Medicaid beneficiaries have a higher risk for complications after spine surgery compared with patients who have private insurance, according to recent research published in Spine.
"Just as medical and surgical comorbidity factors should be taken into account when considering the safety of surgery and likelihood of complication, Medicaid status should be considered as well," Jacques Hacquebord, MD, from the Department of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, stated in a press release.
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Reference:
Medicaid Status Is Associated With Higher Complication Rates After Spine Surgery
Hacquebord, Jacques MD; Cizik, Amy M. MPH, MS; Malempati, Sree Harsha MD; Konodi, Mark A. MS; Bransford, Richard J. MD; Bellabarba, Carlo MD; Lee, Michael J. MD
10.1097/BRS.0b013e3182959b68
Disclosure: This study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and from Synthes Spine.