Francis C. Lovecchio, MD

Spine Surgeon

About Dr. Lovecchio

Dr. Francis C. Lovecchio is an orthopedic surgeon at HSS specializing in complex spine surgery and spinal deformity correction using a combination of traditional and minimally invasive techniques. He believes in the power of multidisciplinary care for spinal conditions and encourages all his patients to exhaust non-operative treatments before considering surgery. Most importantly, he believes in a shared decision-making approach, ensuring that his patients are educated and comfortable with their health care decisions.

Dr. Lovecchio received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Northwestern University through the prestigious Honors Program in Medical Education. During that time, he served as a Fulbright Scholar, where he researched differences in health care delivery between the Spanish and US systems. He graduated summa cum laude from both college and medical school and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honors societies. He subsequently went on to complete his orthopedic residency at HSS where his clinical and academic excellence were honored with the Academic Achievement Award and Distinguished Housestaff Award. To continue his work with world experts in spinal deformity and minimally invasive spine surgery, he stayed at HSS to complete his spine fellowship training.

Dr. Lovecchio is passionate about improving clinical outcomes after spine surgery through research, which he has pursued since medical school. He has been awarded several research grants, from internal funding sources at HSS and external organizations such as the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation. His research has been selected for presentation at numerous national and international meetings, and he has authored over 75 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He actively serves as a peer reviewer for Spine, The Spine Journal, and Global Spine Journal.

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Departments

Orthopedic Surgery
Spine

Special Expertise

Evaluation and treatment of various spine deformities and degenerative conditions of the neck and back, with a particular interest in spine deformity correction using both traditional and minimally invasive techniques.

Specific conditions treated include:

Adolescent and adult idiopathic scoliosis
Adult degenerative scoliosis
Arthritis or arthropathy of the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine
Degenerative disc disease
Degenerative spondylolisthesis ("slipped vertebrae")
Herniated discs
Kyphosis
Myelopathy (compression of the spinal cord)
Radiculopathy ("sciatica" or "pinched nerves" in the neck or back)
Spinal fractures or trauma
Spinal stenosis

Procedures

Anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF)
Anterior lumbar fusion
Cervical disc replacement
Correction of scoliosis or kyphosis
Correction of spinal deformity
Lateral lumbar fusion
Lumbar disc replacement
Lumbar laminectomy
Minimally invasive lumbar discectomy
Minimally invasive lumbar decompressions and fusions
Posterior cervical foraminotomy
Posterior cervical laminoplasty
Posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion
Posterior lumbar fusion
Robotic and navigated spine surgery
Thoracic discectomy

Patient Stories

Patient ratings for Dr. Lovecchio

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Insurance

This provider is currently in the process of joining the networks of many commercial insurance plans and should show as a participating provider soon.

If your insurance is not listed, please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Instructor in Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College
Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Affiliations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
AO Spine
International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery
North American Spine Society

Certification

American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons

Awards

Academic Achievement Award, Hospital for Special Surgery, 2021
Distinguished Housestaff Award, New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell, 2021
Andrew N Swanson, MD Alumni Traveling Fellowship, Hospital for Special Surgery, 2019
Alpha Omega Alpha, 2016
Clare Giegerich Award for Outstanding Promise in Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, 2016
Phi Rho Sigma Dennis Award, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, 2016
Dallas B Phemister MD Physician in Training Award, Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, 2014
Patten Scholar, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, 2014
Hollister & Martin Scholarship, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, 2012
Fulbright Scholar, United States Fulbright Program, 2011
Phi Kappa Beta, 2011
Global Brigades National Fellow, Global Brigades, 2010

Education

Medical: Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Internship: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
Residency: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
Fellowship: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

State Licensure

Languages

English, Spanish

For My Patients

Spine Condition Animations

Spine Procedure Animations

Directions to The Pavilion

My office is located at The Pavilion, 541 East 71st Street. The main entrance to The Pavilion is on the north side of 71st Street underneath the sky bridge that connects the main hospital to the Belaire Building.

