Subspecialization
Subspecialization is a phenomenon that not only results in better services and patient outcomes due to increased physician expertise but is also cost-effective 1).
Subspecialization with enfolded or post-residency fellowships can be pursued in pediatric neurosurgery, spine, neurointerventional, cerebrovascular/skull base, neuro-oncology, pain, trauma, and functional neurosurgery.
The subspecialization of neurosurgical practice is an ongoing trend in modern neurosurgery. However, it remains unclear whether the degree of surgeon specialization is associated with improved patient outcomes.
For both spinal and cranial surgery patient cohorts derived from the NIS database, increased surgeon specialization was significantly and independently associated with improved mortality and morbidity rates, even after controlling for overall case volume 2).