Krzysztof Siemionow, MD, is a spine surgeon with the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute in Morton Grove, Ill., as well as a clinical assistant professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. In his role as surgeon, Dr. Siemionow considers both patient-care concerns and broader issues in the spinal world, such as the role of technology in spine surgery and what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act means to his medical field.
He sees patient access to surgeons will change, depending on the outcome of the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of PPACA and its individual mandate. "We as a physician community may face challenges as they pertain to access to care. I will be following the Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the health law," Dr. Siemionow says.
Dr. Siemionow takes a realistic, long-term approach to considering spine surgical techniques. "Patients, surgeons and companies are attracted to the idea of less invasive surgery and early outcomes data certainly is encouraging," he says. "That being said we need long term follow-up before we start claiming superiority of any new technology."
Along with several colleagues, he travels to Uganda for an annual spine surgery mission. When treating patients in Africa, he and his colleagues face a number of challenging spinal conditions rarely encountered in the United States because access to spine care is unavailable to many people in Uganda.
Dr. Siemionow received an MD from Karol Marcinkowski University in Poland and was a resident for six years at the department of orthopedic surgery in Cleveland before moving to the Chicago area in 2009 for a one-year fellowship in the department of orthopedic surgery at Rush Medical Center.
He sees patient access to surgeons will change, depending on the outcome of the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of PPACA and its individual mandate. "We as a physician community may face challenges as they pertain to access to care. I will be following the Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the health law," Dr. Siemionow says.
Dr. Siemionow takes a realistic, long-term approach to considering spine surgical techniques. "Patients, surgeons and companies are attracted to the idea of less invasive surgery and early outcomes data certainly is encouraging," he says. "That being said we need long term follow-up before we start claiming superiority of any new technology."
Along with several colleagues, he travels to Uganda for an annual spine surgery mission. When treating patients in Africa, he and his colleagues face a number of challenging spinal conditions rarely encountered in the United States because access to spine care is unavailable to many people in Uganda.
Dr. Siemionow received an MD from Karol Marcinkowski University in Poland and was a resident for six years at the department of orthopedic surgery in Cleveland before moving to the Chicago area in 2009 for a one-year fellowship in the department of orthopedic surgery at Rush Medical Center.