Session Information
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Session Title: Spine and Pain Research Report
Session Time: 11:15am-12:45pm
Location: Research Hub - Kiosk 7
Disclosures: Amrit S. Ahluwalia: Nothing to disclose
Objective: To evaluate the use of vertebroplasties and kyphoplasties, particularly analyzing trends in volume and specialties performing these procedures.
Design: Retrospective study analyzing vertebroplasties and kyphoplasties performed on Medicare beneficiaries from 2010 to 2017.
Setting: Analysis of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary (PSPS).
Participants: All patients enrolled in Medicare from 2010 to 2017.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: The annual procedure rates of vertebroplasties and kyphoplasties performed on Medicare beneficiaries between 2010 and 2017. One-hundred percent of Medicare Part B claims were used to calculate these volumes. Trends in the specialties performing the primary procedures were also investigated utilizing physician specialty identifiers.
Results: There was a decline in both vertebroplasties (from 7169 to 5135; 28% decline) and kyphoplasties (from 10,509 to 8372; 20% decline) from 2010 to 2011, and subsequent increase in kyphoplasties, while the amount of vertebroplasties continued to decrease. The top five specialties performing kyphoplasties were consistent in terms of their rankings over the eight-year analysis. Orthopedic surgery regularly performed the most kyphoplasties, followed by neurosurgery, diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, and then interventional pain medicine. With regard to vertebroplasties, diagnostic radiology repeatedly performed the most procedures, initially followed by orthopedic surgery, then neurosurgery, intervention radiology, and then interventional pain medicine. In 2015 however, the amount of procedures performed by orthopedic surgery decreased, and neurosurgery then intervention radiology started performing more vertebroplasties.
Conclusions: There was a significant decline in vertebroplasties and kyphoplasties from 2010 to 2011 that is potentially related to the introduction of the Affordable Care Act. The data also illustrate a significant favoring of kyphoplasties over vertebroplasties. Orthopedic surgery, followed by neurosurgery, then diagnostic radiology were the top three specialties performing kyphoplasties. However, when it came to vertebroplasties, diagnostic radiology performed the most, as opposed to orthopedic surgery, who recently has performed the fourth highest volume of cases.
Level of Evidence: Level III
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Ahluwalia AS, Liabaud B, Agarwal S. Analysis of Growth of Vertebroplasties and Kyphoplasties in the Medicare Population: An Evaluation from 2010 to 2017 [abstract]. PM R. 2019; 11(S2)(suppl 2). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/analysis-of-growth-of-vertebroplasties-and-kyphoplasties-in-the-medicare-population-an-evaluation-from-2010-to-2017/. Accessed October 4, 2024.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2019
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/analysis-of-growth-of-vertebroplasties-and-kyphoplasties-in-the-medicare-population-an-evaluation-from-2010-to-2017/