Spine Surgery for New York Patients · Naples & Fort Myers FL · Fellowship-Trained Neurosurgeon
HSS is the best hospital
for orthopedics in the world.
TOPS isn’t on their menu either.
Hospital for Special Surgery. Columbia Spine. NYU Langone. Weill Cornell. Mount Sinai. New York has the most celebrated spine programs in medicine. What none of them routinely offer is TOPS motion-preserving surgery, cervical and lumbar disc replacement for eligible patients, or Barricaid annular closure. And at every one of them, residents and fellows participate in surgery. In Naples, Florida, Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally. Telemedicine from anywhere in New York. Surgery during your Florida stay.
"HSS is the number one orthopedic hospital in the world. Columbia, NYU Langone, and Weill Cornell are in the same tier. What none of them offer is TOPS — which produced 77% clinical success vs. 24% for fusion in the FDA randomized trial. The technology gap is not about surgical quality. It is about certification. And it is real."
Dr. G. Katsevman, MD · Neurosurgeon & Spine SurgeonThe honest comparison
What New York’s powerhouse spine programs offer —
and what they don’t
HSS, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NYU Langone Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Mount Sinai are among the finest academic medical centers on earth. The gap is specific and structural — certain technologies require certifications that even the most prestigious programs have not pursued, and every one of these institutions is a teaching hospital where residents and fellows participate in surgery. This is not a criticism. It is a fact worth knowing before you decide.
HSS · Columbia · NYU Langone
Weill Cornell · Mount Sinai
World-class standard spine surgeryThese institutions produce genuinely excellent outcomes for ACDF, lumbar fusion, discectomy, and laminectomy. The quality of surgical training and expertise is not in question.
TOPS not available — at any of themThe FDA Breakthrough Device for spondylolisthesis — 77% vs. 24% over fusion in the FDA RCT — is not offered at HSS, Columbia, NYU Langone, Weill Cornell, or Mount Sinai. The certification required has not been pursued at any major New York academic program.
Disc replacement rarely discussedDespite 5× lower cervical reoperation rates, most New York spine surgeons recommend fusion by default. Device certifications for Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, and ProDisc-L® are not standard at New York academic programs.
Barricaid not standard anywhere in New YorkThe 81% reherniation reduction of Barricaid annular closure is not part of standard New York discectomy — not at HSS, not at NYU, not at Columbia. The annular defect is left open at surgery.
Residents and fellows participate in every surgeryHSS, NYU Langone, Columbia, Weill Cornell, and Mount Sinai are all teaching hospitals. Residents and fellows perform portions of surgeries at every one of them. This is how excellent surgeons are trained — but not what most patients assume.
Wait times of weeks to monthsDemand at New York’s flagship academic centers is significant. Consultation wait times are typically weeks, surgery scheduling often months.
This practice in Naples — what’s different
TOPS — one of few certified surgeons in the US77% clinical success vs. 24% fusion at 2 years in FDA RCT. Motion preserved. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge. Official TOPS surgeon locator. Not available at any major New York institution.
Disc replacement — certified for all three devicesSimplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®. 5× lower cervical reoperation rate. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar. Every appropriate candidate is presented with disc replacement — not offered fusion by default.
Barricaid on every eligible discectomy81% fewer reherniations. The annular defect is closed at the time of surgery — standard here, not practiced at New York academic centers.
Dr. Katsevman performs every case personallyNo residents. No fellows. No exceptions — not in a single case. The surgeon who reviewed your MRI is the surgeon who operates, from first incision to final closure.
Telemedicine from New York — no travel for consultationUpload your imaging. Dr. Katsevman reviews personally. Full evaluation from Manhattan, Long Island, Westchester, or New Jersey — before you commit to anything.
Surgery scheduled around your timelineNo months-long wait. When surgery is indicated and you are ready, it is scheduled. For New York patients who travel to Florida anyway, surgery and recovery can happen during your time in Southwest Florida.
The technology difference
What’s available here
that HSS, Columbia, NYU, and Weill Cornell don’t offer
77% vs 24% over fusion in FDA RCT. Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis. Stabilizes the slip. Preserves motion. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge.
77% vs 24% · FDA RCT5× lower cervical reoperation rate vs. ACDF at 5 years. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar. Certified for all three devices.
5× lower reoperation · FDA IDEAnnular closure at surgery. 81% fewer reherniations in eligible patients. Sub-quarter-inch incision. Same-day discharge. Not practiced at any major New York center.
81% fewer reherniationsManufactured from your CT scan. Perfect endplate contact. Patient-specific lordosis. EOS full-spine standing alignment planning. Not available at New York academic centers.
Continuous SSEP, MEP, and EMG. Dedicated neurophysiologist in real time. Any change triggers immediate alert. Not universal at major New York centers.
Platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate harvested intraoperatively. Applied to disc space, epidural, or fusion cage. No additional needle sticks. Not standard at New York programs.
