Strategies to overcome challenges in the adoption of spinal arthroplasty.
| Broader Insurance Coverage |
| Offer alternatives to single out-of-pocket payments |
| Fund health economic studies to explore value-based care |
| Set inclusive patient eligibility criteria |
| Collaboration between medical device companies and large organizations |
| Public Awareness Campaigns |
| Educate the public on benefits of arthroplasty and challenges posed by insurance |
| Build public pressure to drive policy changes |
| Optimized Patient Selection |
| Focus on patients with single- or 2-level disc degeneration |
| Exclude those with severe facet joint disease, spinal stiffness, ankylosis, or significant comorbidities |
| Prioritize younger patients with good disc height and bone quality |
| Widespread Surgical Training |
| Ensure ongoing provider training and education |
| Periodically conduct complex case meetings and surgical technique workshops to enhance surgical expertise |
| Patient Advocacy |
| Foster dialogue among professional medical societies, patient advocacy groups and insurance companies |
| Advocate for legal change through petitions, lawsuits, and meetings with regulatory bodies and policymakers |
| Scientific Advances |
| Integrate biologics and regenerative medicine to enhance treatment outcomes |
| Conduct further research on bioactive materials and intelligent devices |
| Create implants personalized to the patient's anatomy |
| Consider application of AI and robotics in surgical planning and execution |
Abbreviation: AI, artificial intelligence.