A study published in The American Journal of Orthopedics examined the direct costs of arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs in the outpatient setting.
Researchers examined 26 patients who underwent primary rotator cuff repair by a single surgeon in an outpatient surgery center. All patients had interscalene blocks placed while in the preoperative holding area. Researchers calculated the cycle of care's direct costs using the time-driven activity-based costing algorithm.
Here are five insights:
1. The mean time in operating room for the procedure was 148 minutes.
2. The mean time in recovery was 105 minutes.
3. The calculated surgical cost for this process cycle was $5,904.21.
4. The main cost driver, among material costs, was the suture anchors.
5. Researchers obtained preoperative blood work in 23 cases, adding a mean cost of $111.04.
"Our findings provide important preliminary information regarding the direct economic costs of rotator cuff surgery and may be useful to hospitals and surgery centers negotiating procedural reimbursement for the increased cost of repairing complex tears," noted the study authors.