Lumbar microdiscectomy as a day-case procedure: Scope for improvement?

Growing utilization of ambulatory spine surgery in Medicare patients from 2010-2021

Background

There is growing interest in transitioning various surgical procedures to the outpatient care setting. However, for Medicare patients, the site of service for surgical procedures is influenced by regulations within the Inpatient and Outpatient Prospective Payment Systems. The purpose of this study is to quantify changes in utilization of outpatient spine surgery within the Medicare population, as well as to determine changes in outpatient volume after removal of a procedure from the "inpatient-only" list.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study of Medicare billing database information for selected spine procedures included in the Medicare Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary (PSPS) public use files from 2010-2021. These files include aggregated data from Medicare Part B fee-for-service claims, published yearly. Procedures from Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS) code ranges 22010-22899 and 62380-63103 were selected for analysis, limited to surgical services delivered in the inpatient, hospital outpatient department (HOPD), and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) settings. For each HCPCS code included, estimates of the total number of services and corresponding changes in volume were calculated.

Results

Within the range of codes included in the study, the total number of outpatient spine procedures rose approximately 193% from 2010 to 2021, with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for outpatient procedures per year of 9.9% for HOPDs and 15.7% for ASCs (-2.2% for inpatient procedures). Within this period, the ASC list grew from 12 procedures to 58 procedures. In 2021, the highest volume ASC procedure was HCPCS 63047, at approximately 4970 procedures.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates a trend of increasing utilization of HOPDs and ASCs for spine procedures among Medicare beneficiaries from 2010 to 2021. Though HOPDs are currently more widely utilized, the ongoing additions of spine procedures to the ASC covered procedures list may shift this balance.

Effects of delayed postoperative void and preoperative urologic symptoms on delay in time of discharge for elective lumbar decompression surgery

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Almost half of all patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery have preoperative lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). These symptoms could affect postoperative voiding and subsequently length of stay.

PURPOSE

To investigate the association between preoperative LUTS and time to first void and between time to first void and time to discharge among patients undergoing elective lumbar decompression surgery.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data among patients at a single academic medical center.

PATIENT SAMPLE

All patients ≥18 years of age undergoing elective lumbar decompression surgery between July 2017 and March 2020.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The physiologic measure of a delayed time to first void was defined as an initial postoperative void of > 4 hours after anesthesia stop time. The outcome of prolonged time to discharge was defined as a stay of >24 hours after anesthesia stop time.

METHODS

At their preoperative visit, patients completed the validated International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) (range, 0-35 points), which is applicable for LUTS assessment in both sexes. Clinically relevant LUTS are defined as an IPSS score of ≥8. Patients were followed from their preoperative visit to surgery admission discharge. Association of LUTS with time to first void and time to first void with admission discharge were estimated using risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from a multivariable Poisson regression with a robust variance estimate adjusted for potential confounding variables including age, sex, IPSS, and intraoperative Foley catheter use.

RESULTS

The analytic cohort included 170 patients with an average age of 57 years and 103 (61%) were men. Preoperative LUTS prevalence was 45%, and 111 (65%) of patients voided within 4 hours after surgery. For patients with preoperative LUTS, the unadjusted RR for a first void of >4 hours was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.82-1.32) (p=.77). Adjustment for age, sex, intraoperative Foley catheter use, revision surgery, previous spine surgery, single versus multiple levels, and lumbar location did not materially alter the risk: the multivariable RR was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.82-1.31) (p=.74). The unadjusted RR for a discharge of > 24 hours for patients with a time to first void of > 4 hours was 2.17 (95% CI: 1.51-3.10) (p<.001). After adjusting for age, sex, intraoperative Foley catheter use, IPSS, revision surgery, previous spine surgery, single versus multiple levels, and lumbar location, the multivariable RR was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.22-2.41) (p=.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of preoperative LUTS status, an initial first void of >4 hours after surgery is associated with a longer time to discharge among patients undergoing elective lumbar decompression surgery. Future studies are needed to determine if encouraging early postoperative voiding results in timely discharge and shorter length of stay.

Adopting the day surgery default in the provision of lumbar discectomy and decompressive surgery

INTRODUCTION

Provision of day case spinal procedures in the UK is below expected standards and there is a need for the creation of guidance and patient pathways to address this. Here we present a day case lumbar discectomy protocol and evaluate its impact at our institution.

METHODS

A new pathway (incorporating defined selection criteria, patient education, anaesthetic protocol and discharge prescriptions) was implemented for all suitable patients within a single surgeon's cohort. Day case rates for lumbar discectomy were compared before and after implementation. Patient feedback was collated using a patient-reported experience measure.