Clinical Guidelines for Your Rehabilitation Specialist

Publications by Dr. Lovecchio

Patient Education

Selected Journal Articles

For all publications, please see the PubMed listing.

Selected Books/Chapters

Lovecchio F, Steinhaus M, Kim HJ. "Scheuermann Kyphosis." Surgery of the Thoracic Spine. Thieme.

Steinhaus M, Lovecchio F, Kim HJ. "Proximal Junctional Deformity." Surgery of the Thoracic Spine. Thieme.

Lovecchio F, Lebl, D. "Cervical Disc Arthroplasty." Textbook of Spinal Surgery, 4th Ed. Wolters-Kluwer.

Lovecchio F, Kim HJ, Albert TJ. "Combined Approaches to Cervical Kyphosis." Textbook of Spinal Surgery, 4th Ed. Wolters-Kluwer.

Kim HJ, Lovecchio F, Lenke L. "Posterior Spinal Instrumentation Techniques for Spinal Deformity" Masters Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery, 4th Ed. Wolters-Kluwer. In Press

Selected Presentations

Lovecchio F, Lafage R, Kim HJ, et al. Revision Free Loss of Sagittal Correction > 3 Years After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Who and Why? IMAST Annual Meeting, Miami, 2022.

Lovecchio F, Lafage R, Sheikh S, et al. Can proximal junctional angles on discharge radiographs predict junctional complications? A decision tree analysis with 2-year minimum follow up. SRS Annual Meeting, Saint Louis, 2021

Lovecchio F, Ang B, Louie P, et al. Bone Density Distribution in the Cervical Spine: Establishing Level-Specific Reference Values. NASS Annual Meeting, Boston, 2021

Lovecchio F, Riew G, Samartzis D, et al. Provider Confidence in the Telemedicine Spine Evaluation: Results from a Global Study. IMAST Annual Meeting, 2021

Lovecchio F, Langhans M, Bennett T, et al. Prevalence of cannabidiol use in patients with spine complaints: results of an anonymous survey. IMAST Annual Meeting 2020

Lovecchio F, Premkumar A, Stepan JG et al. Opioid consumption after anterior cervical spine surgery: what is the appropriate minimum quantity? Cervical Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. New York, 2019

Lovecchio F, Sava M, Shafi K, et al. Complications and revisions after spine surgery in patients with skeletal dysplasia. International Skeletal Dysplasia Society Annual Meeting. Oslo, Norway, 2019.

Lovecchio F, Premkumar A, Stepan JG et al. Opioid consumption patterns after lumbar decompression or microdiscectomy using a novel text-messaging data collection platform. IMAST, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2019.

Lovecchio F, Stepan J, Premkumar A, et al. An institutional intervention to modify opioid prescribing practices after lumbar spine surgery. Toward Opioid-Free Arthroplasty: A Leadership Forum. New York, 2018

Lovecchio F, Fu F, Iyer S, et al. Metabolic syndrome is associated with increased wound complications and urinary tract infections after lumbar fusion: a propensity score-matched analysis. Lumbar Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. Chicago, 2017

Research

Dr. Lovecchio's current research interests encompass three major areas, all of which are based in improving clinical outcomes after spine surgery.

1. Harnessing the power of multi-disciplinary teams and new technologies to optimize recovery after adult deformity surgery
2. Discovering new laboratory tests that can predict how well patients will fuse their vertebrae after spine fusion surgery
3. Using novel drugs or "enhancements" to boost patients's ability to tolerate and recover from spine surgery

Industry Relationships

HSS has a long history of supporting appropriate relationships with industry because they advance HSS's mission to provide the highest quality patient care, improve patient mobility, and enhance the quality of life for all, and to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and their related disciplines through research and education.

As of May 11, 2024, Dr. Lovecchio reported no relationships with the healthcare industry.

HSS and its physicians make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy prohibits physicians from collecting royalties on products they develop that are used on patients at HSS.

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