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Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD

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Specializes in: Spine Surgery, Neurosurgery, Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery) and Neuro-Oncology

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Professional interests include: artificial disc replacement, pituitary surgery, minimally invasive procedures, and more.

1000 Blythe Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203

(704) 355-2000

Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD is a spine surgeon in Charlotte, NC specializing in spine surgery, neurosurgery, surgical oncology (cancer surgery) and neuro-oncology. He graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD is affiliated with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, Atrium Health and CAROLINA NEUROSURGERY AND SPINE ASSOCIATES PA.

Office Locations

Address:

1000 Blythe Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203

Address:

225 Baldwin Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28204

Some issues Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD can help you with:

Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure to permanently join together two or more vertebrae, the bones in the spine. Certain spinal disorders can lead to instability and pain, and the idea behind spinal fusion is that fusing vertebrae together can both make them stronger and reduce motion, which can sometimes reduce pain.

There are several different types of spinal fusion surgery available, mostly depending on where a patient's pain is located and whether his or her surgeon will perform the procedure through the back, front, or side. In general, a fusion is performed by packing the vertebrae to be fused with grafted bone. This bone may be taken from the patient's hip, may be donated from a cadaver, or it may be a manufactured synthetic material. The bone is placed along the vertebrae, and sometimes, the disc that lies in between the vertebrae is removed and replaced with grafted bone. The bone material will grow and cement the two vertebrae together. After the bone graft is placed, the vertebrae are sometimes held in place with rods, screws, plates, or cages, depending on the weakness of the spine and needs of the graft.

Spinal fusion is a significant surgery and can take three to four hours or more. Recovery is typically two to four days in the hospital. After surgery, it is important to remember that the fusion takes time to grow from the bone graft. So, the actual fusion is not complete for several months. Patients will probably feel somewhat better right away, but it may take a while to feel the full effects of the fusion as the bone grows into place. In the meantime, doctors might have patients wear a brace to protect their spine and keep it properly aligned.

Spinal fusion is not used for all kinds of back pain. Changing the way the spine moves can lead to strain on the other joints in the back, and fusion is only performed when the benefits outweigh the risks. Some spine disorders that are treated with fusion include:

Curvature disorders, such as scoliosis and kyphosis
Degenerative disc disease
Spondylolisthesis, a disorder that causes vertebrae to slip over each other
Significant spinal fractures that cause instability
Weakened spine due to infection or tumor
Some cases of spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column
Chronic lower back pain (although the use of fusion to treat this is controversial)

Regardless of the diagnosis, there is always a possibility of 'failure' with spinal fusion, or of the surgery not fully solving the pain. This is more likely when fusion is used primarily to treat pain instead of structural problems. Patients can improve their chances of a successful outcome by stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, moving their body every day, and following their doctor's instructions for any physical therapy that they are prescribed.

In The News

“The lack of clarity in current regulations is hampering research using pools of clinical data to track quality improvement efforts at hospitals - an effort that may not have been foreseen when the...”—"Thick docket shows medical weakness with meaningful use -- 21st Century Cures meets again on the Hill today -- Thompsons to introduce new telehealth bill", Politico, July 2014

“Ralston was able to schedule David to see Dr. Anthony Asher, a Charlotte neurosurgeon, right away.”—"David Freeze's next journey: Blood clots from ride help reveal brain tumor - Salisbury Post", Salisbury Post, October 2013

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	71
cranial surgery	29
CT scan	15
doctor visit	308
excision	29
image guided procedures	20
lab tests	44
minimally invasive procedures	25
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	54
nerve procedures	24
radiation therapy	20
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	29
spinal procedures	11
X-rays	14

**Gender**
Male	139
Female	221

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	285
Black	58
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	185
From 75 to 84	98
85 and over	21
Less than 65	56

Hypertension	65
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	31
Dementia	8
Cancer	20

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	85
cranial surgery	22
CT scan	28
decompression surgery	10
doctor visit	206
excision	22
image guided procedures	26
lab tests	37
minimally invasive procedures	19
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	55
nerve procedures	29
radiation therapy	26
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	22
spinal procedures	7

**Gender**
Male	127
Female	171

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	242
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	142
From 75 to 84	69
85 and over	25
Less than 65	62

Hypertension	73
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	16
Ischemic Heart Disease	21
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	18
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	11
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	28
Dementia	9
Cancer	20

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	50
cranial surgery	11
CT scan	11
decompression surgery	10
doctor visit	227
excision	11
image guided procedures	23
lab tests	27
minimally invasive procedures	17
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	37
nerve procedures	27
radiation therapy	23
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	11
spinal procedures	7

**Gender**
Male	254
Female	320

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	478
Black	74
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	270
From 75 to 84	132
85 and over	50
Less than 65	122

Hypertension	73
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	14
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	16
Diabetes	27
Dementia	10
Cancer	17

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	38
cranial surgery	25
doctor visit	219
excision	25
lab tests	21
minimally invasive procedures	12
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	37
nerve procedures	11
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	25

**Gender**
Male	98
Female	153

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	213
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	128
From 75 to 84	64
85 and over	12
Less than 65	47

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	29
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	21
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	17
Diabetes	31
Dementia	9
Cancer	15

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	40
cranial surgery	15
CT scan	13
doctor visit	185
excision	15
image guided procedures	18
lab tests	23
minimally invasive procedures	14
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	25
nerve procedures	13
radiation therapy	18
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	15

