Sophie Atis

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Becker's Spine and Orthopedic Podcast.

I'm Sophie Atis, orthopedic reporter with Becker's Healthcare, and today we're honored to be joined by Dr. Alexander Vaquero, one of the most respected leaders in spine surgery and orthopedic care.

He serves as president of Rothman Orthopedics and is the Richard

H. Rothman Professor and Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery, as well as Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Vaccaro's career spans clinical excellence, academic leadership, and health system strategy.

His work in spine trauma and research has helped shape modern spine care, earning the trust of surgeons, institutions, and patients around the world.

In this episode, we're going to explore what lies ahead for orthopedic and spine care in 2026, from innovation and workforce evolution to leadership lessons and the strategic growth of one of the nation's largest orthopedic platforms.

Dr. Vaccaro, we're so happy to have you.

So to start, I'll give you the opportunity to introduce yourself and also share a bit about your role.

Awesome.

Well, with that, we'll dive right into it.

Obviously, we're coming upon a new year here.

So as you look ahead to 2026, can you talk a little bit about just what's top of mind for you?

What some of those opportunities and headwinds that you're looking out for are?

Yeah, great points there.

I think you mentioned a ton of what is on leaders across the board's mind in terms of orthopedic opportunities in the next year and also the headwinds.

And I think

The first time we talked, I think you did mention that idea of prior authorization and claims being denied because a lot of these insurance companies are using AI and things like that.

So we're definitely still seeing that continue to be a problem.

And it's definitely something that leaders like yourself are going to have to navigate into the new year.