RESULTS

Eighteen of 23 patients selected as suitable via the pathway successfully underwent day surgery, leading to an increase in lumbar discectomy day case rates from 25% to 69% at our institution. Nearly all patients were satisfied with their experience, although a significant proportion felt provision of postoperative analgesia could be improved.

CONCLUSION

We present a day surgery pathway for lumbar discectomy that is safe and effective. This could be more widely implemented to increase day case rates.

Complication avoidance and management in ambulatory spine surgery

The positive safety profile and potential cost savings associated with ambulatory spine surgery have resulted in an increasing number of spine procedures being performed on an outpatient basis. As indications become more inclusive and the variety and volume of ambulatory procedures grow, the incidence of complications may rise. Limiting adverse events in the outpatient setting starts with patient selection. Surgeons should be aware of the potential complications and associated risk factors for common ambulatory spine procedures and employ strategies to limit and appropriately manage them. Protocols which include patient education, multimodal anesthesia and analgesia, standardized post-operative monitoring, and safe discharge planning are also essential for maximizing safety in the ambulatory setting.

Future endeavors in ambulatory spine surgery

Due to the high societal and financial burden of spinal disorders, spine surgery is thought to be one of the most impactful targets for healthcare cost reduction. One avenue for cost-reduction that is increasingly being explored not just in spine surgery but across specialties is the performance of surgeries in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Despite potential cost-savings, the utilization of ASCs for spine surgery remains largely limited to high-volume centers in the US, and predominantly for single- or two-level lumbar microdiscectomy and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures. Factors most commonly cited for the lack of wider adoption include the risk of life-threatening complications, paucity of guidelines, and limited accessibility of these procedures to various patient populations. Thus, the future growth and adoption of ambulatory spine surgery depends on addressing these concerns by developing evidence-based guidelines for patient- and procedure selection, creating risk-stratification tools, devising appropriate discharge recommendations, and optimizing care protocols to ensure that safety, efficacy and outcomes are maintained. Other avenues that may allow for more widespread use of ASCs include the use of electronic health tools for post-operative monitoring after discharge from the ASC, increasing accessibility of ambulatory procedures to eligible populations, and identifying systemic inefficiencies and implementing process-improvement measures to optimize patient-selection, scheduling and peri-operative management. The success of ambulatory surgery ultimately depends not only on the surgical procedure, but also on its organization upstream and downstream. It provides an exciting and burgeoning avenue for innovation, cost-reduction and value-creation.

Feasibility and Safety of Outpatient Lumbar Microscopic Discectomy in a Developing Country

Study Design

Prospective study.

Purpose

To verify the feasibility and safety of outpatient microscopic lumbar discectomy (MLD) in a developing country.

Overview of Literature

Outpatient MLD is advantageous in terms of cost effectiveness and avoidance of nosocomial infections. Safety of outpatient MLD has been well established in the developed nations of North America and Europe. There is no published study of outpatient MLD from the rest of the world, especially in developing countries.

Methods

Fifty-eight consecutive patients undergoing outpatient MLD with a median follow-up time of 12 months (range, 6–21 months) were included in this study. Simultaneous patient counseling was done by a surgical and anesthetic team preoperatively and pre-discharge. We collected and analyzed data pertaining to the demography, socioeconomic status, perioperative parameters, complications, and outcome assessment scores of the patients.

Results

The average patient age was 37.8±9.6 years (39 males, 19 females). Unilateral discectomy was performed in 55 patients, and bilateral discectomy in three. The majority (80.3%) of the patients were classified to lower middle (III) or upper lower (IV) class on the Modified Kuppuswamy Scale. The average operative time was 41.0±8.4 minutes with an average blood loss of 42.6±14.9 mL. The average postoperative stay was 5.5±0.7 hours and the successful discharge rate was 100%. Complications noted were postoperative nausea (n=8), urinary retention (n=2), meralgia paresthetica (n=3), delayed wound healing (n=2), and recurrence (n=1). The successful outcome rates were Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score leg pain, 93.1%; VAS score back pain, 89.6%; Oswestry Disability Index score, 91.3%; return to activities of daily living, 94.8%; return to work, 79.3%; patient satisfaction rate, 82.7%; and overall success rate, 88.4%.

Conclusions

Outpatient MLD can be safely performed with success, even in the setting of a developing country, if the prerequisites of appropriate patient selection, arduous adherence to outpatient surgery protocol, competent surgical/anesthetic team, and infrastructure needed for conduction of microsurgery are met.