This article presents a retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study that analyzed the trend of surgical service utilization in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) using claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) between 2010 and 2019. The study examined various demographic characteristics of patients, the frequency of claims for different types of surgeries, reoperation rates, inpatient care, prescribed medications, and healthcare expenses. The analysis revealed an increase in the number of claims and patients for both decompression and fusion surgeries over the years. The medical expenses for these surgeries also showed an upward trend. Decompression accounted for a higher proportion of first surgeries, while fusion was more common for second surgeries. Patients who underwent fusion procedures had longer hospital stays and higher medical expenses. The study highlights the increasing utilization of surgical services for LSS and the prescribing rate of opioids and non-opioid analgesics. The findings can contribute to the knowledge base of clinicians, researchers, and policymakers
Summarised by Mr Mo Akmal – Lead Spinal Surgeon
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Published article
Background and Objectives: This retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study used claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) between 2010 and 2019 to analyze the trend of surgical service utilization in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Materials and Methods: The national patient sample data provided by the HIRA, which consisted of a 2% sample of the entire Korean population, was used to assess all patients who underwent decompression or…
Spine Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Expert. Best Spinal Surgeon UK
Abstract Background and Objectives: This retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study used claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) between 2010 and 2019 to analyze the trend of surgical service utilization in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Materials and Methods: The national patient sample data provided by the HIRA, which,
Abstract
Background and Objectives: This retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study used claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) between 2010 and 2019 to analyze the trend of surgical service utilization in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Materials and Methods: The national patient sample data provided by the HIRA, which consisted of a 2% sample of the entire Korean population, was used to assess all patients who underwent decompression or fusion surgery at least once in Korea, with LSS as the main diagnosis from January 2010 to December 2019. An in-depth analysis was conducted to examine the utilization of surgical services, taking into account various demographic characteristics of patients, the frequency of claims for different types of surgeries, reoperation rates, the specific types of inpatient care associated with each surgery type, prescribed medications, and the overall expense of healthcare services. Results: A total of 6194 claims and 6074 patients were analyzed. The number of HIRA claims for patients increased from 393 (2010) to 417 (2019) for decompression, and from 230 (2010) to 244 (2019) for fusion. As for the medical expenses of surgery, there was an increase from United States dollar (USD) 867,549.31 (2010) to USD 1,153,078.94 (2019) for decompression and from USD 1,330,440.37 (2010) to USD 1,780,026.48 (2019) for fusion. Decompression accounted for the highest proportion (65.8%) of the first surgeries, but more patients underwent fusion (50.6%) than decompression (49.4%) in the second surgery. Across all sex and age groups, patients who underwent fusion procedures experienced longer hospital stays and incurred higher medical expenses for their inpatient care. Conclusion: The surgical service utilization of patients with LSS and the prescribing rate of opioids and non-opioid analgesics for surgical patients increased in 2019 compared to 2010. From mid-2010 onward, claims for fusion showed a gradual decrease, whereas those for decompression showed a continuously increasing trend. The findings of this study are expected to provide basic research data for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.
Keywords: HIRA claims data; decompression; fusion; lumbar spinal stenosis; national patient sample; surgical service utilization.
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Trends of Surgical Service Utilization for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in South Korea: A 10-Year (2010-2019) Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample Data
