Written by Laura Dyrda
A study published in The Spine Journal examines the preoperative predictors of increased hospital costs for elective anterior cervical fusions.
The study included 1,082 patients from a single institution. All patients underwent either one- or two-level anterior cervical fusions. Researchers analyzed the independent effects of preoperative planning characteristics on total hospital costs using multivariate linear regression models.
The researchers found:
1. The patient’s age, obesity and diabetes were all independently associated with increased average hospital costs. The higher costs include:
• Age: $1,404
• Obesity: $681
• Diabetes: $1,877
