Experienced spine surgeons were more enthusiastic about cost containment than newer spine surgeons, according to a survey published in the Journal of Spine Surgery.
Here are three things to know:
1. Active AOSpine North America members were surveyed over email. Of 91 respondents:
- 87 percent were under the age of 60
- 96 percent were male
- 91 percent were in practice for under 30 years
- 47 percent practiced at university hospitals
- 47 percent held politically conservative views
2. Spine surgeons mostly assigned responsibility for cost reduction to healthcare systems and expressed eagerness to eliminate wasteful spending. Experienced spine surgeons were more enthusiastic about reducing costs by reducing overall physician reimbursement through bundled payments, Medicare payment reduction, ending fee-for-service, penalizing surgeons for patient readmissions and lowering individual spine surgeon compensation.
3. Compared to other physician specialists, spine surgeons allocated less responsibility to trial lawyers and expressed significantly less enthusiasm for limiting access to costly treatments.