Tips for a Hospital Administrator on Bone Graft Selection
We have feedback from hospital administrators and found that knowing what to look for when selecting a bone graft can make their product selections easier. Dr. Sigurd Berven, orthopedic surgeon at University of California San Francisco, gave a lecture on Biologics at the Base to Summit meeting in January 2023. He shared his thoughts on bone graft selection.
Q: Can you explain what a data-centered approach to selecting a bone graft is?
A: Decision making regarding bone graft materials is often made with limited evidence. Evidence for bone graft materials may range from preclinical data to human clinical trials. Understanding the data and level of proof for bone graft materials is important for guiding informed choice.
Q: How important is the bone graft choice when it comes to a procedure and why can’t you use the same product for each patient?
A: The choice of appropriate bone graft materials for specific procedures is based upon considerations of efficacy, cost, and complication profile. Considerations for an appropriate graft material include surgical site, patient specific factors, and implant considerations.
Q: There is a lot of information on bone grafting out there. For the hospital administrator who is trying to determine the best products for their facility- what three things should the administrator focus on when reviewing products?
A: Informed choice regarding bone graft materials should be led by surgeons. The three things that I recommend are surgeon engagement, price transparency, and the rigor of the clinical evidence.
Q: How do you explain the clinical value of a bone graft to hospital administration when a main determining factor is cost per cc?
A: Responsibility for patient outcomes is a responsibility that is shared by surgeons and hospital administration. Patient outcomes are the priority of all members of the healthcare team, and cost cannot be considered in the absence of safety and effectiveness.
Q: What is the most important aspect of bone graft selection that a hospital administrator should be aware of? What is most important to a surgeon?
A: The surgeon and administrator should be aligned in a patient centered approach to care. Both should consider safety, effectiveness, and cost in choice of bone graft materials.
Thanks to Dr. Sigurd Berven for his responses on this ongoing topic that many healthcare administrators deal with every day. For more information on this topic, click here.
This content is sponsored by Medtronic and contains the opinions of, and personal surgical techniques practiced by Dr. Berven. The opinions and techniques presented herein are for information purposes only and the decision of which techniques to use in a particular surgical application should be made by the surgeon based on the individual facts and circumstances of the patient, previous surgical experience, and the products’ approved indications.
Dr. Berven is a paid consult for Medtronic.
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