Surgeon Work Effort Study:

The Spine Health Foundation’s Motion Preservation Task Force is conducting an independent study of the work effort required to perform lumbar total disc replacement (CPT 22857 and 22860) relative to commonly performed spine procedures. The study uses a validated paired-comparison methodology previously applied to other spine procedures (Lorio et al., Int J Spine Surg 2016) and is designed to inform future advocacy on procedural valuation.

Estimated time: 15–20 minutes.

You will be asked to compare lumbar TDR against a set of other spine procedures and indicate which procedure requires greater work effort.

Definition of work effort

For the purpose of this survey, work effort is defined as the total of the time and skill level required to perform the procedure. Skill level encompasses (1) technical skill and physical effort, (2) mental effort and judgment, and (3) psychological stress, including risk to neural and vascular structures and the consequences of intraoperative error.

Standardization

When comparing procedures, please assume appropriate patient selection, standard contemporary technique, a typical operative setting, and a typical patient. Consider the procedure as a whole, including pre-service evaluation, intra-operative service, and post-operative care.

Important note about valuation

You will not be asked to estimate any work RVU. Your task is only to indicate which procedure requires greater work effort.

Anonymity and voluntary participation

• Your participation is voluntary. You may decline to participate, decline to answer any question, or stop the survey at any time without consequence.
• The survey is anonymous. No identifying information is collected as a required field. We will not be able to identify you from your responses.
• The only optional identifying field is an email address at the end of the survey, provided only if you consent to be contacted for clarification. Your email will not shared or paired with your responses.
• We will not share individual responses with any third party. Only aggregate findings will be published or shared with collaborators.

Risks and benefits

This survey presents minimal risk to you, no greater than that of daily professional activities. There are no direct benefits to you for participation. The findings may indirectly benefit the spine surgery community by contributing to the evidence base around procedural valuation.

Use of your responses

Your responses will be analyzed in aggregate and used for:

1. Peer-reviewed publication
2. Procedural revaluation discussions

IRB review

This study has been reviewed by Advarra Institutional Review Board. Exempt determination letter on file.

Questions

If you have questions about the study, please contact:

Lindsay Orosz, PhD | lorosz@spinehealth.org | 571.712.9390

If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact Advarra IRB directly at: 1-410-884-2900 (cirbiquestions@advarra.com).

Implied consent

By clicking “Begin survey” below, you indicate that you have read this information, agree to participate, and consent to the use of your anonymous responses as described above. You may withdraw from the survey at any time before submission by closing the browser window.