The right spine surgeon for you is the one whose training, case volume, and published outcomes match your specific diagnosis and procedure. Board certification, high annual volume for your operation, and a willingness to discuss less invasive options are the strongest signals you can check. Hospital rankings and online reviews help, but they measure different things and miss many outpatient specialists.
Florida has a deep bench of spine surgeons, from academic hospital teams to outpatient endoscopic practices. This guide explains what the research says about choosing a surgeon, how the major rankings work and what they leave out, the questions to ask at a consultation, and the top spine surgeons in Florida by specialty.
If you already have an MRI and a surgery recommendation, a Free MRI Review gives you an independent specialist read before you commit. With that in place, here is how to evaluate the surgeon behind any recommendation.
No cost · No obligation
Live Pain Free
Upload your MRI for a free expert review by Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, M.D. — board-certified neurosurgeon. Ten minutes can change your life.
Key Points
- Outcomes after spine surgery vary with the surgeon, the procedure, and how well the diagnosis matches the actual source of pain.
- Board certification and first-attempt exam performance are linked to fewer malpractice payments and fewer severe disciplinary actions in published studies of surgeons.[5][6]
- Higher surgeon volume is linked to lower complication and death rates, shorter stays, and fewer readmissions across nearly 2 million spine surgery patients.[7]
- Second opinions in spine surgery often change the plan, with agreement on whether surgery is needed at all ranging from 0% to 83%.[10]
- Minimally invasive techniques are associated with less tissue disruption, shorter stays, and fewer complications than open surgery.[11][12]
- Lumbar fusion carries a long-term risk of adjacent segment disease, which any surgeon recommending fusion should explain.[13]
What Should You Look for in a Spine Surgeon?
Look for four things: board certification, high volume in your specific procedure, a subspecialty that matches your diagnosis, and openness about outcomes. Each one can be checked before your first appointment.
Is the Surgeon Board-Certified?
Board certification is voluntary, but it is one of the most studied markers of surgeon quality. Spine surgeons are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) or the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). Both require completed residency training plus written and oral examinations, and both require ongoing maintenance of certification.
The strongest outcome data on certification comes from studies of general surgeons certified by the American Board of Surgery. A 2022 Annals of Surgery study of more than 28,000 surgeons found that those who failed the qualifying or certifying exam on the first attempt had higher rates of malpractice payments, with hazard ratios of 1.64 and 1.72.[5] A 2020 JAMA Surgery analysis of 44,290 surgeons linked certification to lower rates of severe disciplinary action against medical licenses.[6]
These studies did not look at spine surgeons specifically. They do support treating board certification as a meaningful baseline, and you can confirm any surgeon’s status on the ABNS or ABOS website in minutes.
How Many of Your Procedure Do They Perform?
Experience is most reliably measured by case volume, meaning how many of your specific procedure a surgeon performs each year. A dose-response meta-analysis in Annals of Translational Medicine pooled 11 studies and 1,986,545 spine surgery patients. Higher surgeon volume was linked to lower postoperative morbidity (OR 0.62) and mortality (OR 0.76), shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and lower costs.[7]
A systematic review in the European Spine Journal reached the same conclusion across cervical fusion, laminectomy, lumbar fusion, discectomy, and deformity surgery.[8] The authors noted that a precise volume threshold differs by procedure. Ask for the surgeon’s annual number for your exact operation, not a career total for spine surgery in general.
Does Their Subspecialty Match Your Diagnosis?
Spine surgery is many specialties, not one. Some surgeons focus on degenerative disc disease and herniated discs, while others focus on deformity, trauma, tumors, pediatric conditions, or revision surgery.
- Degenerative conditions: herniated discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease
- Deformity: scoliosis, kyphosis, complex alignment problems
- Trauma: spinal fractures and acute injuries
- Oncology: primary and metastatic spinal tumors
- Pediatric: congenital abnormalities and adolescent scoliosis
- Minimally invasive and endoscopic: disc and nerve procedures through small incisions
- Revision: correcting a previous operation that did not work
A surgeon who treats herniated discs endoscopically brings different expertise than one who corrects adult scoliosis. Match the surgeon’s published work and daily caseload to your condition.
