For over a decade, Frank Phillips, M.D., Todd Albert, M.D. and Alex Vaccaro, M.D., have been gathering spine surgeons, engineers, industry executives and an assortment of regulators, payers and policymakers together to debate, discuss and educate each other about the latest technologies and business of spine care.
Their 12th Annual “State of Spine Surgery – A Think Tank” Symposium takes place in Cabo, Mexico from June 18 to June 21, 2015.
The healthcare systems that Phillips, Albert and Vaccaro work for and run (Rush University Medical Center, Hospital of Special Surgery (HSS) and Rothman Institute, respectively) are second to none in the number of research papers, clinical trials and evidence-gathering performed in the U.S. At HSS alone, more than 25, 000 surgical procedures are performed every year.
Their symposium explores current and controversial issues in spinal care with extensive discussion and interaction between the outstanding faculty and participants. The “Cabo Meeting” has gained a reputation as one of the most innovative, relevant and educational gatherings of spine surgeons and other stakeholders in spine care.
Surgeon/Industry Collaboration
Unlike major medical society meetings where surgeon and spine industry leader interactions are considered “suspect, ” this meeting encourages the free flow of information and knowledge of promising new technologies between industry and surgeons.
No other area of musculoskeletal care is as unsettled as spine care. Surgeons need access to each other and industry leaders to separate the wheat from the chaff. Here, surgeons report on their own experience, are free to debate each other, challenge industry scientists, and focus solely on the potential benefits and risks for their patients, practices and profession.
World-Class Faculty
There are debates and sessions on the success and failures of devices and procedures, controversies, innovative technology updates and the future of spine care led by undisputed masters of spine. The faculty includes names like: Garfin, Pimenta, Berven, Gornett, Fessler, Sasso, Bae, Hsu, Anand, Guyer, Zigler, Hochschuler, Lieberman, Abitbol, Sandhu, Goldstein, Khan, Cha, Kurd, Badlani, Mundis, Uribe, Blaskiewicz, Muehlbauer, Colman, Calodney, Duhon, Araghi, and Hipp.
Splendid Isolation
But it’s after the daily sessions and formal debates that the meeting really gets interesting. Being isolated at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, literally one of the ends of the earth, the participants eat, drink and lounge together to talk to one another like no one is eavesdropping. No whistleblowers, regulators, compliance officers or press officers hovering over private conversations. Just docs, engineers and entrepreneurs talking about how to develop and get the best spine care to patients.
Of course, there is talk of business. What’s affordable? What will payers and hospitals buy? What will the FDA and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) approve? Are there adequate markets and distribution channels? Who is doing the most interesting research work? What does and doesn’t work outside the narrow indications allowed by FDA labelling?
Past meetings have been groundbreaking with industry and surgeons defining a new relationship; surgeon leaders describing how they are keeping control of their decision-making and health systems and what the new measures of evidence will be to convince patients and payers of “what’s best.”
This Year’s Highlights
This year is no different.
Bill Watters, M.D., the immediate past president of the North American Spine Society (NASS) will start the meeting by speaking candidly and openly about the surgeon experience of moving from private practice to being a healthcare system employee in an on-stage interview with this writer. Watters knows, because after 25 years of private practice he’s gone to work for a healthcare system himself. He’ll share for the first time a survey of NASS members’ views and opinions about their role in the new pay-for-performance world.
In the opening session, “The New Masters of Spine: Buyers and Payers, ” you will hear what payers have to say about the spine surgeon’s role. Frank Phillips and a hospital payer will join the interview to discuss how the shift from fee-for-service (volume) to pay-for-performance (value) will impact spine surgeons and new technologies.
Then the attendees will get busy with a meaty agenda.
General Sessions
There are sessions moderated by spine leaders to discuss the following topics:
Innovative Technologies/Updates – Ali Araghi
Ali Araghi, D.O. with the CORE Institute in Phoenix will moderate eight presentations talking about the latest innovative spine technologies.
What’s New – Izzy Lieberman
- What’s new in spinal tumor management — Matt Coleman, M.D.
- Techniques for reducing surgical infection — Safdar Khan, M.D.
- Alphabet soup of spino-pelvic parameters-making sense of acronyms—which ones really matter? — Matt Coleman, M.D.
- Fusion biologics: Evidence-based approach — Harvinder “Vin” Sandhu, M.D.
Debates
And then there are the most fun sessions – the debates. Not only are they informative, they are entertaining and fun. This year, the debates include:
- Spinal Alignment Moderator: Greg Mundis
• We have been ignoring alignment and we now need to get our act straight — Juan Uribe, M.D.
• Are we over-treating—is this the golden ticket for implant companies? – Alex Vaccaro, M.D., Ph.D.
• Is every degenerative case a deformity case? — Steven Garfin, M.D. - Debate-Cervical Laminoplasty for Myelopathy without Instability Moderator: Jack Zigler, M.D.
• Laminoplasty is the optimal approach — Jeffrey Goldstein, M.D.
• Laminectomy and fusion is the way to go — Jean-Jacques Abitbol, M.D. - Grade 2 Isthmic Spondylolisthesis in Adult Moderator: Rick Sasso, M.D.
• Posterior approach is adequate — Harvinder “Vin” Sandhu, M.D.
• Requires anterior surgery — Ali Araghi, D.O. - Degenerative Spondylolisthesis Moderator: Rick Fessler, M.D.
• Does not always require fusion — Ali Araghi, D.O.
• Just fuse and be done — Rick Sasso, M.D.
Signing Up
To see the entire agenda and find out how to sign up for the meeting, click here if you’re willing to travel to one of the ends of the earth to find new answers in spine.
