A new study published in Spine examines the cost and length of stay associated with lumbar spinal fusion patients who are treated for adverse events.
As payers move toward pay-for-performance measures, hospitals are at financial risk. The study assesses patients from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review file in 2013 to examine the incremental hospital resources consumed for each adverse event. There were 83,658 Medicare beneficiaries included in the study that underwent two- or three-level lumbar spinal fusion.
Here are five things to know:
1. There were 17.7 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries who underwent lumbar spinal fusion and reported at least one adverse event.
2. The patients who reported complications used significantly more hospital resources with an incremental cost of $8,911.
3. Patients with complications also reported a longer length of stay, with the incremental stay at 5.7 days after surgery.
4. The incremental cost of adverse event treatment was around $32,049 for infections and ranged to $9,976 for transfusions, after adjusting for the patient demographics and comorbidities.
5. The study authors recommended, "Shared decision-making instruments should clearly provide these risk estimates for the patient before surgical consideration."