Neurosurgeon or Orthopedic Spine Surgeon?
Both neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons can be well qualified for most common spine operations.[17] Neurosurgeons complete a seven-year residency that includes work inside the dura and are commonly preferred for spinal cord tumors and intradural problems. Orthopedic spine surgeons complete an orthopedic residency and a spine fellowship and are commonly preferred for deformity and complex reconstruction.
For most disc and stenosis problems, fellowship training and case volume matter more than the residency pathway. Ask where the surgeon completed fellowship training and how much of their current practice is your condition.
How Do Hospital Rankings Work, and What Do They Miss?
Hospital rankings measure hospitals, not individual surgeons, and they lean on inpatient Medicare data. That makes them useful for comparing large hospital systems but incomplete for judging outpatient spine specialists.
How U.S. News Rates Hospitals
U.S. News & World Report publishes the most widely cited hospital rankings in the country. For procedures and conditions, up to 75% of a hospital’s score now comes from outcomes such as risk-adjusted mortality, readmissions, and discharge to home.[1] Process measures, hospital resources, and nursing quality make up much of the rest.
In the 2025 to 2026 edition, Tampa General Hospital was rated High Performing for back surgery (spinal fusion).[2] Check the current edition for other Florida hospitals, since ratings change each year.
Healthgrades Spine Surgery Excellence
Healthgrades recognized 20 Florida hospitals with its 2026 Spine Surgery Excellence Award, which is based on patient outcomes for spinal fusion and back surgery.[3] Florida recipients include:
- St. Anthony’s Hospital (St. Petersburg)
- St. Joseph’s Hospital (Tampa)
- St. Mary’s Medical Center (West Palm Beach area)
- HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital (Sanford)[4]
Why Outpatient Specialists Often Don’t Appear
Rankings draw heavily on Medicare claims from hospital stays, so they mostly reflect patients 65 and older having inpatient procedures such as spinal fusion. Outcomes for younger, privately insured patients and for procedures done at ambulatory surgery centers largely fall outside that data. A surgeon who performs most of their work as same-day outpatient surgery can have excellent results and still never appear in a hospital ranking.
When a surgeon is not in the rankings, look at alternative signals:
- Board certification through the ABNS or ABOS
- Fellowship training in spine surgery
- Membership in the AANS, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, or the North American Spine Society
- Published, peer-reviewed outcomes for the procedure you need
- Consistent patterns across independent review sites
Questions to Ask Before You Agree to Spine Surgery
The questions you ask at a consultation reveal as much about the surgeon as their credentials do. A surgeon who answers clearly and in writing is easier to trust and easier to compare.
About Your Diagnosis
- What exact structure on my MRI is generating my pain, and how was that confirmed?
- How do my symptoms match the imaging findings?
- What happens if I don’t have surgery?
About the Procedure
- How many of this specific procedure do you perform each year?
- What are your complication and reoperation rates for it?
- What is the least invasive procedure that can treat my pain source?
- How large is the incision, and will muscle be cut or spread apart?
- Will any hardware, such as screws, rods, or cages, be implanted?
- What type of anesthesia is used, and will I go home the same day?
About Alternatives
A trustworthy surgeon explores conservative care before recommending surgery, except in emergencies such as progressive weakness or cauda equina syndrome. Ask which of these you should try first and why surgery is being recommended now:
- Physical therapy and targeted exercise
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Epidural steroid injections or nerve blocks
- Activity and lifestyle changes
About Recovery
- When can I drive and return to work?
- What restrictions will I have at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year?
- What does pain control after surgery involve?
- Which warning signs should make me call you?
How Invasive Is the Recommended Procedure?
