ORLANDO, Fla. — Billed costs and payments received were both higher for lumbar fusions than for a comparable group of patients who underwent lumbar total disc replacement for the same indications, according to a study presented here.
“The total bill was approximately 50% greater for fusion than it was for total disc replacement (TDR), which was statistically significant and the amount of payment received was also about 50% greater for fusion than for TDR,” Donna D. Ohnmeiss, DrMed, said during a health care value in economics session at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society.
Ohnmeiss said she and her colleagues conducted only the fifth study examining the costs of TDR surgery performed in the United States, but noted that economic issues related to such new technology has become nearly as important a consideration to some groups as its safety and effectiveness.
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