Laser Spine Institute Cost
The Laser Spine Institute, the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, has locations in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Philadelphia, Scottsdale, St. Louis and Tampa Bay as of 2018.
Its minimally invasive approach, when compared to traditional open neck or back surgery, is considered to be safe and more effective, meaning a quicker recovery time.
How much does the Laser Spine Institute cost?
As there are so many factors in regards to the costs here, the company, as per its cost page, says the costs will greatly depend on your insurance provider, but most out-of-pocket expenses due will be in the $1,000 to $15,000, but it can be more or less, again, depending on your insurance coverage. The company does allow you to see if you’re a candidate, for free, by filling out a form on their official website. If you had an MRI and/or CT scan in the past, they will be happy to review it as well.
The costs mentioned above was quoted by the official page, and while they quoted a $1,000 to $15,000, our findings found out that these ranges were quite large, often ranging from as little as $8,000 to more than $40,000 from many commenters online. These prices, from what we researched, greatly depended upon the patient’s condition, the number of procedures performed, the insurance coverage and the geographical location.
Even if you did have insurance, the company would ask for a hefty up-front payment, and if your insurance company did cover the procedure, then this amount would be returned to you.
On this ConsumerAffairs.com review page, we found someone who claimed they were responsible for the $18,000 facility fee as their insurance policy would not cover it, while another negative reviewer said they had to pay a $10,000 upfront deposit in order to get started until his insurance company paid the amount. Someone in Arizona said they had to pay $13,000 for their procedure. With ConsumerAffairs.com, we usually do not like to link to this website due to their unethical review process but do keep in mind that if you see the words “ConsumerAffairs Accredited Brand” at the top, it does mean the brand is paying to effectively monitor its reviews, so you will have to do some digging in order to find the negative ones. You can read more about their ethical practices here and about a lawsuit here. Again, we only linked here because a few people did share their costs about the process.
Via this company’s Yelp page for its Scottsdale, Arizona, location, one reviewer said Medicare would not pay and he would be responsible for either $30,000 in cash or $35,000 if on a credit card. Another said they had to pay $25,000 upfront out of pocket.
Online, we were able to find so many people who shared their costs and compiled our findings inside the table below:
| $4,500 after insurance denied the claim |
| $18,000 after refusing Medicare |
| $30,000 in St. Louis |
| $16,900 in Tampa |
| $8,000 after insurance paid -- initially quoted $35,000 |
| $30,000 in Scottsdale |
| Quoted $15,000 to $30,000 for a single surgery which may require more than a single level |
| $8,000 in Scottsdale |
| $20,000 |
| $30,000 cash discount after insurance denied |
| $10,000 after insurance denial |
The process
As compared to traditional back surgery, the Laser Spine Institute claims there’s no lengthy recovery, a 99% patient recommendation rate, less than a one-inch incision and all surgeries are performed by Board-certified surgeons.
Before the surgery begins, you will meet with a physician to review your MRI and any other records to confirm you’re a candidate for the procedure. If considered to be one, you will then undergo a physical exam, diagnostic testing and set up a surgery date.
On the day of surgery, nearly every surgery performed, as per its official FAQ, will use a combination of a local anesthesia and intravenous sedation, all administered by the anesthesia team which consists of anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
A laminotomy, one of the most common procedures performed here, is done to help relieve pressure on the spinal cord compressed by spinal stenosis in order to narrow the opening of the spine. As for the laser process, the most common procedure used is a facet thermal ablation, which is performed with a smaller-than-average incision to help relieve pain often caused by arthritis in the joints.
Other procedures, depending on your condition, they may used include a foraminotomy, discectomy, RegenaDISC, decompression with Interlaminar Stabilization device, cervical disc replacement, a posterior cervical fusion, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, lateral lumbar interbody fusion or an SI joint fusion, as per this PDF. Youc an click that link to learn more about the procedures they offer.
After the procedure, you will be taken to a recovery area, where you will recoup for up to 90 minutes before being discharged from the facility.
Two weeks after the procedure, you will be asked to return to either the center or your primary doctor to check the incision area.
If traveling to a location from out of town, the company does break down its process here.
The perfect candidate for the procedure
You were diagnosed with either spinal stenosis, bulging/herniated disc, sciatica or other chronic spine conditions.
You have trouble standing, doing light exercises, sleeping or participating in daily activities.
You have tried other treatments in the past, such as physical therapy and/or chripriatic care, and it isn’t working.
You already tried a surgical method and it didn’t work.
Laser Spine Institute reviews
On Google, the company had close to 30 reviews for its Scottsdale, Arizona, location, with an average score of 3.2 out of 5 stars.
Via its Yelp review for its Scottsdale, Arizona, location, it had a total of 29 reviews with a 2 out of 5 star rating.
The Tampa location on Yelp had a 3 out of 5 star rating with 23+ reviews, while the Wayne, PA location had a 2.5 out of 5 star rating with nine reviews.
BBB reviews for its Tampa location had an A+ review with a 3.7 average rating.
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