The less tissue an operation disrupts, the faster most patients recover. Multiple 2024 and 2025 reviews concluded that minimally invasive spine surgery reduces tissue disruption, blood loss, hospital stay, and complication rates compared with traditional open surgery.[11] A 2025 meta-analysis of 2,860 patients in Scientific Reports found less soft-tissue trauma and shorter stays with minimally invasive tubular decompression than with open laminectomy for lumbar stenosis.[12]
Spinal fusion deserves particular scrutiny because it permanently stops motion at the fused level. A 2025 single-center study of 139 patients in the Journal of Clinical Medicine estimated the cumulative incidence of adjacent segment disease, faster wear of the levels above and below a fusion, at 6.3% at 5 years and 23.6% at 10 years.[13] Any surgeon recommending fusion should be able to explain that risk and why it does or does not apply to you.
For patients whose pain comes from a damaged disc, endoscopic, motion-preserving options such as Deuk Laser Disc Repair® treat the disc through a small incision without cutting muscle, removing bone, or implanting hardware. Whether any such option fits depends on the confirmed source of your pain.
Why a Second Opinion Matters
A second opinion is one of the highest-value steps you can take before spine surgery. A 2021 scoping review found that spine surgery accounted for 23.7% of all second-opinion cases across surgical specialties.[9] A 2022 review of 12 studies found diagnostic agreement between first and second opinions ranged from 53% to 96%, and agreement on whether surgery was needed at all ranged from 0% to 83%.[10]
In other words, two qualified surgeons can look at the same patient and disagree about surgery. A recommendation that fusion is the only option, or that surgery must happen quickly, is worth treating as a hypothesis to verify.
When a Second Opinion Is Especially Important
- Surgery is recommended before conservative care has been tried
- Fusion is proposed for a herniated or bulging disc
- Hardware implantation is recommended
- You feel rushed, or your questions are dismissed
- The surgeon cannot clearly explain why surgery is necessary
How to Get a Useful Second Opinion
Seek a different kind of expertise, such as a motion-preservation or minimally invasive specialist if your first opinion came from a fusion surgeon. Bring all imaging and records, share what the first surgeon recommended, and ask the second surgeon to explain any difference directly. Medicare and many insurance plans cover second opinions for non-emergency surgery, so check your plan before cost becomes the reason to skip one.
Top Spine Surgeons in Florida by Specialty
The surgeons below are listed by subspecialty for educational comparison. Inclusion is not a referral or endorsement, and credentials were checked against each surgeon’s current practice or institutional profile as of October 2026.
Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Spine Surgery
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, MD, FAANS
Location: Deuk Spine Institute, 7955 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940
Board certification: American Board of Neurological Surgery
Dr. Deukmedjian, known to patients as Dr. Deuk, is the founder of Deuk Spine Institute. He graduated first in his class from the USC Keck School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at the University of Florida, Shands Hospital. He has performed more than 2,000 cervical and lumbar procedures, with a focus on outpatient endoscopic surgery that avoids fusion when possible.
- Developer of Deuk Laser Disc Repair®, Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy®, and Deuk Piriformis Muscle Release®
- Same-day outpatient procedures without hardware
- In a 2013 prospective study of 66 patients treated with cervical Deuk Laser Disc Repair®, average symptom resolution was 94.6% at a mean follow-up of 94 days[14]
- Fellow of the AANS and member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons; former Surgery Department Chair, Parrish Medical Center
Good fit for: patients with herniated, bulging, or degenerated discs who want to explore motion-preserving alternatives to fusion.
Pediatric Spine Surgery
Dr. Gregory V. Hahn, MD
Location: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL
Board certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. Hahn chairs the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, where he previously served as Chief of Staff, and is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins.[18] He completed his pediatric orthopedic fellowship in San Diego. His focus includes adolescent and pediatric scoliosis, kyphosis, and pediatric fractures.
Good fit for: children and adolescents who need surgical care for scoliosis or other spinal deformity.
