DWC Approves Plan for Auditing Results of Lumbar Spinal Fusions

By Bill Kidd, Central Bureau ChiefThe Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation announced on Tuesday that it plans to study lumbar spinal fusions to determine if injured workers benefit from the surgery or suffer long-term problems.The “lumbar spinal fusion plan-based audit” is intended to set out the basis for the division to take disciplinary action against providers who perform large numbers of unsuccessful or unnecessary surgeries."There has been and continues to be a dramatic rise in spinal fusion surgeries in the United States," stated DWC medical adviser Dr. Donald Patri...