Frequently Asked
Questions About the
BioSpine Institute

Look for these indicators:

• BOARD CERTIFICATION: A good indicator of a surgeon’s competence is certification by a surgical board that is approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Surgeons who are board-certified in a surgical specialty have completed years of residency training and demonstrated knowledge and competence by successfully passing a rigorous examination.
• FELLOWSHIP TRAINED: The term Fellowship Trained means the physician has passed a thorough evaluation of both professional competence and ethical fitness. Fellows are board-certified surgeons have completed an additional year of specific training in their specialty.
• HIGH SURGICAL VOLUME: Ask your surgeon how many of your type of operation they have performed in the past year. If a doctor is not performing an operation like yours at least every few weeks, you have reason to believe a more practiced surgeon may lead to a better outcome. Many practices have surgeons who started their careers in a different specialty and now are being trained in a new specialty, so do not be afraid to be press the surgeon about your specific procedure.

Our average length of time under anesthesia is 30-50 minutes for all of our procedures. But our physicians are highly skilled and experienced. A similar procedure with a less-experienced surgeon could take 2½ – 6½ hours or more.

Minimally Invasive is our specific surgical approach and the surgeons at BioSpine have performed thousands of minimally invasive surgeries. Here are the key factors to understanding the difference between a traditional approach and a minimally invasive approach – A typical minimally invasive operation begins with a mere ¾” incision, through which dilators are used to gently separate muscle to expose the problem area. Note that this important step eliminates the need to cut muscle fibers. In the traditional approach the opening will be 4” x 6” where the muscles are cut and stripped.

If you are being told that you are NOT a candidate for minimally invasive, that should be interpreted as “that specific surgeon cannot perform the procedure with this approach”.

Note: Many surgeons claim to use Minimally Invasive techniques. But it is extremely difficult to learn and only a few have mastered it our level of competency.

Some advantages of minimally invasive surgery are:

• Quicker return to normal activities
• Less use of post-operative narcotics
• Less post-operative pain
• Minimal blood loss
• Shorter recovery time
• Excellent outcomes
• Out patient procedure
• Less than 0.1% infection rate

We work closely and file with most insurances. Our dedicated team of Insurance Specialists will answer your questions and assist you through the process.