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Summit Spinecare Recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in its
Back Pain Recognition Program
Summit Spinecare, a regional spine center based near St. Paul,
Minnesota has been awarded recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in
their Back Pain program last month. NCQA works with health insurance companies and healthcare
providers to certify programs that achieve certain quality benchmarks in their area of specialization.
 To be awarded recognition from NCQA in their quality program, which is valid for two years, Summit Spinecare had to
document clinical quality criteria across a variety of clinical categories. A spine center, for example, has to
be prudent with use of X-ray and MRI imaging; has to emphasize non-surgical treatment options; and has
to recommend exercise and movement for back pain rather than inactivity.
About the Back Pain Recognition Program
The Back Pain Recognition
Program (BPRP) was designed to improve the quality of care to the 30 million Americans who experience
low back pain.
Back pain is among the most common ailments in America. Each year, nearly 1 in 9 Americans experience pain severe enough to impair their usual daily activities. Treatment costs total approximately $91 billion a year and accounts for 25 percent of all workers’ compensation claims.
The Back Pain Recognition Program is the first independent program to systematically evaluate back pain care. NCQA developed the program’s requirements from widely accepted medical evidence with significant input from back pain specialists and health plan and employer representatives.
Physicians and spine centers that are Recognized by the program provide their patients with the care that best meets their needs, restores health and mobility and avoids unnecessary treatment and procedures. Click here to view a list of the centers recognized by the Back Pain Recognition program or for further information, please visit www.ncqa.org/BPRP.
How Summit Spinecare is different from other centers
Summit Spinecare includes fellowship-trained spine surgeons and non-surgical spine physicians,
spine injectionists, an internal spine exercise gym with spine therapists; X-ray; and an injection suite — all
under one roof. “What makes Summit Spinecare unique as a regional spine center is that it emphasizes
non-surgical treatment options for back and neck problems and has an equal balance of non-surgeons to
surgeons,” explains Dr. Tom Cesarz, a specialist in Physical
Medicine at the spine center. “The United States has twice the rate of spine surgery as other countries.
Too often the patient is pushed toward spine surgery rather than non-surgical treatment options that can
relieve the pain symptoms for many types of back and neck pain problems. By earning recognition by
NCQA, Summit Spinecare has demonstrated that it provides effective, evidence-based care to patients
with back pain.”
About Summit Spinecare
Summit Spinecare was founded in 2009 as the spine specialty center for Summit Orthopedics,
the largest orthopedic group in the State of Minnesota. Summit Spinecare had several firsts in the state: It
was the first to publish a Clinical Outcome Report Card that revealed the percent of patients receiving
spine surgery, injections and therapy; functional status pre and post treatment; percent of patients still
taking five or more pills daily after treatment; and extensive patient satisfaction scores across seven
categories. Unlike other practices that conduct their own surveys, Summit Spinecare uses a valid
outcome process that has an outside auditor track patient outcomes and satisfaction.
The spine center of excellence also was the first in the state to produce a free 36-page Home
Remedy Book and distribute it free upon request to residents of Minnesota as a community service. Our educational website features symptom charts on what symptoms
need to be seen immediately to prevent paralysis and nerve damage; an online spine exercise library;
and online forms where patients can submit information leading to a second opinion for spine surgery.
Summit Spinecare also is the only spine center in the State of Minnesota within the national
network of spine Centers of Excellence at SpineCenterNetwork.com, which requires spine centers to
publish valid clinical outcomes for consumers, physicians and health insurance companies to review. For
more information about Summit Spinecare call 651-738-BACK.
For an in-depth look at the causes and treatment of back pain, click here.
About Summit Spinecare | Spine Center approach to back and neck pain | Patient Success Stories | Spine Surgeons: Dr. Paul Hartleben | Dr. Bryan Lynn | Dr. Nicholas Wills | Nonsurgical Spine Physicians: Dr. John Dowdle | Dr. Thomas Cesarz | Dr. Kristen Zeller | Anatomy Library | Back and Neck Pain Prevention | Spine Pain Relief | Symptoms Chart | Educational Resources | How to Lift | Spine Conditions: | Back Pain | Neck Pain | Degenerative Disc | Herniated Disc | Spondylolysis | Spinal Stenosis | Scoliosis | Bone Spur | Spine Tumors | Back and Neck Pain Treatment | Spine Surgery | Contact Summit Spine Care | Woodbury Minnesota Location | Forest Lake Minnesota Location | Hastings Minnesota Location | St Paul Minnesota Location (near Saint Paul Cathedral) | Eagan Minnesota Location
Disclaimer:
The pictures displayed in www.summitspinecare.com are images of physicians, patients and employees who have consented to have their pictures in this website. Content specific to Summit Spinecare is copyright © 2010 Summit Spinecare.
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