Ambulatory lumbar discectomy access is most common among white, male patients with private insurance and in a higher volume hospital setting, according to an article recently published in The Spine Journal.
The article's authors performed a retrospective cohort study on patients who underwent outpatient and inpatient lumbar discectomies in New York, California and North Carolina from 2005 to 2008. The researchers used a logistic regression model to demonstrate socioeconomic factors with the odds of undergoing out patient procedures, according to the article's abstract.
The researchers found factors that significantly increased the odds of outpatient procedures were male gender, private insurance, lower Charlson Comorbidity Index and higher hospital volume. Factors that lowered the odds for outpatient procedures were higher income, older age, Medicaid coverage and minority race — especially African American.
Additional findings from the article include:
• Higher 30-day postoperative readmission rate for inpatients;
• Significantly lower institutional charges for outpatient lumbar discectomies;
• Average charge for inpatient surgery: $24,273
• Average charge for outpatient surgery: $11,339
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