Mark Kabins, M.D. spoke to a small group of claimants’ attorneys last week to talk about treatment of work-related spinal injuries. Dr. Kabins, a long-time resident of Las Vegas, was a very animated and passionate speaker about treating injuries under workers’ compensation claims. He is a Diplomat of both the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and the American Board of Spine Surgery.
I told Dr. Kabins that many of my clients want to k now whether they should be asking for a transfer of care to a neurosurgeon, or instead, to an orthopedic surgeon, when it appears that they may need a back or a neck surgery. Dr. Kabin’s response was to send the person to the doctor who is the best surgeon, regardless of what they list as their primary specialty. Dr. Kabins then elaborated that his surgical practice is different from other local surgeons in that he does not pre-screen his patients so that only likely surgical candidates are scheduled. Instead, he welcomes treatment of back strains where there are muscle rips at the ligaments, and he wants to be involved early in the treatment of such cases so that the patient can be properly educated about the diagnosis and become an active participant in their own healing process.
Dr. Kabin’s stated that about 15 to 30% of the lumbar injury cases referred to him really involve an injury at the SI joint level. He also explained the difference between a lumbar bulge (either normal, or depicting an annular tear), and contrasted it with a disc protrusion, which he described as a pimple-like subligamentous disc herniation.
Dr. Kabins is a fantastic educator, and he justified the long wait times in his office for patients as being necessary in order to allow him whatever time is required to properly attend to individual patents. His office manager, Brenda Cotton, recommended calling ahead and discussing any particular time requirements you may have so as to reduce extended time in the waiting room. Dr. Kabin’s outstanding record of safe surgeries with excellent results should matter more than a quick appointment for injured workers looking to transfer care from the initial clinics.
Dr. Kabins also treats patients with injuries from California and Arizona who must be billed under those states’ fee schedules. Although he is currently on provider lists for many Nevada insurers and their third-party administrators, he is not opposed to opening provider lists to any physician in good standing who is willing to accept the Nevada fee schedule. He practices with Mary Ann Shannon, M.D., who specializes in upper extremity, hand and sports injuries. John Reneau, M.D., is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with the practice, called Las Vegas Orthopedics, Spine, and Rehabilitation. Their office is located at 501 S. Rancho Dr., Suite I-67, Las Vegas, NV 89106. Their phone is (702) 243-4700.
