Back and spine surgeries are among the most common operations in the state of Florida, but they are also among the most unnecessary, according to a Dec. 23 report from the Sun Sentinel.
A recent analysis of Medicare data conducted by the Lown Institute found that the standard back surgery has an operation failure rate of 36%, making it among the riskiest of procedures, according to the report.
The study also found that Florida ranks highest in the country for low-value and unnecessary back and spine surgeries performed on seniors.
Between 2019 and 2021, U.S. hospitals have performed over 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries on Medicare beneficiaries, according to the institute. These unnecessary spine surgeries cost Medicare an estimated $2 billion.
Research found that people with low-back pain caused by aging receive little to no benefit from a spinal fusion to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots, and patients with spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis receive little to no benefit from vertebroplasty, yet those surgeries are regularly performed.
Florida leads the nation in back surgery overuse with more than 14,300 procedures, according to the Sentinel. The state also ranked highest in the country for the number of spinal fusions and second highest for the number of vertebroplasty operations deemed unnecessary.