal fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: SSI is among the most common healthcare-associated complications.

The Effect of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Procedure Duration on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

Objective: To determine whether operative duration of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) significantly affects patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) 90 days after surgery and at 1-year follow-up.

Methods: Patients who underwent primary 1-level to 4-level ACDF were retrospectively identified. Demographic data and PROMs were collected through chart review.

Risk Factors for 30-day and 90-day Readmission After Lumbar Decompression.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess readmission rates and risk factors for 30-day and 90-day readmission after elective lumbar decompression at a single institution.

Summary Of Background Data: Hospital readmission is an undesirable aspect of interventional treatment.

Effect of a Mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Program on Patient-initiated Phone Calls After Spine Surgery.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a statewide, government-mandated prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) on patient-initiated phone calls after lumbar and cervical spinal surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Prior studies have examined the most common reasons for a postoperative phone calls, most of which pertain to pain or prescription medications.

Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Insurance Status of Spine Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been shown to broadly affect access to care, there is little data examining the change in insurance status with regard to nonelective spinal trauma, infection, and tumor patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changes in insurance status before and after implementation of the ACA in patients who present to the emergency room of a single, level 1 trauma and regional spinal cord injury center. Patient demographic and hospital course information were derived from consult notes and electronic medical record review.

Biologic Augmentation for the Operative Treatment of Osteochondral Defects of the Knee: A Systematic Review.

Background: Various surgical treatment options exist for repairing, replacing, or regenerating tissue to fill osteochondral defects. Biologic augmentation has been increasingly studied as an adjunct in the surgical treatment of osteochondral defects of the knee in animal and human models.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of the study was to systematically review use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow concentrate (BMC) augmentation in the surgical treatment of osteochondral knee defects and to describe the outcomes.

Reimbursement of Lumbar Decompression at an Orthopedic Specialty Hospital Versus Tertiary Referral Center.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in Medicare reimbursement for one- to three-level lumbar decompression procedures performed at a tertiary referral center versus an orthopedic specialty hospital (OSH).

Summary Of Background Data: Lumbar decompression surgery is one of the most commonly performed spinal procedures.

Hip Dislocation and Subluxation in Athletes: A Systematic Review.

Background: Hip dislocation is a rare occurrence during sports but carries serious implications for athletes.

Purpose: To systematically review treatment strategies and outcomes for hip dislocation in athletes, with the ultimate goal of providing sports medicine physicians with the information necessary to appropriately treat and counsel patients sustaining this injury.

Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Discharge Disposition and Clinical Outcomes After Spine Surgery.

Objective: Spinal decompression with or without fusion is one of the most commonly performed procedures in spine surgery. However, there is limited evidence on the effect of discharge environment on outcomes after surgery. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of discharge disposition setting on clinical outcomes after spine surgery.

Comparison Between Three- and Four-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Patient-Reported and Radiographic Outcomes.

Objective: We compared the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes after 3- and 4-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in a retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Patients who had undergone primary 3- or 4-level ACDF were retrospectively identified. The demographic data and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were collected through a review of the medical records.

A comparison of match outcomes between traditional medical degree and dual-degree applicants.

Background: Dual degrees combining and MD with another professional degree (MPH, MBA, or PhD) are becoming more common in an attempt to increase an applicant's competitivity for a residency.

Objective: This study was designed to assess differences in MD-only and dual degree MD applicants with respect to applicant characteristics and match outcomes.

Methods: Utilizing the voluntarily-reported publicly available 2017-2019 Texas STAR database, we assessed applicants from 115 medical schools.

Softball pitching mechanics and shoulder injuries: a narrative review.

Softball is the third most popular women's collegiate sport in the United States, with 19,680 total athletes as of the 2015-2016 season. Despite its popularity and growth in recent years, research focusing on the biomechanics of the windmill pitch and its associated shoulder injuries is relatively scarce. The incidence of shoulder injury is highest during the preseason and the beginning of the regular season.

Phosphorylation of the Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 by Cyclin-dependent Kinase 5 affects Chemo-nociception.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a key neuronal kinase that is upregulated during inflammation, and can subsequently modulate sensitivity to nociceptive stimuli. We conducted an in silico screen for Cdk5 phosphorylation sites within proteins whose expression was enriched in nociceptors and identified the chemo-responsive ion channel Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) as a possible Cdk5 substrate. Immunoprecipitated full length TRPA1 was shown to be phosphorylated by Cdk5 and this interaction was blocked by TFP5, an inhibitor that prevents activation of Cdk5.