Adjusting for Inflation and Higher Surgery Costs in a Cost-Effectiveness Study of Spinal Surgery
Authors: Neil H. Shusterman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters5 May 2009Adjusting for Inflation and Higher Surgery Costs in a Cost-Effectiveness Study of Spinal SurgeryNeil H. Shusterman, MD and Haim Erder, PhDNeil H. Shusterman, MDFrom Research Pharmaceutical Services, Fort Washington, PA 19034, and Forest Research Institute, Jersey City, NJ 07311.Search for more papers by this author and Haim Erder, PhDFrom Research Pharmaceutical Services, Fort Washington, PA 19034, and Forest Research Institute, Jersey City, NJ 07311.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-9-200905050-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest the article by Tosteson and colleagues (1) regarding the cost-effectiveness of surgical treatment of spinal stenosis with or without degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, the health economic conclusions of the article may be more favorable than suggested by the authors because of the need to adjust the frame of reference to U.S. dollars and to adjust for inflation. The authors refer to an article by Laupacis and colleagues (2) as a guide to determining whether a health intervention is considered “costly” or not. Two factors need to be kept in mind about this reference.First, ...References1. Tosteson AN, Lurie JD, Tosteson TD, Skinner JS, Herkowitz H, Albert T, et al; SPORT Investigators. Surgical treatment of spinal stenosis with and without degenerative spondylolisthesis: cost-effectiveness after 2 years. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:845-53. [PMID: 19075203] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Laupacis A, Feeny D, Detsky AS, Tugwell PX. How attractive does a new technology have to be to warrant adoption and utilization? Tentative guidelines for using clinical and economic evaluations. CMAJ. 1992;146:473-81. [PMID: 1306034] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. FX converter: currency converter for 164 currencies. Accessed at www.oanda.com/convert/classic on 24 February 2009. Google Scholar4. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPI inflation calculator. Accessed at data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl on 24 February 2009. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Neil H. Shusterman, MD; Haim Erder, PhDAffiliations: From Research Pharmaceutical Services, Fort Washington, PA 19034, and Forest Research Institute, Jersey City, NJ 07311.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSurgical Treatment of Spinal Stenosis with and without Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Cost-Effectiveness after 2 Years Anna N.A. Tosteson , Jon D. Lurie , Tor D. Tosteson , Jonathan S. Skinner , Harry Herkowitz , Todd Albert , Scott D. Boden , Keith Bridwell , Michael Longley , Gunnar B. Andersson , Emily A. Blood , Margaret R. Grove , and James N. Weinstein , for the SPORT Investigators* Adjusting for Inflation and Higher Surgery Costs in a Cost-Effectiveness Study of Spinal Surgery Dominic J. Balestra Adjusting for Inflation and Higher Surgery Costs in a Cost-Effectiveness Study of Spinal Surgery Anna N.A. Tosteson , James N. Weinstein , and Jonathan S. Skinner Metrics 5 May 2009Volume 150, Issue 9Page: 652KeywordsConflicts of interestHealth economicsQuality adjusted life yearsStenosisSurgery ePublished: 5 May 2009 Issue Published: 5 May 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...