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collaboration will alter the landscape of healthcare. Those that accept that change is inevitable and proactively prepare for it can have a significant role in shaping their futures and avoiding the prospect of having change dictated. n pinnacleiii.com Stress Relief Development •Management • Billing Ambulatory Surgery Center Spine 11 The State of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Q&A With SMISS Co-Founder Dr. William Taylor By Laura Miller William Taylor, MD, a spine surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, is one of the pioneers of minimally invasive spine surgery in the United States. He helped found the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery — which has grown tremendously over the past five years — and is a past president of the organization. “Transitioning to minimally invasive spine surgery has been a long, slow process,” says Dr. Taylor. “About 20 percent of the spine surgeons in the United States are performing minimally invasive surgery now, and that number will continue to increase. The demand comes from patients, doctors, hospitals and insurers. Minimally invasive surgery is preferable because there are fewer complications and a shorter recovery time. Most surgical specialties have adopted minimally invasive technique; however, spine has been a bit slower.” Dr. Taylor discusses the evolution of minimally invasive spine surgery and where the field is headed in the future. Q: Minimally invasive spine surgery has been around for several years and some procedures indicate a clear advantage for patients over the open technique. Why have many surgeons been reluctant to adopt it? Dr. William Taylor: If you compare spine surgery to other specialties — general surgery — spine surgeons have been relatively slow in adopting the technique. You won’t see a surgeon perform an open gallbladder surgery instead of laparoscopy; surgeons who do seem like they are behind the times because patients have gravitated toward minimally invasive procedures. Spine surgery hasn’t followed suit as quickly as other specialties. I can’t understand the exact reason, but there are barriers in training, education and resources. Most surgeons who are currently practicing spine surgery didn’t learn minimally invasive techniques in their residencies and it takes a great deal of extra training to become expert with the procedure. Another potential barrier is the lack of standardization for minimally invasive spine surgery. For example, there is one way to perform an appendectomy and if you need that procedure, every surgeon will follow the same steps. However, when patients need a spine surgery for something is now Improve your Financial Results and Eliminate your Billing Concerns “Business is all about trusted relationships, and we have forged such a relationship with SourceMedical. They are reliable, professional, courteous, and have helped us navigate some very complex waters over the years. Without hesitation, I would recommend their ASC Billing Services to anyone – particularly if you are seeking to improve your top and bottom line.” - Mark E. Smith, Chief Administrative Officer Orthopedic Associates of Wisconsin ASC Billing Done Right Deep ASC billing domain expertise means that your surgery center receives maximum reimbursement for all procedures. Whether “in network” or “out of network”, we are focused on quality processes and positive outcomes for every client. Complete Revenue Cycle Management by a Proven Leader Insurance verification, coding, collections, appeals and denials management, and customized reporting – all from the industry leader in ASC Software and ASC Billing Services. We provide each client a dedicated team of functional experts, ensuring continuity and eliminating disruptions in your revenue stream. To Learn More: w 866-889-7722 w revenuecyclesolutions@sourcemed.net w www.sourcemed.net/revenue-cycle 12 Spine like L4-L5 spondylolisthesis, there are many different acceptable procedures surgeons can do — there isn’t just one agreed upon standard. Q: What factors will play a role in further spreading minimally invasive surgical technique? WT: Right now, residents going into fellowship programs want to learn minimally invasive techniques for spine surgery. It’s growing more quickly in academic settings and private practices than in large medical centers. More people are learning about minimally invasive surgery every year. Its growth clearly depends on surgeon, patient and insurer preference. Minimally invasive spine surgery is a harder technique to perform and it occasionally takes longer in the OR until you overcome the learning curve. We also sometimes have difficulty receiving reimbursement for the minimally invasive procedures, all of which make them occasionally less appealing than the traditional open technique, despite its value for patients and other stakeholders I co-founded SMISS with Choll Kim, MD — he’s really the driver and standard bearer for the society. We started it five years ago because in the world of academics, there wasn’t a place for papers or presentations on minimally invasive spine surgery. Now, other societies are starting to have a bigger interest in minimally invasive procedures, which helps spread the word. Q: You mentioned one of the barriers to minimally invasive surgery is the lack of standardization among procedures. As the technique
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