Make Pain a Thing of the Past – laser spine – Physician Partners of America

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Frequently-asked Questions about Laser Spine Procedures

LASER SPINE PROCEDURES  – FAQs

The board-certified pain management specialists at Physician Partners of America now offer laser spine procedures for the most common chronic spine pain conditions. That allows you to seek pain relief close to home. It’s the latest alternative to opioid medication for back and neck pain.

Laser procedures are micro-invasive with an incision about the size of a grain of rice. The laser can be used to pinpoint and ablate pain-causing nerves. It’s precise, fast, effective, and spares your muscles the trauma of open-back surgery.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about laser spine and micro-invasive procedures.

Q: Does laser spine surgery use lasers?

A: Sometimes. The term “laser” is meant to convey the precision of the procedures. These minimally invasive techniques directly target the affected area while touching almost nothing else, acting with laser-like accuracy; but some procedures may still utilize lasers, especially on the soft tissues near the spine.

Q: Is there any recovery time?

A: There is some recovery time with laser spine surgery, but it is significantly shorter than traditional surgery. Most of the time you can go back to non-strenuous activity after only one or two weeks, and resume most strenuous activities after one month. That is far shorter than the sometimes six months some patients take to recover; but talk to your surgeon, as each individual may have different recovery times.

Q: How effective is laser spine surgery?

A: When performed by a skilled pain doctor, it is very effective, on par with open surgery. The techniques that are used continue to advance, with better approaches that offer better outcomes.

Q: Is laser back surgery covered by Medicare?

A: Yes! For most patients, Medicare covers some or all of your laser spine procedure. However, keep in mind that different plans may offer different payments. Contact us and we will be happy to provide you with an insurance benefits check to ensure that you are covered by Medicare or other insurance, or let you know how much it may be out of pocket.

Q: How do I know if I’m a candidate?

A: The best way to find out if you are a candidate for laser spine procedures is to contact us today for a consultation. We can talk to you about the available options – not just for spine surgery, but also for pain management – and see what is causing your pain and what treatment techniques are best for you.

If conservative treatment hasn’t worked for you, you may be a candidate for a laser spine procedure to treat your neck or back pain.

 

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4 Money-Saving Tips for End-of-Year Health Insurance Costs

Don’t miss a money-saving opportunity –

The clock is ticking on your health insurance costs and expenses for the year. Have you met your deductible? Have you used up your FSA or HSA? On Jan. 1, many insurance plan deductibles – the amount you’re responsible for paying before your insurance plan picks up the bill – reset to $0. You have just a few weeks left to “use it or lose it.”

If this applies to you, here are four health insurance tips to help you make the most of your healthcare dollars.

Have you met your deductible?

If you have or are close to it, schedule a visit to a primary care doctor for those tests you’ve been putting off. If your goal is to get pain-free in the new year, schedule an appointment with an interventional pain management specialist or laser spine surgeon. Physician Partners of America offers fast appointments at its pain management, laser spine and orthopedic practices.

To get a handle on health insurance costs, it’s also a good idea to refill prescriptions and schedule lab work and imaging before year’s end if insurance is likely to pick up the tab. Of course, it’s important to check your plan, as your coinsurance must also be factored in.

Still have a way to go to meet your deductible?

You should not put off seeing a doctor for serious or nagging conditions; but if you’ve only used up a fraction of your deductible, any major expenses in November and December will likely come out of your pocket. If you have chronic spine pain, here’s good news: You can schedule a second opinion with a laser spine surgeon in Texas or Florida, and have the procedure when your deductible resets in January.

Do you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?

Flexible Spending Accounts let you set aside tax-free money at the start of each year to pay for certain healthcare expenses. The downside? What you don’t use by Dec. 31, you lose. It’s important to get everything you need now. The list of eligible expenses is long and surprising: it includes prescriptions, imaging, and even travel expenses related to medical treatment for patients and certain caregivers. Pain patients eligible for laser spine procedures by renowned specialists Dr. James St. Louis and Dr. Phillip Kravetz may be able to get reimbursement for airfare, meals and lodging.

What if you have a Health Savings Account (HSA)?

Unlike the FSA, Health Savings Account dollars roll over from one year to the next. There is no pressure to spend it by the end of December. If you are young and in good health, some financial advisors suggest putting any leftover HSA funds in a tax-free investment like mutual funds to increase its value.

Good health and more money top the list of New Year’s resolutions. Get a start on both by using your end-of-year health insurance dollars wisely.

 

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Tiger Woods Back Surgery – How Does Golf Affect the Body?

He’s had four procedures in four years

Golf legend Tiger Woods’ back surgery saga has gained as much attention as his game and his personal life. His recent PGA Tour Championship performance marks his 80th win. It’s a stunning comeback after a five-year hiatus – and even more significant because he has undergone four operations for chronic pain.

Woods has suffered from pain in his lower back, known as the lumbar spine, and had discectomy surgery to relieve a pinched nerve in 2014. A discectomy removes a small piece of a vertebral disc that is pressing against pain-causing nerves.  This surgery does not affect range of movement.

