Spine COE update
Priority Health Spine Centers of Excellence (COE) program launched in the West and North regions November 2007. The initiative became state-wide with the launch of the program in East Michigan in May 2009. We wanted to remind you of the objectives of this program and share some successes.
- Ensure patients receive high-quality care at an affordable cost
- Support increased physiatry evaluations for non-surgical evaluation of back pain etiology and treatment recommendations
- Ensure all patients are informed of all treatment options
- Reduce spine surgery rates through specialty consultation and informed decision making
Two years of data from West Michigan confirm the Spine COE program has produced impressive results:
- Physiatry consultations have increased by 55%
- Surgical evaluations have been reduced by 45%
- Spine imaging has been reduced by 12%
- The cost of managing back- and neck-related problems has decreased by 26%
- Spine surgeries have declined by 24% since 2007
We're also pleased that patients have been very satisfied with the care they've received:
- 82% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience
- Among those who had never had surgery, more than 90% gave high marks. Not surprisingly, patients who had previous surgery were less satisfied.
Complete details about our Spine COE program are available through our website.
Topics: Condition management
