CWCI Finds Spinal Fusions Often Repeated, Average Age of Claimants Increasing

More than half of spinal fusion surgeries performed on California's injured workers were associated with a primary diagnosis of back disorders without spinal cord or root involvement, according to a report released Wednesday by the California Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. Claims with spinal fusion surgeries grow increasingly expensive, according to CWCI. Claims from accident year 2003 averaged $378,392, 6.7 times the average for similar claims without a fusion. The study by CWCI senior research associate Stacy L. Jones analyzed 18,266 open and closed claims from ac...