The relationship between provider characteristics (surgeon and hospital) and surgical outcomes is well established in the joint replacement and vascular surgical literature. Less is known regarding the impact of health care delivery on outcomes following lumbar spinal surgery for degenerative conditions (i.e. spinal stenosis).
The purpose of this study is to determine how health care delivery impacts the outcomes following surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis in Ontario. Specifically, the aims are to describe the surgeon specialty and volume, as well as hospital type and volume, and to analyze their relationship with re-operation rates following surgery for spinal stenosis. Additionally, this study will examine how regional variation of provider volume and supply affect these surgical outcomes.
