Stem Cell Therapy

US Stem Cell Loses Appeal

US Stem Cell has been featured many times on this blog. In an unsurprising move, an appeals court just upheld a lower court decision on the concept that adipose stromal vascular fraction prepared in a doctor’s office is a drug that can be regulated by the FDA. This ruling also contains an interesting easter egg…read more

FDA Confirms Position Against Birth Tissue Medicare Q-code Billing

You may be wondering why I’m spending so much time blogging about Medicare Q-codes and shady birth tissue vendors. Simply put, because it’s easily the biggest story in Regen Med of the decade. This could also be one of the biggest potential Medicare fraud recoveries in the history of the program. This past week it…read more

Is This the End of the Chiro “Stem Cell” Clinic Business Plan?

One of the hardest things to watch in the stem cell wild west has been chiropractic clinics pretend that they have any idea of which end is up when it comes to delivering orthobiologics. In fact, as I’ve spoken to various chiropractic boards and chiros around the country, it turns out that most boards don’t…read more

New Medicare CAC Meeting on Amniotic Reimbursement: No Surprises Here

I have been tracking the Medicare billing scams involving amniotic fluid for some time now. This week, Medicare held a critical CAC meeting. What the heck is that and why should you care? Let’s dig in. Medicare Billing for Amniotic injections Medicare doesn’t cover amniotic injections for arthritis, tendon/ligament issues, or spinal pain. Period. End…read more

Stem Cells and SCI: Placebo or the Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

I have gotten many emails through the years from patients who know someone who has a spinal cord injury (SCI) and who ask if we could help. My answer has always been the same. We only treat orthopedic injuries. However, a study on stem cells and spinal cord injury was just published in February that’s…read more

2021 All Stem Cell Infographic

I’ve been blogging a bit less lately due to the hours and hours that these two annual stem cell research infographics have consumed. This morning I’m finally done with the all cell types document which has some new surprises. Let’s dig in. What Are These Infographics? These are documents I produce every year (except last…read more

Digging the Hole Deeper and Deeper: Biolabs Fluid Flow

One thing I learned many years ago as a young doctor was that you don’t mess with Medicare billing. It’s literally like kryptonite to every medical practice or hospital. No matter how big you are, if you screw up or worse yet, purposefully bill Medicare for things that you shouldn’t, the feds will take you…read more

VSELs – State of the Art Regen Med or Fairy Dust?

There has been a two-decade-long debate in Regenerative Medicine concerning tiny stem cells. I had largely forgotten about these Very Small Embryonic Like (VSEL) stem cells until a patient came into the clinic claiming that he had been treated with them. So what is this and why should we care? Let’s dig in. What Are…read more