Kevin Foley, MD, is the chairman of Semmes Murphey Clinic and director of complex spine surgery at Semmes Murphey.

His practice focuses on minimally invasive surgery, robotics, and disc regeneration. He has written more than 35 book chapters and has 125-plus scientific journal publications. He has also invested in several medical devices and been issued 150 patents. Earlier this year, Dr. Foley received the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Cushing Award for Technical Excellence and Innovation in Neurosurgery.

Here, he shares key thoughts on the most exciting technology to watch and how the spine field is evolving.

Question: What emerging technology are you most interested in today and why?

Dr. Kevin Foley: I am interested in technologies that have the potential to improve upon various aspects of contemporary spine surgery, especially those that can add value by improving the quality of spine surgery at a competitive cost. For example, I am involved in the development of progenitor cells derived from human disc tissue to treat degenerative disc disease and postpone or avoid fusion, ultrasonic imaging combined with artificial intelligence-enhanced algorithms to detect critical neural structures and prevent damage to these structures, a bioresorbable, osteoconductive, wet-field mineral-organic bone adhesive to repair and enhance bony structures and improve spinal fixation in poor quality bone, an improved means of generating intraoperative three-dimensional images, and a cost-effective spinal robotic system.

Q: How do you think your practice will change in the next three years? What are you doing today to prepare?

KF: Over the next year or two, my practice will likely change incrementally. Already, for example, the majority of my spinal surgery cases are performed minimally invasively and over half are performed in our surgery center. This trend will continue and slowly increase. Beyond that near term, I expect to see more significant changes in reimbursement, continued pressures on providers to lower costs and risk-share, the adoption of the above and other new technologies, especially if they improve the value of care and/or address previously unmet clinical needs, and increasing involvement of physicians in managing the healthcare system. We are the key drivers of improved value.

We are doing several things at Semmes-Murphey Clinic to prepare for the future. We have entered into co-management agreements with the two largest regional healthcare systems, we are constructing a prospective bundle of our services to market to businesses, and we continue to emphasize and measure quality. In that regard, we have been major contributors to the Quality Outcomes Database and will be a vanguard site for the newly organized AANS-AAOS American Spine Registry.

Q: What is the most dangerous trend in healthcare, spine or orthopedics today and why?

KF: I believe the most dangerous trend in healthcare has been the tendency of too many physicians not to get involved in the management of the field. Delivering quality patient care can be time-consuming and exhausting, but we ignore the management of healthcare delivery at our peril and ultimately, to the detriment of our patients.

This article was written by Laura Dyrda with Becker's Healthcare Online

Dr. Adam Arthur is on a mission to get FDA approval for a new procedure that can prevent stroke-causing ruptures in the brain. 

“In Memphis, we are right in the middle of what we call the stroke belt,” Arthur said. “I really think it’s great we are doing things to reduce the risk and morbidity of patients who are at risk of stroke.”  

In 2018, Arthur was beginning a clinical trial of a new product so AVF patients can potentially have a way of stopping a leak before it causes a stroke - AVFs are found in the dura mater around the brain. The new product is called PHIL Liquid Embolic System, or PHIL for short, which stands for Precipitating Hydrophobic Injectable Liquid. The substance was invented in California by Microvention-Terumo Inc. and has been tested at the Medical Education & Research Institute (MERI), across the street from Methodist University Hospital. 

Instead of cranial surgery, PHIL is a paste-like substance that can block or close the AVF using catheterization, or a long thin tube that is inserted in a vein and threaded through to the affected blood vessel. The products on the market today require surgeons to mix the vessel-filling paste with iodine, which can leak out over time creating an artifact, or shine, on future CT scans and MRI images. Iodine is bonded onto the chemical backbone used in PHIL, so it is less likely to leak and visible to the surgeon at the time of injection using X-ray guidance.

The first patient in Tenessee received the new procedure in December 2018. Dr. Arthur is hopeful that this new product will receive FDA approval in the coming years.

This is a summary from The Daily Memphian. Read the full article here.

Let this year’s list of Top Doctors be your first resource should you need care, whether it’s back pain or something more serious. These specialists have been chosen among peers as the best in their field. Put your health in their hands.

Congratulations to these Semmes Murphey physicians for being awarded Top Doctors of 2019 in the field of interventional pain management, neurology, and neurosurgery. 
 

