I do sort of share the idea that the people at Mayo's spine department are more research than hands-on everyday surgery-oriented, and I'm also not thrilled with the fact that no one you've listed seems to be an expert in lumbar fusion. Are there other docs there, though, whose listings have not been as easy to access, who might have more expertise? I mention that as in my experience the hospital web sites, even for places like Mayo, don't always mention all their associates and affiliates. (The docs themselves are not always that interested in the websites, so it's up to the whim of the people creating the sites and how much they push the facility for info and profiles.)

I always thought that when it came to spinal stuff (and a lot of other stuff), what we have in NY is as good as what's available anywhere else--Beth Israel/Hospital for Joint Diseases, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the Columbia/Cornell System are all world-class neuro-orthopedic centers.