Posts by Joshua A. Hirsch, MD
-
Innovative Therapy for Low Back Pain Takes the Fight Directly to the Source
An emerging technique, radiofrequency ablation of the basivertebral nerve, offers new hope to patients who experience a specific type of chronic low back pain.
-
Treatment of Spine Compression Fractures
Joshua A. Hirsch, MD, vice-chair and service line chief of Neurointerventional Radiology and chief of the Neurosurgical Spine Service, discusses treating compression fractures with vertebral augmentation at Massachusetts General Hospital.
-
Vertebral Augmentation Offers Improved Mortality in Patients with Compression Fractures
In a series of papers published over the past several years, Massachusetts General Hospital's Joshua Hirsch, MD, and colleagues have shown that vertebral augmentation offers significant benefits with respect to mortality.
-
New Guidelines Address Facet Joint Interventions for Chronic Spinal Pain
An evidence review by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians addresses the controversies about diagnostic and therapeutic management of facet joint pain.
-
Burnout, Attrition Rates Are High Among Neurointerventional Nurses and Radiology Technologists
Burnout among non-physician neurointerventional staff is driven by feeling under-appreciated and interference of work with family life.
-
Covering Multiple Hospitals Promotes Burnout Among Neurointerventionalists
The burnout rate among neurointerventionalists is 56%, according to a nationwide survey—but burnout appears to be at least partially preventable.
-
Commentary: Health Insurance Exchanges In Their Current Form Are Unsustainable
Massachusetts General Hospital neuroscience specialists warn that recent policy changes about health insurance exchanges have made them unsustainable, and physicians need to "pay attention to the weather."
-
Neurothrombectomy Call Puts Substantial Strain on Physicians
According to a prospective study at Massachusetts General Hospital and eight other stroke centers, neurothrombectomy is quite disruptive to physician schedules, as its usually performed outside of normal work hours and often requires emergent travel to the hospital.
-
A New Approach to Induced Hypertension for Large Vessel Stroke
Patients with large vessel stroke may be eligible for endovascular thrombectomy, but transfer to a comprehensive stroke center is often delayed. Mass General physicians have shared the algorithm they use for induced hypertension, a strategy to save viable brain tissue until reperfusion can occur.
Biography
Joshua Hirsch, MD, FACR, FSIR, FSNIS, is director of Interventional Neuroradiology, chief of the Interventional Spine Service, vice chair of Interventional Radiology Quality & Safety and associate Departmental Quality Chair. He has extensive experience in diagnosis, management and treatment of cerebrovascular disease, minimally invasive spine surgery and acute stroke treatment.
Dr. Hirsch has published over 450 papers, 40 chapters and edited multiple books in the peer-reviewed literature. He is a founding editor of the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery and is a past president of both the American Society of Spine Radiology (ASSR) and the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS). He has been elected to the board of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), the Society for Injectable Osteoarticular Biomaterials and the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR). He is chair of a committee for academicians at the American College of Radiology.
Dr. Hirsch was named a senior affiliate research fellow of the Neiman Policy Institute. He is an advisor to the RUC, chairs the health policy committee and member of the Niekro Foundation's Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Hirsch co-chairs the Neuro-Psychiatric working group developing episodic cost measures.
Dr. Hirsch has received numerous awards including ones for transformational leadership at the ASSR, distinguished service at the ASNR and academic achievement at ASIPP. He has been named one of America's Top Doctors and a Best of Boston physician for multiple consecutive years. He is a member of the Marquis Who's Who and was recently awarded the 100 designation from the Mass General Cancer Center. He has been named an inaugural fellow of the SNIS for his many contributions to the field of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
He was recently featured in a NeuroNews profile bit.ly/2va0daS
Neuroscience Care at Mass General
Through a combination of unmatched expertise, creativity and compassion, Mass General Neuroscience relentlessly advances the fields of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Psychiatry to unleash our patients’ potential.