Geographic Variation in Low-Value Orthopedic Services Among Medicare-Enrolled Veterans - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Regional Differences in the Utilization of Low-Value Orthopedic Services in Medicare-Eligible Veterans

  • By

  • Sooyeon Song

  • Steven D. Pizer

  • Christine A. Yee

  • Samantha G. Auty

  • September 21, 2026

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  • 1

    The study evaluated geographic variation in five low-value orthopedic services among Medicare-enrolled veterans from 2018 to 2022.

  • 2

    Orthopedic low-value services showed substantial geographic variation across hospital referral regions, with weak correlations among different services.

  • 3

    Southern HRRs often had high rates of back imaging but low rates of spinal fusion, while western HRRs exhibited the opposite trend.

  • 4

    The analysis included 306 HRRs and over 1.5 million enrollees, with a mean age of 74.7 years, predominantly male.

  • 5

    Findings suggest that regional differences in orthopedic low-value services are likely procedure-specific rather than indicative of broader regional patterns.

Original Source(s)

Geographic Variation in Low-Value Orthopedic Services Among Medicare-Enrolled Veterans

  • by Sooyeon Song, Steven D. Pizer, Christine A. Yee, Samantha G. Auty

  • September 21, 2026

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