Majd Marrache1, Andrew B Harris1, Micheal Raad1, Varun Puvanesarajah1, Jina Pakpoor1, Mark C Bicket2, Hamid Hassanzadeh3, Amit Jain4. 1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 2. Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. 4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Electronic address: ajain24@jhmi.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the health care resource utilization and the associated 6 months preoperative and 6 months postoperative spending among patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a private insurance claims database for patients who underwent single-level posterior spinal fusion from January 2011 to December 2015. Outpatient health services, prescription pain medications, and inpatient admissions were assessed. RESULTS: Among 25,401 patients (mean age, 52 years; 58% female) in the final cohort, median spending during the period from 6 months before surgery to 6 months after surgery was $60,714 (interquartile range [IQR], $46,961-$79,892)/patient. Preoperative spending accounted for 7% ($121 million) of the total costs, and postoperative spending accounted for 8% ($135 million). Median preoperative spending was $3566 (IQR, $2144-$5857) per patient, with imaging accounting for the highest proportion (33%) of preoperative spending. In the 6 months period preceding surgery, 46% patients received injections and 47% received physical therapy. The median postoperative spending was $1954/patient (IQR, $735-$4416). Total postoperative spending was significantly higher among those not discharged home (median, $7525; IQR, $6779-$19,602) compared with those discharged home (median, $1617/patient; IQR, $648-$4033) and home with home care services (median, $2921; IQR, $1406-$5662) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Unplanned readmission after posterior spinal fusion was the highest contributor to postoperative spending and the second highest contributor to overall costs. Understanding factors that contribute to the costs in the preoperative and postoperative period in patients undergoing single-level posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative pathology is essential to identify targets for cost containment.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the health care resource utilization and the associated 6 months preoperative and 6 months postoperative spending among patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a private insurance claims database for patients who underwent single-level posterior spinal fusion from January 2011 to December 2015. Outpatient health services, prescription pain medications, and inpatient admissions were assessed. RESULTS: Among 25,401 patients (mean age, 52 years; 58% female) in the final cohort, median spending during the period from 6 months before surgery to 6 months after surgery was $60,714 (interquartile range [IQR], $46,961-$79,892)/patient. Preoperative spending accounted for 7% ($121 million) of the total costs, and postoperative spending accounted for 8% ($135 million). Median preoperative spending was $3566 (IQR, $2144-$5857) per patient, with imaging accounting for the highest proportion (33%) of preoperative spending. In the 6 months period preceding surgery, 46% patients received injections and 47% received physical therapy. The median postoperative spending was $1954/patient (IQR, $735-$4416). Total postoperative spending was significantly higher among those not discharged home (median, $7525; IQR, $6779-$19,602) compared with those discharged home (median, $1617/patient; IQR, $648-$4033) and home with home care services (median, $2921; IQR, $1406-$5662) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Unplanned readmission after posterior spinal fusion was the highest contributor to postoperative spending and the second highest contributor to overall costs. Understanding factors that contribute to the costs in the preoperative and postoperative period in patients undergoing single-level posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative pathology is essential to identify targets for cost containment.
Keywords:
Degenerative disc disease; Health care costs; Health care utilization; Health economics; Hospital costs; Posterior spinal fusion; Spine surgery
Authors: Kai-Uwe LewandrowskI; Narendran Muraleedharan; Steven Allen Eddy; Vikram Sobti; Brian D Reece; Jorge Felipe Ramírez León; Sandeep Shah Journal: Int J Spine Surg Date: 2020-12