NASS 2015 Annual Meeting

Balancing Quality with Cost in Spine Care: Strategies and Challenges (Room Skyline Ballroom AB)

Moderators: S. Samuel Bederman, MD, PhD, FRCSC; Simon Dagenais, DC, PhD

The costs associated with spinal conditions are large and there is concern the current cost of spine care is not sustainable. While there are many strategies aimed at reducing costs, can they accomplish this without sacrificing quality? This symposium highlights some of the initiatives that may balance costs with quality in spine care as well as their challenges.

Upon completion of this session, participants should gain strategies to:

  • Recognize the relationship between quality and cost in obtaining value;
  • Discuss managed care programs aimed at spine surgery;
  • Review surgeon-driven strategies for reducing costs while maintaining quality;
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of quality improvement strategies in spine surgery;
  • Know how value is assessed from the insurer’s perspective.

 

Agenda

  • Introduction
    S. Samuel Bederman, MD, PhD, FRCSC
  • Surgeon Leadership for Improving Quality and Decreasing Cost in Clinic and Operating Room
    Lloyd A. Hey, MD
  • Getting it Right the First Time Costs Less Money in the Long Run
    Zoher Ghogawala, MD, FACS
  • Innovative Delivery Methods, Such as Telemedicine and Phone and Web-based Programs, to Improve Access to Low-cost, High Quality Spine Care
    Silky Chotai, MBBS
  • Improving Outcomes through Value-based Healthcare: A Health Plan Perspective
    Carole R. Flamm, MD, MPH
  • Payer Coverage Policies: Their Development, Evolution, and the Influence of Professional Medical Association Recommendations
    Gregory J. Przybylski, MD
  • Discussion, Questions and Answers