Study: High Hospital Costs for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Attributable to Surgeon, Instrumentation

Spine

The choice of surgeons performing the surgery and instrumentation have a large impact on the variation of hospital charges for patients undergoing one level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, according to a study published in Spine.

Researchers gathered data on 102 one-level anterior cervical discectomies and fusions performed by 15 surgeons on patients without comorbidities. The hospital charges were divided into in-patient charges and surgical charges, which were then divided further.

Total hospital charges were reported as $26,653 to $129,220 per patient. The in-patient hospital charges, which included the room charge, diagnostic studies and length of stay, were reported as $15,113 to $76,687. Patients stayed at the hospital for one to 11 days, and the number of days largely influenced the associated costs.

The instrumentation charges ranged from $4,062 to $40,409 per patient. This variation was attributable to the surgeon's choice of instrumentation. An analysis of the six surgeons who performed eight or more cases in the hospital showed one surgeon's charges clearly exceeding the average for the others.

Read the abstract about hospital charges associated with spine surgery.

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