Complex Spine and Trauma Surgery
Dr. Michael A. Gleiber, MD
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Board certification: fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon
Dr. Gleiber earned his medical degree at George Washington University and completed the Kenton D. Leatherman Spine Fellowship at the University of Louisville.[19] His honors include the Harrison McLaughlin Award, the Harold M. Dick Award, and the Leonard Marmor Surgical Arthritis Foundation Award. His practice covers complex spinal trauma, spinal cord injury, tumors, and revision surgery.
Good fit for: patients with traumatic spinal injuries or complex cases that need specialized trauma expertise.
Robotic and Technology-Assisted Spine Surgery
Dr. Milad Alam, MD, FAAOS
Location: Boca Raton, Wellington, and West Palm Beach, FL
Board certification: board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon
Dr. Alam earned his medical degree at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and completed a combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at the USC Spine Center.[20] He also completed an AO Spine traveling fellowship at Bern University Hospital in Switzerland. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Good fit for: patients interested in robotic-assisted and minimally invasive surgical planning.
Spinal Oncology
Dr. Hunaldo J. Villalobos, MD, FAANS, FACS
Location: greater Orlando, FL
Board certification: American Board of Neurological Surgery
Dr. Villalobos is fellowship-trained in neurosurgical oncology and in neurotrauma and critical care, and completed his residency at the University at Buffalo.[21] He contributed to the textbook Controversies in Neurological Surgery: Neurovascular Disease. His focus includes primary and metastatic spinal tumors and spinal trauma.
Good fit for: patients with spinal tumors who need specialized oncologic surgery.
Dr. Donna Saatman, MD
Location: Ocala, The Villages, and Gainesville, FL
Board certification: board-certified neurosurgeon
Dr. Saatman completed a fellowship in neurosurgical oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center.[22] She treats patients with back and neck pain, including conditions related to spinal tumors.
Good fit for: North Central Florida patients who need neurosurgical evaluation, including tumor-related spine problems.
General and Comprehensive Spine Surgery
Dr. Lloyd Zucker, MD, FAANS
Location: Delray Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Board certification: board-certified neurosurgeon
Dr. Zucker is Chief of Neurosurgery at Delray Medical Center and directs neurosurgical services for the Palm Beach Health Network.[23] He graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins University, earned his medical degree at UMDNJ, and completed a spinal surgery fellowship at the University of South Florida. His practice covers degenerative spine conditions, stenosis, herniated discs, and complex reconstruction.
Good fit for: Palm Beach County patients who need a broad neurosurgical evaluation.
Dr. Bret Baynham, MD
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Board certification: board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon
Dr. Baynham earned his medical degree at the University of Florida College of Medicine and has been in private practice since 1993.[24] He directs the pediatric spine program at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at Jupiter Medical Center and previously chaired the governing board of St. Mary’s Medical Center and directed its spine trauma program. He treats pediatric and adult spinal disorders, trauma, and scoliosis.
Good fit for: patients of any age, including families with both pediatric and adult spine needs.
Dr. Jonathan Hyde, MD
Location: Miami Beach and Aventura, FL
Board certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. Hyde is lead surgeon at Miami Spine Specialists and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at Florida International University.[25] He earned his medical degree at SUNY Stony Brook, completed his fellowship at the Texas Back Institute, and serves on the executive board of the Society of Lateral Access Surgery. His practice includes minimally invasive and lateral access surgery and non-operative spine care.
Good fit for: South Florida patients who want both surgical and non-surgical options evaluated.
Red Flags and Green Flags at Your Consultation
How a surgeon handles your consultation is a preview of how they will handle your care. Use these lists to compare surgeons side by side.
