A new study published in Spine examines the costs associated with single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion based on the surgeon performing the procedure.
The study authors reviewed patients from eight surgeons — four orthopedic spine surgeons and four neurosurgical surgeons — all from a single institution. The data for spine surgery cases was gathered from 2013 to 2015, and all together included 137 single-level ACDFs.
The study authors found:
1. Forty-four of the procedures were performed by orthopedic surgeons and 93 by neurosurgical surgeons; those performed by orthopedic surgeons had shorter operating room times. Orthopedic surgeons took around 89 minutes in the OR, compared to 96 minutes for neurosurgical surgeons.
2. The lab costs were higher among orthopedic surgeons.
3. Individual surgeons regardless of specialty reported high variation in operative time and labor costs.
4. Overall, there wasn't a significant difference in total costs between the specialties or individual surgeons, according to the study.
5. The study authors concluded that while subspecialty training didn't affect total costs, the costs and operative times can vary by individual surgeon. "Variation between individual surgeons highlights potential areas for improvement of the cost effectiveness of spinal procedures," concluded the study authors.
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