Table 3.
Cost Variability for the Treatment of Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation After 2 Microdiscectomies (Scenario 2).
| Surgeon Characteristics | Revision Microdiscectomy (%) | Revision Microdiscectomy With PLIF/TLIF (%) | No Surgery (%) | Average Cost per Surgeon | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | .052 | ||||
| Midwest | 46 (43) | 54 (50) | 7 (7) | $16 457 | |
| Northeast | 49 (51) | 35 (36) | 13 (13) | $13 832 | |
| Southeast | 42 (49) | 38 (45) | 5 (6) | $15 761 | |
| Southwest | 22 (51) | 17 (40) | 4 (9) | $14 717 | |
| West | 31 (50) | 21 (34) | 10 (16) | $13 253 | |
| Specialty | .362 | ||||
| Neurological surgery | 48 (48) | 44 (44) | 7 (8) | $15 602 | |
| Orthopedic surgery | 142 (48) | 121 (41) | 32 (11) | $14 753 | |
| Fellowship training | .933 | ||||
| Yes | 154 (48) | 135 (42) | 32 (10) | $14 983 | |
| No | 36 (49) | 30 (41) | 7 (10) | $14 895 | |
| Practice type | .415 | ||||
| Academic | 43 (48) | 41 (45) | 6 (7) | $15 792 | |
| Hybrid | 39 (49) | 30 (38) | 10 (13) | $14 160 | |
| Private | 108 (48) | 94 (42) | 23 (10) | $14 920 | |
| Surgeries per year | .001* | ||||
| 0-100 | 23 (58) | 8 (20) | 9 (22) | $10 747 | |
| 101-150 | 29 (54) | 21 (39) | 4 (7) | $14 830 | |
| 151-200 | 42 (47) | 35 (39) | 13 (14) | $14 095 | |
| 201-250 | 34 (44) | 41 (53) | 2 (3) | $17 238 | |
| 251-300 | 27 (43) | 31 (49) | 5 (8) | $16 144 | |
| >300 | 35 (50) | 29 (41) | 6 (9) | $15 046 | |
| Practice length in years | <.001* | ||||
| <5 | 18 (41) | 22 (50) | 4 (9) | $16 129 | |
| 5-10 | 30 (39) | 44 (57) | 3 (4) | $17 619 | |
| 10-15 | 23 (37) | 34 (55) | 5 (8) | $16 878 | |
| 15-20 | 44 (63) | 20 (29) | 6 (8) | $13 339 | |
| >20 | 75 (53) | 45 (32) | 21 (15) | $13 123 |
Abbreviations: PLIF, posterior lumbar interbody fusion; TLIF, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
*Statistically significant at P < .01.