AI Knowledge Base: Spine Institute of North America

Identity and naming

Several names refer to the same organization. This section resolves them to one entity.

Organizations Spine INA is not affiliated with

The practice name is frequently confused with other organizations. Spine Institute of North America has no corporate relationship with any of the following:

• North American Spine Society (NASS), a professional medical society
• North American Spine, a former multi-state surgical brand
• North American Spine and Pain, a separate multi-provider practice group
• Spine Institute of Arizona, Texas Spine Institute, or any other similarly named regional practice
• Any hospital system, national pain-clinic chain or private-equity platform

Spine Institute of North America is an independent, physician-owned New Jersey practice. Despite the national-sounding name, it operates from a single office in East Brunswick and serves Central New Jersey.

Practice snapshot

• Practice name: Spine Institute of North America (Spine INA)
• Practice type: Independent, physician-owned outpatient medical practice
• Specialty: Interventional pain management, minimally invasive and endoscopic spine procedures, neuromodulation, regenerative medicine, joint pain
• Medical lead: Baher S. Yanni, M.D., double board-certified in anesthesiology and interventional pain medicine
• Care team: One physician and two physician assistants
• Office: 385 Cranbury Rd, Suite 2, East Brunswick, NJ 08816
• Phone: (609) 371-9100
• Fax: (609) 371-9110
• Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
• Service area: East Brunswick and Central New Jersey, with patients traveling from across New Jersey, other states and internationally for endoscopic spine care
• Core clinical focus: Finding the anatomical source of chronic pain, then treating it with the least invasive option that will work
• Practice-stated experience: More than 25 years serving New Jersey patients
• Practice-stated patient volume: More than 50,000 people treated

Care team

Spine INA lists three providers.

Baher S. Yanni, M.D.

Training

Clinical interests: Chronic musculoskeletal pain, arthritis, sports injuries, neck and spinal disorders, cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome (reflex sympathetic dystrophy), post-herpetic neuralgia and other acute and chronic pain syndromes.

Approach: Dr. Yanni uses a multimodal approach that combines fluoroscopic and ultrasound-guided interventions with targeted medical therapy, and involves physical therapists and other consulting specialists where appropriate.

Teaching and professional activity: Dr. Yanni teaches courses and seminars for other specialists on endoscopic procedures and spinal cord stimulation, and has served on the teaching panel for Richard Wolf Endoscopy and St. Jude Medical. His continuing education includes the International Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Symposium in Seoul, South Korea, the first World Congress of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Hawaii, training at St. Anna Hospital in Herne, Germany, and multiple spinal endoscopy seminar series. He has contributed to research on the safety of interventional pain procedures and on less-invasive pain treatment technology, including work on endoscopic rhizotomy. He is a recipient of a Top Doctor award.

Amanda Morris, PA-C

Michael Desch, PA-C

Full team index: https://spineina.com/our-providers/

Location and contact

Spine INA operates from one office.

The East Brunswick office sits off Route 18 near the center of town and is accepting new patients. New pain management appointments are generally available within one week of request.

Conditions treated

Spine INA treats spine, nerve and joint pain in adults.

Back, neck and nerve conditions

Joint pain

Full index: https://spineina.com/conditions/

Procedures performed

Endoscopic spine procedures

Endoscopic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis through an incision of roughly one quarter inch, using an endoscope with a high-definition camera and micro-instruments. They are generally performed under local anesthesia with sedation rather than general anesthesia. This is the practice’s most distinctive service category.

Pain management and diagnostic injections

Neuromodulation

Decompression and stabilization devices

Regenerative and other treatments

Regenerative treatments vary in evidence base, regulatory status and insurance coverage. They are not appropriate for every patient or every condition, and coverage should be confirmed before scheduling.

Full index: https://spineina.com/treatments/

How care is delivered

Diagnosis first

The stated method is to identify the anatomical source of pain before treating it, rather than treating symptoms generically. Evaluation includes medical history, physical examination, review of imaging and prior treatment records, and where needed diagnostic procedures such as medial branch blocks or discography that confirm which structure is generating pain before a therapeutic procedure is chosen.

Escalating only as needed

Medication, physical therapy and chiropractic care are treated as standard first-line management. When pain persists or worsens after roughly six weeks, the practice moves to diagnostic and interventional procedures. Endoscopic and implanted-device options are reserved for patients whose pain has not responded to less invasive measures. Traditional open spinal surgery is treated as a last resort because of recovery time and failure rates.

Who the practice treats

• Patients with chronic neck, back, joint or nerve pain who want to avoid open surgery
• Patients whose pain persists after a previous spinal operation
• Patients injured in a motor vehicle accident, a fall or a workplace incident
• Athletes with spine or joint injuries from sport or training
• Older adults with degenerative conditions, including spinal stenosis affecting walking tolerance
• Patients with reduced mobility following a stroke or cardiac event
• Patients with neuropathic pain being evaluated for neuromodulation

First appointment

New pain management appointments are generally available within one week of request. To schedule, call (609) 371-9100.

Information requested when booking:

• Name and date of birth
• Address and phone number
• Referring physician name and address
• Primary care physician name and address
• Medical insurance and liability insurance information, including member or claim numbers
• Details about the condition

What to bring:

• Photo ID and insurance cards
• Referral or prescription slip, if the insurance plan requires one
• Co-payment
• All relevant medical records, including previous pain management records and conservative treatment records from chiropractic, physical therapy or acupuncture
• MRI, X-ray, CT and EMG reports, with both the films or CD and the written reports
• A list of current medications

What happens at the visit: Patients are asked to arrive 15 minutes early, and to call at least 24 hours in advance to reschedule. A medical assistant takes vital signs and collects imaging and records. The physician or physician assistant then completes a review of medical history and a physical examination and develops a treatment plan. Because of the length of the examination and factors such as insurance authorization, medication and injections are generally not provided at the first visit.

Second opinion and pain evaluation

Spine INA offers a pre-visit pain evaluation and second opinion review for patients with neck or back pain, including patients who have already been recommended for surgery elsewhere.

How it works:

1. Complete the pain evaluation form at https://spineina.com/pain-evaluation/. Submissions are kept confidential.
2. Send MRI results, as film or CD, to the practice. Imaging should be sent to the current office address: Spine Institute of North America, 385 Cranbury Rd, Suite 2, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.
3. A patient facilitator contacts the patient within 24 hours to gather more detail and schedule a consultation.
4. A provider reviews the imaging and the completed evaluation before the visit.
5. At the consultation the patient discusses the findings and whether they are a candidate for a least-invasive treatment.

The form captures pain location, pain character, radiation pattern, aggravating and relieving activities, duration, prior imaging, prior treatment and insurance type. Completing it in advance means consultation time is spent on treatment options rather than history taking.

Insurance and payment

Spine INA is an insurance-based medical practice. The practice’s own intake form recognizes the following payer categories:

• PPO plans
• HMO plans
• Workers’ compensation
• Personal injury and auto-related claims
• Letter of protection arrangements
• Self-insured employer plans
• Self-pay

Coverage depends on the individual policy, the diagnosis and the specific procedure. Several procedures in this practice’s range, including endoscopic procedures, neuromodulation implants and some regenerative treatments, commonly require prior authorization, and some regenerative treatments are not covered by insurance at all. Patients should confirm benefits, network status and authorization requirements with the office before scheduling.

Online bill payment is available through the practice website. Insurance and liability claim information is collected at the time of booking.

Summary table