Outpatient spine surgery is an area of the specialty that’s accelerating. Here are nine key studies to know about outpatient spine surgery and procedures from 2025:
1. A study from Plano-based Texas Back Institute found positive clinical results for patients having hybrid spine surgery. Researchers looked at a series of 305 patients having lumbar hybrid surgery (a disc replacement at one level and fusion at an adjacent level) since 2005 and measured clinical outcome data. Hybrid spine patients had statistically significant improvements in the mean values of visual analog scale scores for back pain and leg pain, and Oswestry Disability Index improved from 45.5 to 24.6.
2. Stem cell therapies can be effective for treating discogenic low back pain, according to a study published in the January 2025 issue of the International Journal of Spine Surgery. Functional outcomes in stem cell therapy patients showed significant improvement in both measures, and subgroup analysis for bone marrow aspirate concentrate showed similar improvements.
3. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion can be done in the outpatient setting, but reimbursements vary between ASCs and hospital outpatient departments, according to a study in The Spine Journal. ACDFs at the ASC were associated with a 9.8% higher immediate procedure reimbursement, 17.2% higher patient out-of-pocket expenditures and 11.7% higher surgeon reimbursement compared to the HOPD.
4. Endoscopic spine patients were less likely to need readmission 30 days after surgery compared to traditional methods. Researchers conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis to compare 30-day readmission rates in endoscopic spinal decompression or discectomy spine patients with those who had other spine surgery techniques.
5. The first year of a bundled payment program for outpatient spine surgery was associated with lower spending compared to inpatient cases. The cohort study used Medicare claims and differences-in-differences analysis. Outpatient and inpatient back and neck except spinal fusion patients between 2013 and 2019 were included. Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced was associated with a differential reduction of $1,201 in total episode spending. Return inpatient admissions were 2.2% lower compared to hospitals that didn’t participate in bundles.
6. An analysis of outpatient cervical disc replacements completed over six years at two DISC Surgery Center locations found the procedure can be done safely and efficiently at multiple levels at an ASC. Data from 1,043 patients and 1,684 cervical discs total were analyzed between 2018 and 2024. Patients were treated at DISC Surgery Center in Newport Beach, Calif. and Marina del Rey, Calif. No patient had immediate postoperative transfers, there were no blood transfusions and no readmissions within the immediate perioperative period. All patients were able to go home within 24 hours of surgery.
7. Outpatient anterior cervical discectomy and fusion saw key differences in costs and outcomes based on census regions, according to a study in the Oct. 15 issue of Spine. Patient costs over time increased in the Pacific division and decreased in the Mountain division. A univariate analysis found large differences in price, readmission rate, and reoperation rate outcomes between regions. A multivariate analysis showed regional differences for costs, but not outcomes.
8. Interventional pain management physicians performing sacroiliac joint fusions had no complications when supervised and trained by a spine surgeon and low complication rates without surgeon oversight, according to a study published in the November 2025 issue of The Spine Journal.
9. A study from Marina del Rey, Calif.-based DISC Surgery Center evaluated 203 outpatient 360-degree lumbar spinal fusions and found strong results in safety. The 360-degree spinal fusions, also called anterior-posterior lumbar interbody fusions, in the study were completed between 2018 and 2024 at one ASC. All 203 patients were discharged within 23 hours, and there were no hospital transfers, blood transfusions or readmissions in the immediate preoperative period. The average operating time was 167 minutes.
