If you're considering this procedure at your facility, research is
absolutely crucial. After all, you're dealing with some large upfront
investments here.
"I was used to ortho cases with $500 to $1,000 implants, so when I
saw the $25,000 price tag on the stimulator, I was sweating bullets on
that first case," says Ms. Willoughby.
She ended up borrowing spine instrumentation from the local hospi-
tal to save on the upfront costs of her center's first SCS procedure.
3. Minimally invasive
TLIFs. If you've recently
outfitted your facility for
spine and are wondering
what other procedures
you can add to the menu,
minimally invasive trans-
foraminal lumbar inter-
body fusion (TLIF) may
very well be right for you.
The TLIF procedure is
used to treat back or leg
pain stemming from
degenerative disc disease
by fusing the anterior
columns and posterior columns of the spine — via bone grafting, an
interbody spacer, as well as pedicle screws and rods — through a pos-
terior approach, which is done with smaller incisions, less disruption
to muscle tissue and ultimately a quicker recovery than a traditional
anterior fusion approach.
"This is the type of procedure that physicians increasingly want to
J U L Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 9
• READY AND WILLING A minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar inter-
body fusion (TLIF) is the type of procedure physicians increasingly want to do
in an outpatient setting — and that you tend to get paid well by commercial
insurers.
DePuy
Synthes
