Patients with severe obesity cost more at every stage of a lumbar decompression episode, and the gap widens in the months after surgery, according to a Nov. 1 study published in Spine.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Department of Spine Surgery at Boston-based New England Baptist Hospital.
Researchers analyzed 56,897 patients who underwent lumbar decompression, 5.6% of whom were diagnosed with severe obesity.
The cost difference started in the operating room. Day-of-surgery costs averaged $26,993 for patients with severe obesity, compared with $22,279 for controls. That gap grew to more than $5,700 at 30 days, when total episode-of-care costs reached $30,316 versus $24,551. By 90 days, costs hit $34,569 for the severe obesity group and $27,816 for controls, a difference of $6,753.
After adjusting for other factors, severe obesity independently predicted higher costs at every interval, along with a higher rate of complications. The authors said the added costs were driven by more postoperative complications, readmissions and reoperations.
“These findings highlight the need for both tailored management and adjusted reimbursement in this population, particularly in the setting of value-based care models,” the authors said.
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