• Tariq Z Issa, Ameer A Haider, Mark J Lambrechts, Matthew B Sherman, Jose A Canseco, Alexander R Vaccaro, Gregory D Schroeder, Christopher K Kepler, and Alan S Hilibrand.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
• Spine. 2024 Jul 15; 49 (14): 965972965-972.

Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.ObjectiveTo evaluate how preoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) thresholds might affect minimal clinically important difference (MCID) achievement following lumbar fusion.Summary Of Background DataAs payers invest in alternative payment models, some are suggesting threshold cutoffs of patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) in reimbursement approvals for orthopedic procedures. The feasibility of this has not been investigated in spine surgery.Materials/MethodsWe included all adult patients undergoing one to three-level primary lumbar fusion at a single urban tertiary academic center from 2014 to 2020. ODI was collected preoperatively and one year postoperatively. We implemented theoretical threshold cutoffs at increments of 10. MCID was set at 14.3. The percent of patients meeting MCID were determined among patients "approved" or "denied" at each threshold. At each threshold, the positive predictive value (PPV) for MCID attainment was calculated.ResultsA total 1368 patients were included and 62.4% (N=364) achieved MCID. As the ODI thresholds increased, a greater percent of patients in each group reached the MCID. At the lowest ODI threshold, 6.58% (N=90) of patients would be denied, rising to 20.2%, 39.5%, 58.4%, 79.9%, and 91.4% at ODI thresholds of 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70, respectively. The PPV increased from 0.072 among patients with ODI>20 to 0.919 at ODI>70. The number of patients denied a clinical improvement in the denied category per patient achieving the MCID increased at each threshold (ODI>20: 1.96; ODI>30: 2.40; ODI>40: 2.75; ODI>50: 3.03; ODI>60: 3.54; ODI>70: 3.75).ConclusionPatients with poorer preoperative ODI are significantly more likely to achieve MCID following lumbar spine fusion at all ODI thresholds. Setting a preoperative ODI threshold for surgical eligibility will restrict access to patients who may benefit from spine fusion despite ODI>20 demonstrating the lowest predictive value for MCID achievement.Level Of Evidence3.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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