Joseph Leigh Ferguson, MD| Spine Surgery | MedStar Health
About me
Joseph L. Ferguson is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in spinal surgery.
He specializes in:
- Cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (lower-back) pathologies
- Minimally invasive techniques
- Lumbar stenosis
- Lumbar degenerative spine disorders
- Cervical Stenosis
- Cervical herniated disks
- Neck and/or arm pain or weakness
- Leg pain and weakness
- Cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy
- Scoliosis (adult)
- Surgery: spinal, minimally invasive, microscopic, motion-sparing
Dr. Ferguson believes each patient is unique and requires an individualized, focused, and thorough treatment approach to address the diagnosis. He approaches each patient-physician relationship as a partnership, with the best outcomes resulting from a collaborative effort. His goal is to help patients and their families understand their conditions and to educate them on all possible options, in order to restore function and relieve pain for a return to an active lifestyle.
In the News:
Clinical areas of focus
- Cervical Disc Disease
- Cervical Spine Fusion
- Complex Spine Deformities
- Degenerative Spine Conditions
- Disc Replacement
- Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Myelopathy Surgery
- Robotic Spine Surgery
- Spine Fracture
- Spine Revision
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Abnormal Vertebrae
- Absent Vertebrae
- Bulging Disc
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
- Cervical Bone Spur
- Cervical Compression Fracture
- Cervical Deformity
- Cervical Disc Degeneration
- Cervical Disc Disease
- Cervical Disc Displacement
- Cervical Herniated Disc
- Cervical Myelopathy
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Cervical Spinal Stenosis
- Cervical Spine Fracture
- Cervical Spondylolisthesis
- Cervical Spondylosis
- Coccyx Fracture
- Coccyx Injury
- Complex Spine Deformities
- Compression Fracture
- Congenital Scoliosis
- Degenerative Joint Disease Of The Spine
- Degenerative Spine Conditions
- Facet Joint Syndrome
- Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
- Flatback Syndrome
- Flatback Syndrome Post Harrington Rods
- Foot Drag
- Foot Drop
- Herniated Disc
- Intraspinal Abscess
- Junctional Kyphosis
- Kyphosis
- Lordosis
- Lumbar Disc Disease
- Lumbar Herniated Disc
- Lumbar Scoliosis
- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
- Lumbar Spine Fracture
- Lumbar Spine Injury
- Lumbar Spine Stress Fracture
- Lumbar Spondylolisthesis
- Lumbar Spondylosis
- Lumbosacral Plexus Lesions
- Lumbosacral Radiculopathy
- Myelopathy
- Neck Arthritis
- Nerve Compression Of The Cervical Spine
- Nerve Compression Of The Lumbar Spine
- Nerve Compression Of The Thoracic Spine
- Neurogenic Claudication
- Post Laminectomy Kyphosis
- Post Laminectomy Syndrome
- Radiculopathy
- Ruptured Intervertebral Disc
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Spinal Cord Compression
- Spinal Cyst
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Arthritis
- Spine Deformities
- Spine Deformity
- Spine Fracture
- Spine Injury
- Spine Osteoarthritis
- Spine Stress Fracture
- Spondyloarthropathy
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylosis
- Spondylosis With Myelopathy
- Tarlov Cyst
- Thoracic Herniated Disc
- Thoracic Spinal Stenosis
- Thoracic Spondylolisthesis
- Thoracic Spondylosis
- Vertebral Fracture
Procedures I perform
- Anterior Cervical Spine Fusion
- Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery
- Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
- Anterior Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Anterior Lumbar Spine Surgery
- Anterior Spine Fusion
- Anterior Spine Surgery
- Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery In The Cervical Spine
- Back Surgery
- Cervical Decompression
- Cervical Herniated Disc Surgery
- Cervical Laminoplasty
- Cervical Laminotomy
- Cervical Spine Fusion
- Cervical Spine Revision
- Cervical Spine Surgery
- Complex Spine Surgery
- Decompression Laminectomy
- Direct Lateral Approach
- Disc Arthroplasty
- Disc Replacement
- Disc Surgery
- Diskectomy
- Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion
- Facet Surgery
- Herniated Disc Surgery
- Instrumented Anterior Cervical Discectomy, Fusion (ACDF)
- Laminectomy
- Laminoplasty
- Lateral Access Spine Surgery
- Low Back Surgery
- Lumbar Herniated Disc Surgery
- Lumbar Spine Fracture Surgery
- Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Lumbar Spine Surgery
- Microdiscectomy
- Microsurgery Of The Cervical Spine
