Journal of craniovertebral junction & spine
National Medicare trends in navigation-assisted spine surgery: A temporal and geographic analysis
By Sanghera BS, Mohiuddin MK, Shah KH and 6 others.
Abstract
Background
Although initially utilized for pedicle screw placement, indications for navigation assistance in spine surgery have expanded over the past several years. While existing studies have evaluated safety, efficacy, and outcomes from navigation assistance, national reimbursement, and utilization patterns remain poorly characterized. This study aims to quantify temporal, geographic, and provider-level trends in navigation-assisted spine surgery among Medicare beneficiaries.
Materials and methods
The Medicare Part B National Summary Data Files were queried for national utilization and reimbursements for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 61783 (add-on code for navigation-assisted spine surgery) from 2011 to 2024. Additional Medicare databases were queried for geographic- and physician-level trends in navigation assistance utilization from 2013 to 2023. Linear regression was performed on national utilization trends.
