Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses. Next week's question: What regulatory changes have caused the most headaches in your practice?

Please send responses to Laura Miller at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Thursday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m. CST.

Q: On average, how much time do you and your office staff members spend on the phone with insurance companies per week?

Paul Slosar, MD, President, SpineCare Medical Group, San Francisco Spine Institute: My staff estimates that it can take 2-3 hours of phone work to get a single surgery approved.  They also often spend 30-45 minutes getting an injection approved.  The doctors now have to do phone calls for 2/3 surgeries.  The overhead spent on these tasks is increasing exponentially from 1-2 years ago.

Jeffrey Wang, MD, Spine Surgeon, UCLA Spine Center: This is a daily occurrence and my staff spends several hours each day on the phone attempting to get authorizations for treatments, referrals, radiological studies, and surgeries.

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