Making the decision to have surgery is never easy. It’s why we provide potential patients with the facts they need to make an informed choice. By disclosing information on our surgical outcomes and patient experiences, we ensure the highest level of transparency for our patients and their loved ones. It is our hope the findings listed in the research below will help you make the decision that’s best for you.

99 percent patient rating of care

According to a frequency analysis performed by Press Ganey which evaluated all of USA Spine Care’s facilities, 98.8% of the individual survey responses received for ‘Overall rating of care received during your visit’ from 1/1/2018 – 12/31//2018 were rated as good or very good.

98 percent patient recommendation

According to a frequency analysis performed by Press Ganey which evaluated all of USA Spine Care’s facilities, 98% of the individual survey responses received for ‘Likelihood of your recommending our Ambulatory Surgery Center to others’ from 1/1/2018 – 12/31/2018 were rated as good or very good.

98 percent patient satisfaction

According to a frequency analysis performed by Press Ganey which evaluated all of USA Spine Care’s facilities, 97.8% of the individual survey responses received from 1/1/2018 – 12/31/2018 were rated as good or very good.

Patient testimonials

Some level of improvement was reported by 90.8 percent of patients. The average improvement reported was 64 percent. These figures were calculated from three-month postoperative survey responses collected from 7/1/15 to 6/30/16. Patients who completed their survey outside of a two-week window were removed from the sample, as were patients who entered an inconsistent character or any value over 100.

2.26 percent complication rate

USA Spine Care complication rates are calculated annually and are based on the number of reported events divided by the number of completed surgeries. Complication rate may include categories such as postoperative infections and neurological deficits, hospital transfers, hematomas, wrong procedures, returns to surgery and patient injuries in the facility. Our medical staff constantly monitors events to identify specific trends and potential issues.

0.55 percent infection rate

Surgical site infection (SSI) rates are calculated annually and are based on the number of confirmed surgical site infections reported to all USA Spine Care surgery centers divided by the number of completed surgeries. USA Spine Care follows the guidelines defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for classifying a surgical site infection.

USA Spine Care’s minimally invasive spine procedures are a safer and effective alternative to traditional open back procedures.

Statistical analysis of patient reported outcomes in spine journals below suggest that minimally invasive spine surgery is as effective as traditional open back or neck surgery.

Industry research further supports that minimally invasive spine surgery is safer than traditional open neck or back surgery because it has shown that infection rates and complication rates are lower with minimally invasive techniques.

• Cizik AM, Lee MJ, Martin BI, Bransford R J, Bellabarba C, Chapman JR, Mirza, SK. Using the Spine Surgical Invasiveness Index to Identify Risk of Surgical Site Infection. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 2012; 94(4):335-342.
• Shih P, Wong AP, Smith TR, Lee AI, Fessler RG. Complications of open compared to minimally invasive lumbar spine decompression. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2011;18(10):1360-1364.
• O’Toole JE, Eichholz KM, Fessler RG. Surgical Site Infection Rates After Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. 2009;11(4):471-476.
• Adogwa O, Parker SL, Bydon A, Cheng J, McGirt MJ. Comparative Effectiveness of Minimally Invasive Versus Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques. 2011;24(8):479-484.

Outpatient minimally invasive spine surgery costs less than spine surgery in hospitals

This study states that the outpatient treatment of lumbar disc herniation costs $11,616 compared to $20,585 for inpatient surgery at a hospital. The cost is based on data from Medicare claims and State Ambulatory Surgery Databases in 2009. Cost includes payments to the physicians and facilities.

Koenig L, Dall TM, Gu Q, Saavoss J, Schafer MF. How Does Accounting for Worker Productivity Affect the Measured Cost-Effectiveness of Lumbar Discectomy? Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®. 2014;472(4):1069-1079.

No lengthy recovery. Patients are encouraged to walk the day of surgery.

Individual spine conditions, treatment and recovery times may vary. Each patient’s experience with minimally invasive spine surgery will differ.

Patients return to work 2-3 times faster than open back surgery

The return to work (RTW) time is based upon a comparison of two studies. In the first, USA Spine Care’s study, the average RTW time following a lumbar decompression surgery was 1.39 months (the median RTW time was 1-2 months). Comparatively, the median RTW time following an open lumbar fusion is 17.1 weeks.

• Davis, R., et al. Efficacy of an Outpatient Minimally Invasive Decompression Spine Surgery via Laminotomy and Foraminotomy. Proceedings of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Las Vegas, NV. 10/13/16-10/15/16
• Adogwa, O., Parker, S.L., Bydon, A., Cheng, J., & McGirt, M.J. (2011). Comparative effectiveness of minimally invasive versus open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: 2-year assessment of narcotic use, return to work, disability, and quality of life. Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques, 24, 479-484. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0b013e3182055cac

USA Spine Care patients are 2x as likely to report relief versus competitors’ surgical patients

From September to October 2018, Emicity conducted a survey of 940 people who contacted USA Spine Care in 2017 or 2018. The survey pool was comprised of USA Spine Care patients, competitors’ surgical patients, and conservative spine care patients. Participants were asked to describe the current state of their spinal problems. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of USA Spine Care patients responded that they had complete relief from some problems, but other problems remained, while twenty percent (20%) of competitors’ surgical patients submitted the same response. An additional twenty-eight percent (28%) of USA Spine Care patients reported they had complete relief from their spinal problems.