North American Spine Society

What North American Spine Society does

North American Spine Society (NASS) is a nonprofit professional membership society founded in 1985 and headquartered in Burr Ridge, Illinois. It serves spine care professionals across multiple disciplines — including orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, interventional pain physicians, physiatrists, radiologists, residents and fellows, and allied health professionals — through a bundled offering of peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, coverage recommendations, continuing medical education (CME), an annual meeting, coding resources, advocacy via SpinePAC, and a patient-facing specialist directory (knowyourback.org).

The society's core technology stack consists of digital platforms rather than a software product: a Learning Center with online courses, webinars, and a video/podcast library; clinical practice guideline and coverage recommendation repositories; member directories; and the NASS Anytime on-demand education platform. Sub-branded publications include The Spine Journal (fulfilled via Elsevier), NASSJ (open access), SpineLine (bimonthly clinical/news), NASS Insider (newsletter), and Seminars in Spine Surgery. A new AI Task Force established in 2025 develops governance frameworks for AI/LLM integration in spine care but does not currently ship AI products.

NASS generates revenue through six primary streams: recurring annual membership dues, event registration (annual meeting and courses), publication and coding book sales (one-time/transactional), coverage recommendation document sales ($395 for non-members; free for members and payors), journal subscriptions, and advertising. Its go-to-market is community-led, leveraging volunteer committees, sections, and task forces to drive content production and member engagement rather than a traditional sales motion. Distribution is primarily direct via spine.org, complemented by in-person sales at the annual meeting and third-party partners (Elsevier, Constant Contact, Stripe, onPeak, T3, A2Z, Guidebook, Foleon, Feathr, Your Membership) for fulfillment, event logistics, and marketing execution.

Name

North American Spine Society

Legal name

North American Spine Society

Website

https://spine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

North American Spine Society is a nonprofit professional medical society, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Burr Ridge, Illinois, serving multidisciplinary spine care professionals through peer-reviewed publications, clinical practice guidelines, coverage recommendations, CME, coding support, an annual meeting, and advocacy via SpinePAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burr Ridge, IL

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to publications, educational content, coverage recommendations, member directory listings, coding support, and advocacy services.
2. Publications Store: Sales of clinical guidelines, coverage recommendations, coding books, and patient materials through the NASS store.
3. Event Registration: Registration fees for annual meetings, courses, conferences, and educational programs including CME opportunities.
4. Coverage Recommendations Sales: Non-members pay $395 for coverage recommendation documents; free for members. Payors receive free access.
5. Journal Subscriptions: Subscriptions to The Spine Journal and other publications, with Elsevier fulfilling subscriptions for members.
6. Advertising: Advertisements in publications and on website, targeting spine care industry and members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NASS is a global multidisciplinary professional medical society that provides membership, peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and coverage recommendations, continuing medical education, an annual meeting, coding and practice resources, research funding, and political advocacy (SpinePAC) to spine care professionals. Its offerings are primarily delivered to spine surgeons, physicians, allied health professionals, residents and fellows, with secondary resources for insurance payors, industry partners, and patients (via the knowyourback.org directory).

Product overview

North American Spine Society (NASS) is a global multidisciplinary medical organization that offers a comprehensive suite of professional development, clinical guidance, and practice management resources for spine care professionals. The core offerings include peer-reviewed publications (The Spine Journal, NASSJ, SpineLine, NASS Insider, Seminars in Spine Surgery), evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines and Coverage Recommendations (free to members, $395 for non-members), the NASS Anytime online education platform, annual meetings, CME courses, coding resources, and patient education tools. NASS also provides advocacy services through SpinePAC, a career center, research funding programs, and the knowyourback.org patient specialist directory. The organization does not offer a software product or API but serves as the premier spine care professional society advancing education, research, and evidence-based patient care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NASSJ: North American Spine Society Journal - a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, international, electronic journal publishing research, critical reviews, case reports, and content related to spine surgery and spine care.
• The Spine Journal
• SpineLine
• NASS Insider
• Seminars in Spine Surgery

