The Cost of a Foraminotomy and Its Success Rate
Although there are many factors to consider, such as the cost of a foraminotomy and the foraminotomy success rate, it is important to also judge the cost vs. the surgeons expertise. Doing a little bit of leg work and looking into the reputation of the surgeon you are considering should be a priority in making your decision. Other key factors you should consider include the surgeon’s formal training, is the surgery board certified, what is the surgeon’s foraminotomy success rate, does the surgeon listen to your concerns and answer your questions to your satisfaction, as well as anything else you would deem important.
Foraminotomy Cost
The cost of a foraminotomy is similar for micro, endoscopic, and arthroscopic procedures. The baseline foraminotomy cost will start near $29,000 US and could increase because of factors such as surgeon’s ability, if multiple level foraminotomy is required, and if travel and hotel stay is needed. Once the baseline foraminotomy cost is determined other factors will add to the overall cost. Factors that affect this will be hospital cost and anesthesia cost. On average these costs will total near $15,000 US bringing the total cost of a foraminotomy to roughly $45,000 US.
Foraminotomy Success Rate
When considering foraminotomy success rates you need to take into account many factors. It is not as simple as providing a number. To provide that number the most accurate representation of it would be anywhere from 45% – 90% of success rate. As you can see there is a very large middle in those percentages. This is because of other factors that need to be considered. The factors that will play a role in figuring out if you have a high chance at a successful surgery are surgeon’s experience, ability, training, and expertise. Even with those factors there is still one major deciding factor to this formula: an accurate diagnosis. If you are not accurately diagnosed, all the surgical expertise in the world will not make much of a difference. An accurate diagnosis helps the surgeon to figure out where the damage to be repaired is located and what approach (bilateral, anterior, or posterior) should be taken.
Extras That May Increase the Cost of a Foraminotomy
Besides the cost that was mentioned earlier there may be other costs for which you should be prepared. With a cervical foraminotomy a rigid neck brace is not required very often but a softer neck collar is usually advised in its place, which will cost up to $75. Depending on your needs, prescription medication such as painkillers and antibiotics could also amount to several hundreds of dollars. The final cost to be incurred is for physical therapy. This is an important part of your recovery and should not be ignored. Physical therapy sessions will cost you hundreds of dollars but to ignore them could mean you would waste the money you had invested in your surgery.
A foraminotomy procedure, or any other form of surgery should never, unless in the case of emergency, be considered a first step to healing your back. But if left with no other options the price associated with the procedure will pay for itself in the long run. Not being able to work, or enjoy some of your favorite activities, is enough of an incentive for you to turn a blind eye to the price. The money you would lose from employment would eventually be more than the total cost of the procedure itself. If you get nothing else from this information except for what I am going to tell you next, you will walk away with the most important information available on this page: Find a highly skilled and reputable surgeon to perform this surgery to be certain that it will be done correctly.