Red Flags
- Rushes the appointment or skips a hands-on physical exam
- Becomes defensive when asked about complication rates
- Recommends surgery without discussing conservative options
- Cannot explain why surgery is necessary
- Pressures you to schedule immediately
- Promises outcomes that sound unrealistic
Green Flags
- Listens, examines you thoroughly, and explains your diagnosis in plain terms
- Discusses conservative care before surgery
- Gives realistic expectations and openly discusses risks
- Shares their own volume and complication data
- Encourages a second opinion
How to Read Patient Reviews
Patient reviews are most useful as patterns, not as single posts. Read across independent platforms such as Google, Healthgrades, U.S. News, Vitals, and RateMDs rather than only the surgeon’s own website.
Look for repeated comments about whether the surgeon listened, explained the diagnosis, discussed alternatives, and followed up. One complaint among many positive reviews is normal, while a recurring theme of poor communication or unexplained complications is not.
Your Decision Checklist
Before committing to spine surgery, you should be able to say yes to each of these:
- I have tried appropriate conservative treatment
- I understand exactly what is causing my symptoms
- I have reviewed my imaging with my surgeon
- I know my surgeon’s volume, complication rate, and reoperation rate for this procedure
- I understand the alternatives and why they were or were not recommended
- I have obtained or seriously considered a second opinion
- I have verified my surgeon’s board certification and training
- I have realistic expectations for recovery
Get a Specialist’s Second Opinion
Choosing a spine surgeon is less about a famous name and more about a match between your diagnosis, the surgeon’s training and volume, and outcomes you can verify. The evidence is consistent: certification correlates with safety, volume correlates with outcomes, second opinions often change the plan, and less invasive approaches generally mean faster recovery.[5][7][10][11]
Many fusion recommendations deserve a closer look before you consent, especially for disc problems. Dr. Deukmedjian reviews submitted MRIs personally to identify the likely pain source and whether a motion-preserving option may fit.
To find out whether you are a candidate, submit your MRI for a free virtual review. There is no obligation, and you will come away with a clearer picture of your options.
Diagnosis. Answers. Relief.
Submit your MRI for a free expert review by Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, M.D. —
board-certified neurosurgeon. No obligation. Real answers.
Key Takeaways
- Match the surgeon to the procedure: annual volume for your exact operation matters more than a general reputation.
- Verify certification: confirm ABNS or ABOS status, and ask where the surgeon trained in spine.
- Read rankings carefully: they rate hospitals using mostly inpatient Medicare data and miss many outpatient specialists.
- Ask about less invasive options: and ask any surgeon recommending fusion to explain adjacent segment risk.
- Get a second opinion: qualified surgeons frequently disagree on whether surgery is needed.
- Trust the consultation: a surgeon who rushes you or avoids questions is telling you something.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Are the Top Spine Surgeons in Florida?
The top spine surgeons in Florida for you depend on your condition, because spine surgery splits into subspecialties such as endoscopic disc surgery, deformity, trauma, tumors, and pediatrics. Start with board-certified surgeons whose daily practice matches your diagnosis, then compare their annual volume and published outcomes. The list above groups Florida surgeons by subspecialty to make that comparison easier.
How Do I Choose a Spine Surgeon in Florida?
To choose a spine surgeon in Florida, confirm board certification through the ABNS or ABOS, ask how many of your specific procedure the surgeon performs each year, and check that their subspecialty matches your diagnosis. Then ask about less invasive options and complication rates. Get a second opinion before agreeing to any major operation.
Should I Get a Second Opinion Before Spine Surgery?
Yes, in most cases you should get a second opinion before spine surgery. Published reviews found that agreement between first and second surgeons on whether surgery was needed ranged from 0% to 83%. The same MRI can lead to very different recommendations, so an independent review is a low-cost, high-value step.
What Is the Difference Between a Neurosurgeon and an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon?
The difference between a neurosurgeon and an orthopedic spine surgeon is mainly their residency pathway, since both can perform most common spine operations. Neurosurgeons are commonly preferred for spinal cord tumors and problems inside the dura, while orthopedic spine surgeons are commonly preferred for deformity and reconstruction. For most disc and stenosis problems, fellowship training and case volume matter more.
