Spine surgery complications do not necessarily surface in the operating room. The conditions for breakdown are laid long before a patient ever reaches the table.

From the outside, the work looks straightforward: diagnose the problem, decide whether surgery is appropriate, operate and initiate recovery. Internally, however, the process is increasingly shaped by forces that have little to do with surgical judgment and everything to do with authorization, reimbursement and system design.

Sheeraz Qureshi, MD, MBA, co‑chief of HSS Spine and chief medical officer of HSS Florida, noted that surgeons now face major hurdles securing basic imaging, approvals and surgical authorizations — delays that disrupt scheduling and add significant administrative burden.

Dr. Qureshi also highlighted how insurers push more procedures into ambulatory settings, despite only “seven or eight procedures out of about 50” being appropriate for same‑day discharge at HSS. He warned that reimbursement no longer reflects complexity, threatening long‑term viability.

He emphasized that spine care must prioritize quality, ethics and multidisciplinary teamwork, noting, “Spine, more than almost anything else, is a team sport.”

Read the full article at beckers.com.