DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach has announced that it is now in-network with Cigna HealthCare of California. Effective immediately, Cigna members throughout Southern California and beyond have covered access to the highest quality of musculoskeletal care in a state-of-the-art, infection-free outpatient setting.
DISC is one of the region’s leading providers of minimally invasive spine surgery, orthopedic care, pain management and sports medicine.
With this new partnership, Cigna joins DISC in driving a larger shift to site-of-service care, acknowledging that facilities like DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach can perform the full range of spine procedures (from simple to complex) not only safely but often with better outcomes and shorter recovery times, all while improving the economics of healthcare.
Since opening its doors in 2011, DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach has performed over 4,500 spine procedures with zero surgical site infections and a 97 percent patient satisfaction rate. The center has also been awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) for five consecutive times, meeting nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation.
“We are excited to work with Cigna in bringing more patients in-network, making it much easier for them to receive the surgical care they need in a truly optimal setting,” said Karen Reiter, Vice President, Operations and Payor Management for Trias MD. “This is a first step in what we hope to be a long and growing relationship with Cigna and its membership.”
DISC Staff, Doctors Win Awards
DISC Surgery Center administrator Karen Reiter, RN, CNOR, RNFA, CASC, has been named ASC Leader of the Year by OR Manager. The prestigious award was presented to Reiter at the 2022 OR Manager Conference Awards Ceremony, which recognizes perioperative leaders making strides to better the experience of patients, improve operations, drive innovation and inspire the next generation of OR leaders.
The ASC Leader of the Year award honors an outstanding ASC leader who wears many hats, and takes an active role in setting up and advancing their outpatient surgery center to deliver high-quality patient care.
Reiter claims the key to success is preparing the patient for the experience through preoperative and postoperative education.
“With over 22 years of experience, Karen Reiter has managed and led the DISC team in developing a high-acuity spine model for the outpatient world. She transitioned DISC from its initial out-of-network status to an in-network provider, and she is now instrumental in developing a physician-first, payor-driven global billing program,” said DISC’s founding director Robert S. Bray, Jr., MD in recommending Reiter for the recognition.
“I am both humbled and exhilarated to see my efforts recognized by such a respected organization in our industry,” said Reiter. “I’m also incredibly proud of the entire DISC team without whom DISC’s success – and this award – would have never been possible.”
In addition, multiple DISC physicians have been honored by Southern California Super Doctors and OCMA’s Physicians of Excellence to recognize their work in delivering complex, minimally invasive spine care to patients across Southern California.
The prestigious honors were bestowed this month by two separate peer-driven organizations: The Southern California Super Doctors and the Orange County Medical Association’s 2023 Physicians of Excellence.
Eight different DISC doctors are named this year:
- Robert S. Bray, Jr., MD, neurological spine surgeon (Super Doctors Hall of Fame for 13 consecutive years of recognition, OCMA 2023 Physicians of Excellence)
- Nick Jain, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon (Super Doctors: Southern California Rising Stars 2023)
- Luke Macyszyn, MD, MA, FAANS, FACS, neurosurgeon (Southern California Super Doctors 2023)
- Rojeh Melikian, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon (Super Doctors: Southern California Rising Stars 2023, OCMA 2023 Physicians of Excellence)
- Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS, neurosurgeon (OCMA 2023 Physicians of Excellence)
- Michael Port, MD, interventional pain management specialist (Southern California Super Doctors 2023)
- Leia Rispoli, MD, interventional pain management specialist and PM&R (Super Doctors: Southern California Rising Stars 2023)
- Grant D. Shifflett, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon (Super Doctors: Southern California Rising Stars 2023, OCMA 2023 Physicians of Excellence)
“When I founded DISC, my vision was to take the quality of spine care to the highest level, all within a state-of-the-art outpatient environment,” said Dr. Bray. “Over the years, we have assembled a team of physicians who share that commitment to excellence, and it’s a real honor to see them recognized by peers.”
DISC Sports & Spine Center is California’s premier provider of spine care, orthopedics, pain management and sports medicine. With a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center in Newport Beach and full-service clinic in Marina del Rey, DISC has set a new standard for high-acuity, minimally invasive spine surgery and orthopedic sports medicine surgery in an outpatient setting, both safely and on a cost-effective basis. DISC, which accepts most major insurance plans, is a subsidiary of Trias MD, a Chicago Pacific Founders portfolio company, and also an official partner of Red Bull Athlete Performance Center.
For more information, visit www.discmdgroup.com.
