Three spine surgeons discuss how they are preparing for price transparency and how it will affect the field.
Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.
Next week's question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your practice?
Please send responses to Alan Condon at acondon@beckershealthcare.com by 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday, May 20.
Note: The following responses were lightly edited for style and clarity.
Question: What strategies has your practice taken to prepare for price transparency? How do you see it impacting the spine field?
Brian Gantwerker, MD. Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: We have and continue to stick to a transparent price for any cash-paying patients. I see price transparency, as with most things in healthcare will be a one-way street. The hospital lobby will continue to fight it tooth and nail. I see spine surgeons being dragged into a race to the bottom with surgeons undercutting each other price wise. It will end up with surgeons driving each other out of business and the insurance company giving a bonanza to its shareholders. In truth, price transparency needs to be mitigated by disclosure on the part of the insurance company paying said prices in full and on time. Without that part, it's just another jab in the side of already ailing pugilist physicians and their long-wronged patients.
Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Sinkov Spine Center (Las Vegas): Our practice is currently working on transparent pricing. The biggest problem with communicating price transparency to a patient for a spine surgeon is that most of the patient's costs for an operation are hospital facility fees. There are also costs from anesthesia, intraoperative neuromonitoring, postoperative physical therapy and medications. Developing full transparency for patients would require cooperation of all parties involved in the episode of care. I am hopeful that we will be able to achieve this in the future. It will allow patients to make more informed decisions and eliminate financial uncertainties.
Christian Zimmerman, MD. Saint Alphonsus Medical Group and SAHS Neuroscience Institute (Boise, Idaho): Price transparency and billing query has been in practice for years. Enabling those with questions to a specific person or department is done through our office with contact information pre-printed on a card. The reality of price competitiveness is steadfast by each organization, with Medicare billing and its supplements being the most consistent.