The incidence of low back pain at some time in a person’s lifetime in the U.S. population is reported to be as high as 90%.  There are numerous causes of low back pain and men and women are equally afflicted. The degenerative changes that occur in the intervertebral disc in the spine are thought to be part of the normal process of aging and do not always lead to low back pain.  Low back pain secondary to lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) can usually be successfully treated conservatively.  However, when conservative treatment is not successful, surgical intervention becomes an option to relieve the pain associated with DDD. 

Since DDD is associated with the aging process, this is an affliction that is well represented in the Medicare population.  CMS has a significant interest in discussing the evidence for surgical interventions for lumbar degenerative disc disease, with a specific focus on spinal fusion for low back pain associated with lumbar DDD in the Medicare population. 

The Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) will hear presentations and discuss evidence relative to indications for spinal fusion, clinical outcomes (including adverse events) and the persistence of outcomes over time, outcome measurement tools, and outcomes related to different surgical spinal fusion procedures, as well as, the generalizability of this evidence to the Medicare population.

Note: For security reasons, individuals planning to attend must register by the close of business on November 23, 2006  by contacting Maria Ellis at (410) 786–0309; e-mail to Maria.Ellis@cms.hhs.gov; or by regular mail to Maria Ellis, Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services, OCSQ-Coverage and Analysis Group, C1–09–06, 7500, Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244.

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