Is Spine Surgery Under Assault?

A recent article published in JAMA has spine surgeons crying foul. The article contends that spending on spine care increased 65% between 1997 and 2005--no big surprise given that healthc are spending in general increased by a similar amount over the same period. But an aggressive PR campaign behind the article seemed to single out surgery as a prime culprit in the rising costs and carried a clear message: that we're spending a lot on spine surgery and getting little in return. Moreover, claim surgeons, the article is just the latest in what they see as a larger campaing to cast doubts on the value of spine surgery and deny care to patients.