One year later, he had to withdraw from the Wyndham Championship and undergo a second procedure to decompress another pinched nerve. One month after that, he has a third surgery to relieve pain from the second operation.

The golfer brushed it off as an occupational hazard. “It’s one of those things that had to be done,” he recently told People magazine.

Does Golf Cause Back Problems?

What is it about the game of golf that triggers back pain? Physician Partners of America pain management specialist Dr. Chad Gorman has a background in sports medicine and is a golfer himself.

“While golf is a beautiful sport that requires precision and eye coordination, strength, endurance and focus, there are many common injuries that golfers are prone to getting,” he said.

It’s well known that years of powerful swinging motions can cause tendonitis and “golfer’s elbow,” technically known as lateral epicondylitis.

Tiger Woods’ back surgery history shows that golfers are also prone to chronic lower back pain. “The amount of force that can be created while swinging a golf club puts golfers at increased risk of acute disc herniation, stress fractures and other common causes of back pain,” says Dr. Gorman, who practices in PPOA’s New Port Richey, Fla. location.

Disc herniation occurs when the soft center of a disc that separate spinal bones pushes out and presses against surrounding nerves. It can result in pain, numbness and weakness in an arm or leg.  Woods complained of severe leg pain after his third back surgery, and had to undergo a fourth in 2017. That specialized procedure, known as an interior lumbar interbody fusion, welds unstable vertebrae together so they heal into a single, solid bone.

Lower Back Pain Treatments

Woods recently told People that he is now pain-free, but has to make some adjustments to his swing. “He has had to change his spinal rotation significantly due to the fusion in his back,” Dr. Gorman observes.

For weekend golfers, surgery is not always necessary. Some benefit from aggressive physical therapy. Epidural steroid injections (ESI) and platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy can also help ward off surgery in some cases.

Physician Partners of America Pain Relief Group physicians offer ESI, regenerative medicine and other interventional treatments. In cases of pinched nerves or disc disease, the PPOA Minimally Invasive Spine Group offers laser-assisted procedures that can be done in one day with minimal downtime.

 

 

 

 

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PPOA Accepting Medicare for Laser Spine Procedures

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Does Medicare Cover Laser Back Surgery?

Good news for seniors who have put off treating neck or back pain because of cost: Physician Partners of America is one of the few healthcare providers that accepts Medicare for minimally invasive laser spine

procedures.

These procedures typically cost patients thousands of dollars without Medicare or insurance coverage.

With most laser spine surgeries, the surgeon and the surgical facility are billed separately. Physician Partners of America accepts traditional Medicare for both the physician and the facility, allowing the procedure to be become more affordable for Medicare patients.

“No one should be forced to live with excruciating pain because they can’t afford surgical intervention,” said James St. Louis, D.O., MS, director of PPOA’s Minimally Invasive Laser Spine Group. “We are pleased to be able to make this life-changing option to our patients very affordable.”

Laser spine surgery performed by experts

Dr. St. Louis, the surgical founder of Laser Spine Institute in Tampa, Fla., joined PPOA in January. Phillip Kravetz, M.D., another pioneer in the field, will perform these procedures in Texas.

Minimally invasive laser spine procedures are fast becoming the gold standard for addressing severe spine-related pain. Minimally invasive refers to the small incision (less than one inch) and tiny instruments used to perform a procedure. Narrow dilation tubes are fed through the incision to spread the muscles surrounding the back. In contrast, traditional open back surgery uses a five- to six-inch incision. Through this a surgeon must cut and tear muscles to reach the spine.

The laser is mainly used for ablations and disc work.

Laser spine surgery isn’t the only way PPOA ensures a good patient outcome. Its surgeons also use intraoperative neuromonitoring to further ensure safety of the patient’s neural system during the operation. IONM can “see” what neither the doctor nor the fluoroscopy (live x-ray) machine can, and it helps avoid accidental injury.

The methods used in PPOA’s minimally invasive laser spine surgery allow for a totally outpatient procedure. Most patients are able to walk out of the surgery center the same day, and resume activities in days or weeks, as opposed to months with traditional surgery.

Life changing procedures

Patients who have had this procedure at Physician Partners of America call it nothing short of a miracle.

“I couldn’t walk. I could hardly leave my couch, couldn’t bend over to pick anything up without pain, said Medicare patient Laura Wall, 63, of Sun City Center, Fla. Since she’s had laser spine surgery by Dr. St. Louis, “I can swim and walk and do everything I want. Looking forward to working out. It’s the best move I’ve ever made. I’m very satisfied. More than satisfied.”

Patients can make an appointment with Dr. Kravetz at 817-576-0885, or reach Dr. St. Louis by calling 855-25-LASER.

 

Laser Spine Surgery "Quick Answers"

Q: Is Laser Spine Surgery Covered by Medicare?

A: Laser Spine Surgery is covered by Medicare if the surgeon and the facility where the surgery is performed are both in network with Medicare.

Q: Does Medicare cover Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

A: Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery is covered by Medicare if the surgeon and the facility where the surgery is performed are both in network with Medicare. You can expect to contribute to part of the costs as you would with most surgical procedures covered by Medicare.

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