How Important Is Surgeon Case Volume?
Surgeon case volume is very important. A meta-analysis of nearly 2 million spine surgery patients linked higher surgeon volume to lower complication and death rates, shorter stays, and fewer readmissions. Ask for the surgeon’s annual number for your specific procedure.
Is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Better Than Open Surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery is associated with less tissue disruption, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and fewer complications than open surgery in recent reviews. Pain relief outcomes are often comparable between the two approaches. Whether a minimally invasive procedure fits you depends on your diagnosis.
What Are the Long-Term Risks of Spinal Fusion?
The main long-term risk of spinal fusion is adjacent segment disease, faster wear of the levels above and below the fused segment. One 2025 study estimated its incidence at 6.3% at 5 years and 23.6% at 10 years after lumbar fusion. Ask any surgeon recommending fusion to explain that risk for your case and which alternatives they considered.
Does the Hospital or Surgery Center Matter as Much as the Surgeon?
The hospital or surgery center matters, but in a different way than the surgeon. Research generally finds that both surgeon volume and facility volume predict outcomes. Specialized outpatient centers often suit focused endoscopic procedures, while complex deformity, tumor, or revision surgery is usually safer in a high-volume hospital with multidisciplinary support.
Can I Avoid Spinal Fusion if It Has Been Recommended?
You may be able to avoid spinal fusion, depending on what is causing your pain. Many patients with disc-related pain are candidates for motion-preserving procedures that do not implant hardware. An independent MRI review is a practical next step before you consent to fusion.
Watch Dr. Deukmedjian in the Operating Room
With patient approval, Dr. Deukmedjian live streams procedures so patients and colleagues can see exactly how they are performed. Visit the live surgery page to watch.
Medical disclaimer: The information in this article is educational and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual results vary, and no procedure is without risk. Always consult your surgeon or a qualified healthcare provider about your symptoms and treatment options.
Sources
- This year, the U.S. News hospital rankings place more weight on outcomes. Chief Healthcare Executive, 2025.
- U.S. News & World Report: Florida hospitals, back surgery (spinal fusion).
- Healthgrades 2026 Spine Surgery Excellence recipients. Becker’s Spine Review, 2025.
- HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital recognized for spine surgery. Sanford Herald, 2025.
- Association Between American Board of Surgery Initial Certification and Performance With Medical Malpractice Payments. Annals of Surgery, 2022.
- Association Between American Board of Surgery Initial Certification and Risk of Receiving Severe Disciplinary Actions Against Medical Licenses. JAMA Surgery, 2020.
- Relationship between surgeon volume and outcomes in spine surgery: a dose-response meta-analysis. Annals of Translational Medicine, 2018.
- The impact of surgeon volume on patient outcome in spine surgery: a systematic review. European Spine Journal, 2018.
- Second opinion in spine surgery: A scoping review. Surgical Neurology International, 2021.
- Second opinions for spinal surgery: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 2022.
- Strategies for Optimizing Clinical Outcomes in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Neurosurgery, 2025.
- Minimally invasive tubular decompression versus traditional open surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 2025.
- Temporal Patterns of Risk Factors for Adjacent Segment Disease After Lumbar Fusion. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025.
- Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is a safe and effective treatment for symptomatic cervical disc disease. Surgical Neurology International, 2013.
- American Board of Neurological Surgery.
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
- Orthopedic Surgeon vs. Neurosurgeon for Spine Surgery. Spine-health.
- Gregory V. Hahn, MD. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- Michael A. Gleiber, MD. Becker’s Spine Review.
- Milad Alam, MD. Florida Spine Associates.
- Hunaldo J. Villalobos, MD. Practice profile.
- Donna Saatman, MD. Florida Surgery Consultants.
- Lloyd Zucker, MD, FAANS. Brain and Spine MDs.
- Bret Baynham, MD. Practice profile.
- Jonathan Hyde, MD. Miami Spine Specialists.