Products and services

• The Spine Journal (TSJ) Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research on spine surgery and spine care, with subscriptions fulfilled for members through Elsevier.
• NASSJ (North American Spine Society Journal) Multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, international electronic journal publishing research, critical reviews, case reports, commentary, and other content related to spine surgery and spine care.
• SpineLine Bimonthly clinical and news publication with an editorial board determining content, soliciting authors, and reviewing manuscripts.
• NASS Insider Regular newsletter publication keeping members informed of NASS activities, advocacy efforts, and industry news.
• Seminars in Spine Surgery Specialized surgical publication covering spine surgery techniques and developments.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines addressing key clinical questions for specific diagnoses, developed by the NASS Clinical Practice Guideline Committee trained in evidence analysis.
• Coverage Recommendations Evidence-based coverage recommendations developed to advocate for NASS positions on clinical and practice issues, available in user-friendly chapter format. Free for members, $395 for non-members.
• NASS Anytime Online education platform providing on-demand courses, webinars, and educational content for spine professionals.
• NASS Annual Meeting Annual professional conference providing educational programming, networking opportunities, exhibits, and registration revenue for spine care professionals.
• Continuing Medical Education (CME) Accredited continuing medical education activities and courses for spine professionals to maintain credentials and meet continuing education requirements.
• Coding Resources Coding education activities including annual coding courses, member coding Q&A service, and Common Coding Scenarios for Comprehensive Spine Care.
• Patient Safety and Education Resources Patient safety resources and education materials for spine care providers including spine safety notices, injection safety, infection control, and wrong site surgery prevention.
• Podcasts and Videos Audio and video content including SpineLine Podcast, NASSJ Podcast, Ask the Experts Podcast, and educational video series.
• Career Center Job posting and career opportunities platform for spine care professionals.
• Evidence-Based Medicine Training Training and support related to evidence review and analysis, enabling members to stay current with latest EBM developments.
• Research Funding Program Oversight of research grant and fellowship applications and funding recommendations for spine research.
• knowyourback.org Find-a-Specialist Directory Public directory helping patients find spine specialists, with member listing included in membership benefits.
• SpinePAC Political action committee serving as the voice of the profession in elective politics, solely dedicated to advancing spine care community interests.
• Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Evidence-based recommendations supporting appropriate care conversations between patients and physicians.
• Choosing Wisely Recommendations Evidence-based recommendations developed in partnership with ABIM Foundation to reduce unnecessary tests and treatments in spine care.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe acts as the independent third-party payment processor for NASS, securely collecting, storing, and maintaining payment card details in accordance with PCI DSS standards.
• Constant ContactcoreTechnology or IntegrationConstant Contact assists NASS in sending emails and maintaining mailing lists for member communications and newsletters.
• ElseviercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElsevier fulfills subscriptions of The Spine Journal for NASS members, leveraging their publishing infrastructure and distribution capabilities.
• A2ZcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerA2Z provides exhibitor booth management and the mobile app for the NASS Annual Meeting.
• onPeakcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartneronPeak provides housing services for the NASS Annual Meeting, managing hotel room blocks and attendee reservations.
• T3coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerT3 assists in planning and executing the Annual Meeting and other NASS events.
• Your MembershipcoreTechnology or IntegrationYour Membership helps NASS recruit talented professionals for employment through their career services page.
• ABIM FoundationmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASS joined the ABIM Foundation's 'Choosing Wisely' campaign, releasing evidence-based recommendations to support conversations between patients and physicians about appropriate care.
• Consumer ReportsmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsumer Reports collaborated with NASS to develop consumer information on imaging tests for lower back pain and bed rest recommendations.
• AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASS links to AAOS Surgical Risk Reduction Toolkit and collaborates on patient safety resources.
• AAPM&R (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAPM&R has endorsed NASS Clinical Practice Guideline on Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain.
• AANS/CNS (American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAANS/CNS has endorsed NASS Clinical Practice Guideline on Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS): CSRS is an international, multidisciplinary society dedicated specifically to cervical spine disorders, publishing research and hosting annual meetings. It is comparable to NASS as a specialty society competing for spine surgeon engagement, guideline authorship, and meeting attendance in a closely adjacent anatomical niche.
• Spine Intervention Society (SIS): SIS is a multispecialty society for interventional spine physicians that focuses on procedural training, guidelines, and annual meetings. It is directly comparable to NASS as a competing spine-focused society whose interventional-pain and procedure-focused membership overlaps heavily with NASS' member base.
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS): AANS represents neurological surgeons and formally endorsed NASS' Low Back Pain Clinical Practice Guideline. It is directly comparable because it serves a closely overlapping specialty constituency (spine-capable neurosurgeons), publishes journals, runs CME, and operates a political action committee — NASS' parallel activities.
• Scoliosis Research Society (SRS): SRS is a global, spine-focused medical society for deformity specialists that publishes its own journal, hosts annual meetings, and develops clinical guidelines. It is comparable to NASS as a similarly sized, membership-driven, peer-reviewed spine society competing for the same spine specialist mindshare.
• International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS): ISASS is an international spine surgery society producing publications, guidelines, and an annual conference. It competes directly with NASS for spine surgeon membership, sponsorship dollars, and global spine care thought leadership.
• Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS): LSRS is a spine-focused research society for orthopedic and neurosurgical investigators, producing peer-reviewed research and an annual meeting. It is directly comparable to NASS as a competing spine society attracting the same surgeon-researcher audience for grants, publications, and presentations.

Broad incumbents

• American College of Radiology (ACR): ACR is the principal professional society for radiologists, including spine imaging. It is comparable to NASS because both produce imaging-related appropriateness criteria and serve overlapping radiology members who treat spine conditions, making it a partial competitive peer for content authority.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): AAOS is the largest U.S. orthopedic professional society and a direct collaborating partner with NASS on patient safety resources (Surgical Risk Reduction Toolkit). It is comparable because both are multidisciplinary medical societies producing clinical guidelines, journals, CME, and annual meetings for overlapping surgeon audiences.
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R): AAPM&R is the national specialty society for physiatrists and an endorsing partner of NASS' Low Back Pain Clinical Practice Guideline. It is comparable as a parallel professional society serving physiatrists with journals, CME, and guidelines that overlap with NASS' multidisciplinary audience.

Emerging players

• North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS): NANS is a subspecialty society for neuromodulation practitioners overlapping significantly with interventional spine physicians. It is comparable to NASS as a competing specialty society for spine-pain physicians seeking CME, guidelines, and advocacy on device-based treatments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NASSspine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NASSspine
• Facebookfacebook.com/NASS.Spine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-american-spine-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/nassspine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North American Spine Society