Exposing the $2 Billion Spine Scam - The Hidden Truth

Chronic pain is one of the biggest health issues faced by patients everyday. For the past 20 years, I have seen countless people suffer from debilitating pain in their back and neck. Patients try all sorts of methods to treat their symptoms, from conservative methods like physical therapy and medications to pain management injections. When these treatments fail, many turn to surgery as a last resort, hoping for a permanent  solution. Unfortunately, many are being led down the wrong path. 

In a recent study done by the Lown Institute, an article published dives deep into the unnecessary recommendation of spinal fusions for patients with either back or neck pain. The article reports that over 200,000 people between 2021 and 2023 underwent spinal fusions that were not medically necessary and paid for by Medicare. These unnecessary surgeries are estimated to have cost taxpayers roughly 2 billion dollars. 

This pains me to see that doctors and companies are exploiting patients for financial gain by recommending surgeries that are not needed. These numbers are very troubling not only because of the financial waste of taxpayer dollars but also because of the unnecessary suffering caused by these procedures.

A spinal fusion is a surgery that connects two or more vertebrae in the spine. The idea is to fuse the two bones together to prevent mobility in that section of the spine, helping to treat symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. 

However, spinal fusions are very invasive and are being overused for conditions that they do not necessarily fix. Most back and neck pain is caused by damage to discs or irritated nerves. Fusing bones together does not solve that, and in fact it can make it much worse by causing stress on other areas of the spine. 

There are also numerous potential complications after spinal fusion surgery. For more information on spinal fusion complications, or if you have had one and are still experiencing problems, visit our Deuk Spine Institute website, where we discuss these issues more in depth.

According to the Lown Institute, based on medicare claims over the past three years, roughly 2 billion dollars have been paid out for spinal fusions that did not need to be performed. Based on my past experiences, I would say this number is conservative as there have been close to 20 billion dollars spent on related care like failed fusions, spinal cord stimulators, and vertebroplasties that provide little to no lasting relief.

The report claims that states like Florida and California have the largest rate of unnecessary spinal fusion surgeries performed, where states like Texas and also Florida lead the US in unnecessary vertebroplasties.

A vertebroplasty is a treatment where a doctor injects special cement into the vertebrae of the spine to help relieve pain in patients. This procedure is used to treat a compression fracture caused by trauma, osteoporosis, or cancer that spread to the spine.

When I see statistics like these, I can't help but think about the real people behind them, patients who trusted their doctor and were led down the wrong path to surgeries or procedures that were not needed. Many of these patients end up worse than they were before.

The answer is simple: money and patient desperation.

Spinal surgeries are some of the most profitable surgeries performed in a hospital by any specialty due to the high volume and reimbursement rate. Hospitals, doctors, and the device companies all benefit financially from doing invasive spinal fusion surgeries.

Along with the money that is being incentivised to do these medically unnecessary fusions, the desperation from patients is there too. These patients have been suffering from chronic pain and have failed conservative treatments where they are desperate to get help. They resort to surgeries and trust doctors to guide them to get the help they need to not feel any pain. Unfortunately, spinal fusions work roughly 50% of the time to improve back pain. 

That’s basically the same as flipping a coin and hoping for the best. Considering how serious and invasive spinal fusion is, those odds are unacceptable. Many patients end up worse than before. 

So I have to ask: Why would anyone agree to such an invasive, risky surgery that has only a 50% chance of success?

I will be honest, I used to perform fusions early in my career because that was the standard of care and what I was taught in medical training. But everything changed when I was exposed to a new, more advanced method of endoscopic spine surgery.

About 20 years ago, I developed the Deuk Laser Disc Repair, a minimally invasive, endoscopy laser spine surgery to cure patients of their chronic back and/or neck pain. 

This procedure is revolutionary. It’s minimally invasive, meaning there is no foreign material or hardware that is put in the body, and no post-operative narcotics necessary after surgery. The surgery targets the source of pain, the herniated disc. Through a 7 millimeter incision, I use a precision laser to remove the herniated material, relieving pressure on the pinched nerves that cause pain.

The level of corruption in health care today is alarming. The numbers posted by the Lown Institute, covering a three year period, are incredible to see. Who knows how much more money has been wasted over the years by doctors performing unnecessary spinal fusions. 

This needs to stop. The medical community must move away from outdated, invasive procedures that don't work and lean towards the modern, minimally invasive treatment that actually cures pain. Continuing to perform these medically unnecessary surgeries is not only unethical but also financially devastating to taxpayers who fund Medicare.

If you are seeking relief from lumbar or cervical pain and/or have been recommended for spinal fusion, we can help improve your quality of life and enable you to live pain-free.

Upload your latest MRI for a free review and a personal consultation with myself, Ara Deukmedjian, M.D., founder of Deuk Spine Institute and creator of the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® procedure.

Our goal is to be completely transparent about our process and procedures for treating back issues. We livestream surgeries with our patients’ written consent, allowing you to observe our technique.