- Microsurgery Of The Lumbar Spine
- Minimally Invasive Lumbar Discectomy
- Minimally Invasive Lumbar Fusion
- Minimally Invasive Partial Lumbar Discectomy
- Minimally Invasive Spine Fusion
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
- Motion Sparing Spine Surgery
- Multilevel Cervical Arthroplasty
- Myelopathy Surgery
- Navigation Spine Surgery
- Posterior Cervical Laminectomy And Fusion
- Posterior Cervical Spine Fusion
- Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery
- Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy
- Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy With Instrumentation And Fusion
- Posterior Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Posterior Lumbar Spine Surgery
- Posterior Spine Fusion
- Posterior Spine Surgery
- Posterior Thoracic Spine Fusion
- Posterior Thoracic Spine Surgery
- Prone Transpsoas (PTP) Technique
- Robotic Spine Surgery
- Sacroiliac Joint Fusion
- Sacroiliac Joint Surgery
- Scoliosis Surgery
- Smith Petersen Osteotomy
- Spinal Abscess Surgery
- Spinal Cord Surgery
- Spinal Cyst Removal
- Spinal Stenosis Surgery
- Spine Deformity Correction Surgery
- Spine Fusion
- Spine Instrumentation
- Spine Microsurgery
- Spine Reconstruction
- Spine Revision
- Spine Surgery
- Spondylosis Surgery
- Spondylosyndesis
- Surgery For Sciatica
- Surgical Treatment Of Myelopathy
- Thoracic Laminectomy
- Thoracic Spine Fracture Surgery
- Thoracic Spine Fusion
- Thoracic Spine Surgery
- Transpsoas Approach
- Tubular Discectomy
- Vertebrae Surgery
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Medicare Fee for Service
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Student Resources
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Tricare Prime
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- FIRST HEALTH
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery
Fellowship Program: Rush University Medical Center (2019)
Residency Program: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (2018)
Medical School: Jefferson Medical College (2013)
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
- Basques, BA, Ferguson JF, Kunze KN, Phillips, FP. Lumbar Spinal Fusion in the Outpatient Setting: An Update on Management, Surgical Approaches and Planning. Journal of Spine Surgery (accepted, pending publication).
- Louie PK, Haws BE, Khan JM, Markowitz J, Movassaghi K, Ferguson J, Lopez GD, An HS, Phillips FM. Comparison of Stand-alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion versus Open Laminectomy and Posterolateral Instrumented Fusion in the Treatment of Adjacent Segment Disease following Previous Lumbar Fusion Surgery. Spine. Aug 12, 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
- Ferguson J, Mariorenzi M, Kalantar SB. Anterior cervical decompression and fusion for a single-level disc herniation. Seminars in Spine Surgery. 2014; 26(3): 154-9.
- Ferguson J, Hwang S, Tataryn Z, Samdani A. Neuromonitoring changes in pediatric spinal deformity surgery: a single-institution experience. Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics. 2014; 13(3): 247-54.
- Radcliff K, Ferguson JL, Reis-Rodrigues LM, Gruskay J, Levine AM, Albert T, Vaccaro AR. Chapter 24: Traumatic Spondylolisthesis of the Axis (Hangman's Fracture) in Spine Trauma, 2nd edition. Eds: Zigler JE, Eismont FJ, Garfin SR, Vaccaro AR, from American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2011.
- Samdani AF, Cahill PJ, Hwang SW, King J, Edwards A, Fine A, Ferguson J, Betz RR: Larger curve magnitude is associated with markedly increased perioperative complications after scoliosis surgery in patients with spinal cord injury. 18th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (podium), Copenhagen, Denmark, July 13-16, 2011.
- Zlotolow DA, Ferguson JL, Knutsen E, Kozin SH. The Natural History of Shoulder Function in Patients with Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy. NARAKAS meeting, May 19-22, 2011, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Ferguson JL, Zlotolow DA, Kozin SH. Timing of Recovery of Shoulder Function in Patients with Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy.
- Poster, AOA Research Symposium, Thomas Jefferson University, March 2nd, 2012
- E-Poster, Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, September 6-8, 2012, Chicago, IL.
- Ferguson JL, Hwang SW, Stanton P, Fine A, Samdani AF. Neuromonitoring Changes in Pediatric Spinal Deformity Surgery: Single Institution Experience. New England Neurosurgical Society annual meeting, June 21-23, 2012.