December 15, 2010 Don W. Bradley, M.D. Senior Vice President, Healthcare & Chief Medical Officer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina 5901 Chapel Hill Road Durham, NC 27707 Subject: BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery “Notification” Dear Dr. Bradley: The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the American Association of...

Recently, SAS alerted its members to policy changes proposed by North Carolina BC/BS for lumbar fusion procedures. This proposed policy would unfairly reduce or eliminate fusion surgery as an option for many patients who would greatly benefit from such procedures. Our membership alert has generated a significant response, and will help inform and strengthen our...

The SAS is alerting our membership regarding recent changes to a US insurance reimbursement policy covering spine fusion procedures. The revised policy may affect all SAS members, including international members, in the future. As past SAS President Chun-Kun Park, MD, PhD said: “Such changes are likely to have an impact on the reimbursement policy quite...

We wanted to bring your attention to an issue that may adversely impact patient access to necessary spine fusion procedures. We have learned that North Carolina BC/BS has issued a new, more restrictive policy for lumbar fusion procedures, effective January 2011. View the Policy Here (PDF) (Note: Policy document removed from BC/BS NC web site.) Our...