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America’s Best Spine Surgeons 2024
By Elizabeth Preston
Sr. Manager of Operations
Back pain afflicts a sizable portion of the U.S. population.
In January, global data intelligence platform Statista reported that a 2022 survey found that 28 percent of U.S. adults said they had chronic lower back pain. And according to the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, every year, almost 1 million U.S. patients undergo surgical procedures on their spine to help treat chronic back and neck pain.
If your back pain is constant, finding the right specialist for a specific procedure can make a profound difference in your quality of life. To help narrow that selection process, Newsweek and Statista are partnering for the first annual ranking of America's Best Spine Surgeons.
The ranking includes an evaluation of the surgeons' performed procedures based on Medicare data, an online survey of more than 30,000 medical experts, a quality-of-care rating by peers of each spine surgeon and a consideration of their American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery certifications. The 150 leading spine surgeons were ultimately recognized, representing the 20 states with the highest numbers of practicing physicians.
For patients looking to alleviate conditions that cause constant discomfort, being connected with a highly rated spinal surgeon could be the first step toward renewed, pain-free mobility.
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Kingsley O Abode-Iyamah, MD
Neurosurgery
Jacksonville, Florida
additional details
Mark Adams, MD
Neurosurgery
Saginaw, Michigan
additional details
Bradley D Ahlgren, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Troy, Michigan
additional details
Todd Alamin, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Stanford Health Care - Stanford Hospital
Stanford, California
additional details
Kevin N Ammar, MD
Neurosurgery
Memorial Health University Medical Center
Savannah, Georgia
additional details
Peter D Angevine, MD
Neurosurgery
New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell
New York, New York
additional details
Roy F Ashford, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Pasadena, California
additional details
Hyun W Bae, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Los Angeles, California
additional details
Carlos A Bagley, MD
Neurosurgery
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
additional details
Gregory W Balturshot, MD
Neurosurgery
OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
additional details
Babak Barcohana, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Southern California Orthopedic Institute
Van Nuys, California
additional details
Sushil Kumar Basra, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Pasadena, New York
additional details
John A Bendo, MD
Orthopedic surgery
New York, New York
additional details
Sigurd H Berven, MD
Orthopedic surgery
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco, California
additional details
Amandeep Bhalla, MD
Orthopedic surgery
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center
Long Beach, California
additional details
Peter L Bono, DO
Orthopedic surgery
Southfield, Michigan
additional details
Christopher R Brown, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Raleigh, North Carolina
additional details
Paul C McAfee, MD
Orthopedic surgery
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland
additional details
Brian M Cameron, MD
Neurosurgery
Richmond, Virginia
additional details
Jeffrey B Cantor, MD
Orthopedic surgery
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
additional details
Daniel L Cavanaugh, MD
Orthopedic surgery
University of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland
additional details
Thomas D Cha, MD, MBA
Orthopedic surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
additional details
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Methodology Newsweek Article – America's Best Vascular Surgeons, Spine Surgeons, Prostate Cancer Oncologists & Surgeons 2024
Statista and Newsweek have partnered to provide patients with a comprehensive resource to aid in finding the best vascular surgeons, spine surgeons, prostate cancer oncologists & surgeons in the United States for their specific treatment needs.
The lists are based on four data sources:
Physician Performance Data: As per the Medicare data obtained from CareJourney in 2022, an evaluation of the physician's performed procedures was conducted.
Online survey by state: During the survey period from March to April 2024, thousands of medical experts (physicians with knowledge in the field of the respective field, managers/administrators, and other medical professionals in the respective field) were invited to an online survey via Newsweek.com. Physicians from the 20 US states with the highest number of doctors, according to the KFF, were included in the survey.
Quality Score: For their In-State recommendations, participants were asked to assess the quality of care (e.g. treatments, follow-up care, use of most recent equipment) for each physician.
Certifications: Several board certifications were taken into consideration for all eligible physicians.
Physician Performance Data:
45 percent of total score is based on exclusive physician performance data from CareJourney. The data was used to evaluate the performance of eligible physicians.
The volume of episodes performed was compared against the state average across following measures:
● Vascular Surgeons
◦ Creation or repair of blood vessel access for dialysis
◦ Surgery to improve blood flow in carotid arteries
◦ Surgery to restore blood flow to the leg
◦ Varicose vein treatment
◦ Peripheral Vascular Disease
● Spine Surgeons
◦ Back and neck pain treatment without fusion
◦ Neck Pain and spine problems
◦ Disorder of thoracic spine
◦ Lower back pain
◦ Spinal fusion
● Prostate Cancer Oncologists:
◦Prostate Cancer (Chemo) ◦
◦Radiation Treatment of prostate cancer
● Prostate Cancer Surgeons:
◦ Surgery to remove prostate gland
Additionally the following Evaluated Quality Measures per procedure were included in the evaluation:
● Average LOS (Days) of Institutional Long-term Stay
● ER Visits per 1,000 Episodes
● Mortality Rate
● Complications by Episode
● Unplanned Readmissions per 1,000 Episodes
Physicians who performed a procedure above the state average have received from 1 to 2 ribbons.
Online survey by state:
From March to April 2024, Statista invited tens of thousands of medical experts (physicians with knowledge in the respective medical field, managers/administrators and other medical professionals in the respective medical field) in the 20 US states to an online survey. The survey was also promoted on newsweek.com.
Participants were asked to recommend physicians in their own state and in any of the other US states included in the survey. The reason of recommendation (e.g., well-known specialist), the working experience of the participant and the order of recommendation were taken into account. Participants were also able to specify a standout treatment (e.g., Surgery to improve blood flow in carotid arteries, spinal fusion or prostate cancer (chemo)) for the recommended physician.
Recommendations from peers constitute 40% of the total physician score.
Quality Score
For In-State recommendations, participants were asked to assess the quality of care (e.g., treatments, follow-up care, use of most recent equipment), professional expertise (e.g., knowledge in medical field) and waiting time (until appointment) of the prostate cancer oncologist & surgeon. For each recommended physician, participants rated the quality dimensions on a scale from 1 ("poor") to 10 ("excellent")
A quality score was calculated for each physician with In-State recommendations. This score accounts for 10% of the total score.
Certifications
Following Certifications were included in the scoring model:
Vascular Surgeons
● American Board of Surgery Certifications: Vascular Surgery and Surgery
Spine Surgeons
● American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Certification
Prostate oncologists:
● American Board of Urology
● American Board of Radiology
● American Board of Internal Medicine – Medical Oncology
Prostate surgeons:
● American Board of Urology
Notes regarding results table:
● Hospital affiliation for each physician was determined by patient count. For physicians with no data regarding hospital affiliation, affiliation was determined by desk research.
● If the specified affiliated hospital has been awarded in one hospital ranking, it is listed under 'Affiliated with best hospital'
● The state average performance for a specific procedure is marked with 1 or 2 ribbons. If a particular procedure has been recommended multiple times by peers, it is indicated under 'Peers Choice'.
Disclaimer
The rankings are comprised exclusively of physicians that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. A mention in a toplist is a positive recognition based on peer recommendations and available data sources at the time. The toplists are the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, is a reflection of the past 12 months only. Furthermore, any events preceding or following the period January 1st, 2024 – May 6th, 2024, were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of these toplists should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.
The information provided in these toplists should be considered in conjunction with other available information about physicians or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a hospital/physician's practice. The quality of physicians that are not included in the toplists are not disputed.
Download the full methodology here.
We may earn a commission from partner links on Newsweek, but commissions do not affect placement and have no influence on editor opinions or evaluations.
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