Cost and Utilization Trends of Lumbar Fusion

What changes in lumbar fusion surgery utilization and costs occurred between 2002 and 2023?In this cross-sectional study of more than 5 million lumbar fusion admissions, adjusted inpatient hospital and mean inpatient per-procedure costs increased. There were increased trends toward fusions involving 2 or more disc levels and in anterior-posterior column fusion in more recent years as well as a trend toward procedures in outpatient facilities.In this study, lumbar fusion trends were marked by greater utilization of multilevel and anterior-posterior approaches and greater use in the outpatient setting.

Corresponding Author: Brook I. Martin, PhD, MPH, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, 590 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (Brook.Martin@hsc.utah.edu).

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