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. NYU Langone. Columbia Spine. Weill Cornell. 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 winter stay.
"HSS is the number one orthopedic hospital in the world by most rankings. I say this without any qualification. What HSS doesn’t offer is TOPS — which produced 77% clinical success vs. 24% for fusion in the FDA 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 spine centers offer —
and what they don’t
This is not a criticism of New York spine care — it is among the finest in the world. The gap is structural and specific: certain technologies require certifications that even the most prestigious academic programs have not pursued. And the teaching hospital model means residents participate in surgery at every New York academic center, regardless of reputation.
World-class standard spine surgeryHSS, NYU Langone, Columbia, and Weill Cornell produce genuinely excellent outcomes for ACDF, lumbar fusion, discectomy, and laminectomy. This is not in question.
TOPS not availableThe FDA Breakthrough Device for spondylolisthesis — 77% vs. 24% over fusion in the FDA RCT — is not offered at any major New York academic spine program. The certification required has not been pursued.
Disc replacement rarely discussedDespite strong clinical evidence, most New York spine surgeons recommend fusion by default — because device certifications for Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, and ProDisc-L® are not standard at academic programs.
Barricaid not standardThe 81% reherniation reduction of Barricaid annular closure is not part of the standard New York discectomy. Not at HSS, not at NYU, not at Columbia.
Residents and fellows participate in every surgeryHSS is a teaching hospital. NYU Langone is a teaching hospital. Columbia and Weill Cornell are teaching hospitals. Residents and fellows perform portions of surgeries at all of them. This is how excellent surgeons are trained — but it is not what patients always assume when paying for care at a name institution.
TOPS — one of few certified surgeons in the US77% clinical success vs. 24% fusion. Motion preserved. Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis. Same-day discharge. Available here. Not at HSS.
Disc replacement — all three device certificationsSimplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®. Discussed with every appropriate candidate. 5× lower cervical reoperation rate. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar.
Barricaid on every eligible discectomy81% fewer reherniations. Not an upgrade — standard of care here.
Dr. Katsevman performs every case personallyNo residents. No fellows. No exceptions. The surgeon who evaluated your MRI is the surgeon who operates — start to finish.
Telemedicine from New York — no travel for consultationUpload your MRI and records. Full evaluation from your Manhattan, Long Island, or Westchester home.
Technology
What’s available here
that HSS, NYU, and Columbia don’t offer
77% vs 24% over fusion in FDA RCT. Stabilizes slip. Preserves motion. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge. Official TOPS surgeon locator.
77% vs 24% · FDA RCT5× lower cervical reoperation rate vs. ACDF. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar. Three device certifications. Most NY spine surgeons have none.
5× lower reoperation · FDA IDEAnnular closure at the time of discectomy. 81% fewer reherniations. The defect that causes recurrence — closed before you wake up. Sub-quarter-inch incision.
81% fewer reherniationsEvery fusion cage manufactured from the patient’s own CT scan. Perfect endplate contact. Patient-specific lordosis. Porous titanium. EOS standing alignment planning.
Continuous SSEP, MEP, and EMG. Dedicated neurophysiologist. Any signal change triggers immediate alert before permanent injury. Not universal even at major NY centers.
Platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate harvested intraoperatively. No additional needle sticks. Applied to disc space, epidural space, or fusion cage. Not standard at NY academic centers.
How it works for New York patients
From New York to Naples —
the practical path
Upload your MRI, X-rays, nerve conduction studies, and any prior specialist reports. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally. Full evaluation: diagnosis, whether it is correct, all options — including what was not offered locally — and which procedure is right for your anatomy. Most New York patients find this the most thorough spine evaluation they have had.
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 your winter stay.
JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark all serve RSW — 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. In-person pre-op with Dr. Katsevman the day before or morning of surgery. Most procedures: same-day discharge.
Post-operative follow-up by telemedicine from New York. Your New York spine specialist or primary physician receives a full operative report. If you have a Florida winter address — or if you 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 an alternative? +
For Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — which is the diagnosis that generates most spondylolisthesis fusion recommendations — TOPS is a genuine alternative with significantly better outcomes data. The FDA randomized controlled trial showed 77% overall clinical success with TOPS versus 24% for fusion at 2 years. HSS is the best orthopedic hospital in the world for many procedures. TOPS is not one of them — they don’t offer it. A telemedicine second opinion determines whether your anatomy is suitable for TOPS before you commit to a fusion that permanently eliminates motion at that segment.
NYU Langone recommended ACDF. Should I consider disc replacement first? +
If you have single or two-level cervical disc disease without significant instability — which describes most patients recommended for ACDF — disc replacement is often the superior option. The ProDisc-C FDA IDE trial demonstrated a 5-fold lower reoperation rate at 5 years versus ACDF (2.9% vs. 14.5%). 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. TOPS and certain disc replacement procedures may qualify as not locally available, depending on your plan. Full documentation is provided for insurance claims. Cash-pay pricing is available and fully transparent before any commitment. Many New York patients find the combination of technology access and no-residents surgical care justifies out-of-pocket cost even when insurance coverage is limited.
I have a place in Naples / Fort Myers. Can I just have surgery during my winter stay? +
Yes — this is the ideal arrangement. 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. For New York patients who make the Florida trip anyway, folding surgery and recovery into the winter stay is straightforward.
"New York patients are often the most well-researched patients I see — they have read everything, seen multiple surgeons at world-famous institutions, and still haven’t heard about TOPS or disc replacement. That tells you something about the gap between what the evidence supports and what academic programs offer."
Gennadiy (Gene) A. Katsevman, MD
Neurosurgeon & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon · Naples & Fort Myers FL
Official surgeon locator: TOPS™, Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®
Barricaid® every eligible discectomy · aprevo® 3D-printed custom cages
EOS · Robotic navigation · Intraoperative CT · Neuromonitoring every fusion
No residents · Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally
Fellowship — Barrow Neurological Institute · 30+ 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