Editing Vertebral augmentation (section)

=== Medicare response ===
In response to the NEJM articles and a medical record review showing misuse of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, [[Medicare (United States)|US Medicare]] [[Medicare (United States)#Administrator|contractor]] Noridian Administrative Services (NAS) conducted a literature review and formed a policy regarding reimbursement of the procedures. NAS states that in order to be reimbursable, a procedure must meet certain criteria, including, 1) a detailed and extensively documented medical record showing pain caused by a fracture, 2) radiographic confirmation of a fracture, 3) that other treatment plans were attempted for a reasonable amount of time, 4) that the procedure is not performed in the emergency department, and 5) that at least one year of follow-up is planned for, among others. The policy, as referenced, applies only to the region covered by Noridian and not all of Medicare's coverage area. The reimbursement policy became effective on 20 June 2011.<ref name="Noridian">{{cite web|url=http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/lcd-details.aspx?LCDId=24383&ContrNum=03102 |title=Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for Vertebroplasty, Vertebral Augmentation; Percutaneous (L24383) |author=Noridian Administrative Services, LLC |work=[[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]] |publisher=[[United States Department of Health and Human Services]] |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> A 2015 comparative study of Medicare patients with vertebral compression fractures found that those who received balloon kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty therapies experienced lower mortality and overall morbidity than those who received conservative nonoperative management.<ref>{{Citation | last1 =Edidin | first1 =Avram | last2 =Ong | first2 =Kevin| title = Morbidity and Mortality After Vertebral Fractures: Comparison of Vertebral Augmentation and Nonoperative Management in the Medicare Population | journal = [[Spine (journal)|Spine]] | volume =40 | issue =15 | pages = 1228–41 | date =2015 | language =en |pmid= 26020845 | doi= 10.1097/BRS.0000000000000992| s2cid =20164158 }}</ref>