How it works for New York patients
From New York to Naples —
the practical path
Upload your MRI, X-rays, and any prior specialist reports. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally. Full evaluation covering your diagnosis, whether it is correct, all treatment options — including what was not offered in New York — and which procedure is right for your anatomy.
Pre-operative requirements coordinated — most completable in New York. Full transparent cash-pay pricing before any commitment. Surgery scheduled when it works for you — during a Florida trip or a dedicated winter stay.
JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark all serve RSW Fort Myers — direct on JetBlue and American, or one-stop via Charlotte, Tampa, or Atlanta. Total travel under 4 hours. RSW is 30 minutes from both offices. Most procedures: same-day discharge.
Post-operative follow-up by telemedicine from New York. Your New York physician receives a full operative report. If you have a Florida address or simply stay in Naples for the recovery period, you are recovering on Gulf Coast time — not in a New York winter.
Questions from New York patients
What New York patients ask
before making the trip
HSS recommended fusion for my spondylolisthesis. Is TOPS a genuine alternative? +
Yes — for Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis, which is the diagnosis that generates most spondylolisthesis fusion recommendations. TOPS is an FDA Breakthrough Device that stabilizes the vertebral slip while preserving controlled segmental motion. The FDA randomized controlled trial showed 77% overall clinical success with TOPS versus 24% for fusion at 2 years. HSS is the finest orthopedic hospital in the world for many procedures. TOPS is not one of them — it requires specific certification that HSS has not pursued. A telemedicine second opinion determines whether your anatomy is suitable for TOPS before you commit to fusion that permanently removes motion at that segment.
Columbia or NYU recommended ACDF. Should I consider disc replacement first? +
For single or two-level cervical disc disease without significant instability — which describes most patients recommended for ACDF — disc replacement is often the superior long-term option. The ProDisc-C FDA IDE trial demonstrated a 5-fold lower reoperation rate at 5 years versus ACDF (2.9% vs. 14.5%). Columbia and NYU Langone spine surgeons are not certified for Simplify® or ProDisc-C®. A second opinion from a surgeon certified for both — who will recommend whichever is better for your specific anatomy — is the right step before committing to ACDF.
Does my New York insurance cover surgery in Florida? +
Most major New York insurance plans — Empire BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Oxford — cover out-of-state care for services not available locally. TOPS and disc replacement may qualify as not locally available in New York. Full documentation is provided for insurance claims. Cash-pay pricing is available and fully transparent before any commitment.
I have a home in Naples or Fort Myers. Can I time surgery around my Florida visit? +
Yes — and this is the ideal arrangement for New York snowbirds. Start with a telemedicine consultation from New York before you travel south. If surgery is appropriate, it is scheduled during your Florida stay. Most procedures are same-day or next-day discharge. Recovery at your Naples or Fort Myers property. Telemedicine follow-up after returning to New York in the spring.
Why not just get a second opinion at another New York institution — Columbia instead of HSS? +
It is a reasonable question. The honest answer is that for TOPS and disc replacement, it does not resolve the gap. Columbia, NYU Langone, Weill Cornell, and Mount Sinai all share the same structural limitation — none of them have pursued the certification required for TOPS. None routinely offer disc replacement for cervical disease. Getting a second opinion within the New York academic system is worthwhile for many reasons, but it will not produce a surgeon who offers these technologies. The certification gap is not hospital-specific — it is a feature of the New York academic spine landscape as a whole.
"New York patients are often the most well-researched patients I see. They have been to HSS. They have gotten a second opinion at Columbia. They have read the studies. And they still haven’t been told about TOPS or disc replacement — because no one at any of those institutions offers it. That is the gap."
Gennadiy (Gene) A. Katsevman, MD
Neurosurgeon & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon · Naples & Fort Myers FL
Official surgeon locator: TOPS™, Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®
Barricaid® on every eligible discectomy · aprevo® custom 3D-printed cages
EOS imaging · Robotic navigation · Intraoperative CT · Neuromonitoring every fusion
No residents · Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally
Fellowship — Barrow Neurological Institute under Dr. Juan Uribe
30+ peer-reviewed publications · Naples Top Doctor 2024, 2025, 2026
Naples: 6101 Pine Ridge Road #101 · (239) 649-1662
Fort Myers: 8380 Riverwalk Park Blvd #320 · (239) 437-1121
New York Patients · Telemedicine Available · Surgery in Naples & Fort Myers FL
Before you commit to fusion
in New York — hear all the options.
Upload your MRI before the telemedicine appointment. Dr. Katsevman reviews everything personally. You will know whether TOPS, disc replacement, or minimally invasive decompression is right for your anatomy — and whether the flight to Naples is worth making.
6101 Pine Ridge Road #101, Naples, FL 34119
Fort Myers, FL 33919
Upload imaging before your appointment