More than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries on older adults cost Medicare $1.9 billion from 2020 to 2023, according to a new analysis from the Lown Institute.

Lower back surgeries, specifically spinal fusions, laminectomies and vertebroplasties, are procedures done to address lower back pain. Researchers classified states and hospitals with the highest and lowest rates of spinal fusion and laminectomy overuse.

The average overuse rate of vertebroplasties for all U.S. hospitals is 10%, and the average overuse rate of spinal fusion for all U.S. hospitals is 13%, with most hospitals having overuse rates of at least 33%.

During a laminectomy, a surgeon decompresses the spine by removing the lamina, a part of the vertebral bone, to alleviate pressure on the spinal cord. The surgeon may

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