**Gender**
Male	108
Female	143

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	195
Black	42
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	124
From 75 to 84	71
85 and over	17
Less than 65	39

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	27
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	29
Dementia	11
Cancer	17

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	47
cranial surgery	20
doctor visit	208
excision	20
image guided procedures	9
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	46
radiation therapy	9
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	20

**Gender**
Male	112
Female	154

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	209
Black	43
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	127
From 75 to 84	74
85 and over	20
Less than 65	45

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	54
cranial surgery	12
decompression surgery	10
doctor visit	231
excision	12
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	66
nerve procedures	9
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	12
spinal procedures	20

**Gender**
Male	118
Female	157

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	219
Black	38
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	142
From 75 to 84	82
85 and over	14
Less than 65	37

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	62
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	27
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	23
Dementia	10
Cancer	16

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	46
cranial surgery	13
CT scan	17
doctor visit	114
excision	13
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	41
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	13
spinal procedures	10

**Gender**
Male	103
Female	115

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	178
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	100
From 75 to 84	72
85 and over	13
Less than 65	33

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	51
cranial surgery	14
doctor visit	50
excision	14
image guided procedures	13
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	50
radiation therapy	13
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	14

**Gender**
Male	79
Female	119

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	158
Black	25
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	105
From 75 to 84	60
85 and over	17
Less than 65	16

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	66
Stroke	14
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	28
Dementia	11
Cancer	19

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	57
cranial surgery	17
doctor visit	23
excision	17
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	56
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	17

**Gender**
Male	71
Female	97

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	139
Black	13
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	94
From 75 to 84	60
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	25
Ischemic Heart Disease	17
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	18
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	8
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	26
Dementia	14
Cancer	19

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Charlotte, NC were brain imaging (neuroimaging), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), lab tests and nerve procedures.

brain imaging (neuroimaging)	55
cranial surgery	17
CT scan	16
decompression surgery	10
doctor visit	178
excision	17
image guided procedures	19
lab tests	30
minimally invasive procedures	17
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)	49
nerve procedures	19
radiation therapy	19
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	17
spinal procedures	13
X-rays	14

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD.

**Gender**
Male	120
Female	165

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	29
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	231
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	78
85 and over	18
Less than 65	45
65 to 74	141

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD From 2013 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and depression.

Hypertension	72
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	25
Chronic Kidney Disease	23
Asthma	8
Osteoporosis	10
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	27
Atrial Fibrillation	10
Cancer	17
Dementia	11

Education & Training

Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed residency at University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and has a state license in North Carolina.

Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine

Residency: University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals

Board Certification: American Board of Neurological Surgery

Licensed In: North Carolina

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Atrium Health

CAROLINA NEUROSURGERY AND SPINE ASSOCIATES PA

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Insurance Accepted by Affiliated Medical Group or Hospital:

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Blue Medicare

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - NC Medicaid - Tailored Plans

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (NC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - NC Medicaid

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Traditional Medicaid & State Managed Care Medicaid Plans

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Amerihealth Caritas (NC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Medicare & Railroad Medicare

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Tricare East & Veterans Administration (VA) Community Care Plan (Optum)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Health Team Advantage

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Wellcare (NC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Ambetter of North Carolina

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - SC Medicaid

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Vaya Health

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Federal Plans

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Cigna Medicare

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Carolina Complete Health (NC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Alliance Health

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Aetna Health

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - ChoiceCare - Humana

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Molina Healthcare of SC (SC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Absolute Total Care (SC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Healthy Blue (NC)

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Traditional Medicare & Medicare Advantage Plans

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Devoted Health

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Aetna - Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, POS

NC Health Insurance Exchange - ACA Plans - Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Globus Medical, Inc.	$69,784 Excelsius - GPS $28,708	CRANIAL $16,373	ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System $13,172	Excelsius Robotics System $10,756	Excelsius Cranial 1.0 $500	Other $274
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.	$46,322 VenaSeal $8,312	$38,010
Medtronic Xomed, Inc.	$19,158 Advanced Energy Hemostatic Device $19,148	Image Guided Surgery Products $10
Brainlab, Inc.	$12,750 Novalis $8,911	Image Guided Surgical Device $3,641	Surgical planning and navigation radiation treatment planning and positioning $199
Medtronic, Inc.	$8,130 STEALTH AUTOGUIDE SYSTEM $129	CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM $49	STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM $19	$7,933
Other	$9,524 Adherus Autospray Dural Sealant $4,446	NEURO $1,500	EVEREST Spinal System $1,056	Neuro-Duraplasty $205	Gliadel $169	Other $2,148

**Types of Payments**
Royalty or License	$75,867
Consulting Fee	$50,832
Travel and Lodging	$15,452
Food and Beverage	$10,053
Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program	$6,600
Other	$6,864

Research Payments

Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD has received 1 research payments totaling $5,200.

Ownership and Interest Payments

This table describes ownership payments received by Dr. Anthony Lawrence Asher, FAANS, MD.

HyperBranch Medical Technology Inc

2018

$1,049,961.42

Physician Covered Recipient

Stock Units

Biography

Dr. Anthony Asher is a specialist in spine surgery, neurosurgery, and surgical oncology (cancer surgery) in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Asher attended Wayne State University School of Medicine and then went on to complete his residency at a hospital affiliated with the University of Michigan. Areas of expertise for Dr. Asher include spinal cord tumor, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and pituitary surgery. His professional affiliations include Atrium Health and Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates.