Zoher Ghogawala, M.D. Takes the Helm at NASS

Zoher Ghogawala, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, is the new president of the North American Spine Society (NASS). The announcement was made in Los Angeles, California, during the organization’s 38th annual meeting.

OTW asked Dr. Ghogawala about his plan for NASS and he explained, “I will build collaborative relationships among the major spine and neurosurgery societies to approach coding and reimbursement together with the input of all the experts within our societies. Our first effort will be to focus on cervical laminoplasty reimbursement.”

And how will he go about fostering alignment between orthopedics and neurosurgery?

“I have already begun by focusing on coding and reimbursement,” said Dr. Ghogawala to OTW. “When it comes to providing access to high quality spine care, orthopedics and neurosurgery are very much aligned. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Joint Spine Section, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and NASS must work together.”

OTW also asked if his research on comparative effectiveness come into play, Dr. Ghogawala said, “Yes, I think NASS is a spine organization that is committed to making decisions based on data. We will continue to work on examining high quality data to inform coverage recommendations and will focus on comparing the effectiveness of various spine procedures to elevate those procedures that are associated with optimal outcomes.”

“I believe that we must strive together to bring innovative spine care to our patients. But we cannot do this alone. NASS cannot act without working collaboratively with the other major spine societies.”

“We also need to understand that innovative approaches to spine care must be evaluated by multiple stakeholders and that we are obligated to examine, measure, and ultimately reduce the cost of health care in our society. One way that all spine professionals can do this is to demonstrate that our innovation can bring patients to high levels of functional capacity and ultimately improve our ability to get patients back to work. During my year as NASS President, I’d like to see spine professionals focus on getting patients back to work reliably with innovative techniques.”