Note: The public comment period for this has passed. Thank you for your input. Member Input Needed The US Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) has taken up a comparative effectiveness review of “Spinal Fusion for Treating Painful Lumbar Degenerated Discs or Joints.” They recently released a draft report and have provided a public comment...

ISASS Thanks our Members for Stepping Up On November 1st, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. Of particular note to ISASS members is CMS’ decision to assign a valuation (‘relative value units’) to a recently approved Category I CPT® code 22586: pre-sacral interbody fusion...

ISASS Policy Statement – Cervical Total Disc Arthroplasty Symptomatic cervical disc disease (CDD) refractory to non‐surgical care is currently treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with good clinical results reported1‐3. Fusion does however eliminate natural motion increasing stresses on adjacent levels, and progressive degeneration at the levels around the fusion has b...

In response to the US Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), ISASS issues the following statement: ISASS remains committed to working on behalf of our US-based spine surgeons to ensure that the PPACA is implemented in ways that ensure our patients’ access to medically indicated and...