Kenan Arnautovic, MD, Ph.D., FAANS, FACS
Special Interests: Micro-neurosurgery (skull base, vascular, tumor, Chiari, peripheral nerves), complex spinal surgery instrumentation, microsurgical anatomy,neuro-navigation
Board Certifications: American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) 2005
Education: the University of Sarajevo, University Clinical Center in Sarajevo, University of Arkansas
Memberships: American College of Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgery, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Hobbies: Soccer, Snow skiing, Memphis Grizzlies 

Adam Arthur, MD, MPH, FACS
Special Interests: Multidisciplinary advanced fellowship training programs in vascular neurosurgery, neurosurgery and catheter-based endovascular neurosurgery, research to improve outcomes for stroke and aneurysm patients
Board Certifications: American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) 2005
Education: BA and MD- University of Virginia, MPH- University of Utah
Memberships: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Hobbies: Family, snowboarding, racquetball  

Frederick A. Boop, MD
Special Interests: Pediatric neurosurgery, surgery for epilepsy and brain tumors
Board Certifications: American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Education: the University of Arkansas, University of Texas, University of Minnesota
Memberships: American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons and the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons  

Lucas Elijovich, MD
Special Interests:  Brain aneurysms, acute ischemic stroke, pediatric intracranial vascular malformations 
Board Certifications:  Neurology, Vascular and Critical Care Neurology, Neurointerventional Surgery
Education: Tufts University in Massachusetts, BS; the University of Texas in Galveston, MD; New York University, Residency
Memberships:  American Heart Association Society of Neurointerventional Surgery – Senior Member Neurocritical Care Society  
Fellowships:  University of California San Francisco, Roosevelt Hospital, New York, New York

Special Interests: Minimally invasive spine surgery, surgery for ruptured discs or stenosis in neck or back, spinal fusion surgery 
Board Certifications:  Neurological Surgery (Surgery of Brain and Spine)
Education: the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – Medical School and Neurosurgery Residency

Memberships: American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), American Academy of Neurological Surgery, North American Spine Society  

Special Interests: Brain aneurysms, cerebrovascular neurosurgery, endovascular neurology  
Board Certifications: American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) 
Education: Johns Hopkins, Yale, Tufts New England Medical Center 

Memberships: American Association of Neurosurgical Surgeons, Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, Congress of Neurological Surgeons 
Hobbies: Vintage film, motorsports, rock collecting 

Special Interests: Pediatric neurosurgery, adult brain tumors, adult hydrocephalus, moyamoya disease  
Board Certifications: American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery  
Education: Simon Fraser University (premed), Medical College of Wisconsin (medical school), University of Utah (residency), Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard University (pediatric fellowship) 

Memberships: American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery (ASPN), American Academy of Neurological Surgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Surgeons 
Additional Information: Dr. Klimo has prior military duty with United States Air Force (1995-2010), honorable discharge  

Special Interests: Management of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors. Caring for adult patients with migraines, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis 
Board Certifications: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology  
Education: King George’s Medical College at Lucknow University, University of Tennessee

Memberships: American Academy of Neurology (AAN) American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) USA  
Hobbies: Natural photography, traveling, and reading 

Special Interests: Spinal stimulation for chronic pain, regenerative and biological disc therapy, complex interventional therapy
Board Certifications: American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Pain Medicine
Education: Yale School of Medicine, MD; Yale School of Public Health, MPH

Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Hobbies: Bass guitarist for Memphis Soul Remedy and Copacetic901 

Search all Top Doctors Here!

Michael Beckman underwent brain surgery in November of 2018 to have a benign tumor removed from his pituitary gland. The tumor was discovered by Beckman's primary care doctor when he went in for dizziness. Beckman was then referred to Dr. Madison Michael and ENT Dr. Sanjeet Rangarajan to start plans of getting the tumor removed. 

With the location and size of Bekman's tumor, Dr. Michael knew he was a great candidate for the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA), a modern surgical technique used to remove brain tumors through the nose. This technique is minimally invasive where, traditionally, brain tumors are removed through an incision on the scalp or forehead and leads to a longer recovery.

The EEA technique is now the standard of care here at Semmes Murphey and Methodist University Hospital, where Beckman's surgery took place. The surgery lasted about five hours and Michael Beckman was able to return to home the next day. He was extremely grateful to be able to go home so quickly. 

“The evolution of this technique has all been dependent on a multidisciplinary approach. Working together with an ENT makes this extremely safe and extremely effective.” - Dr. Madison Michael 

When the EEA procedure was new, cerebral spinal fluid leaks were not uncommon, causing headaches and affecting sense of smell, vision and hearing for patients. Since Rangarajan and Michael began working together over the past year, their leak rate is 0%. 

This is a summary taken from the Daily Memphian. Read the full article here!