Elective surgery delays and the resulting losses for hospitals and surgery centers will drive up costs for employers, payers and patients, ConsumerMedical concluded based on a recent data analysis.
ConsumerMedical, which provides clinical advocacy and decision support through employers and health plans, tapped Santa Barbara Actuaries to analyze nearly 200,000 surgery claims covering more than 400 U.S. employer groups.
Five findings:
1. Elective surgeries are a key cost driver for hospitals and surgery centers. ConsumerMedical's analysis found the average cost of back surgery was between $50,000 and $90,000, and a single knee replacement typically cost $30,000.
2. Elective surgeries were down 65 percent from March to April, compared to the same period in 2019.
3. A 30 percent drop in office-based surgery visits from March to April will likely contribute to increased condition severity, incidence and costs.
4. Also compared to 2019, physical therapy visits dropped 35 percent from March to April, and there were 41 percent fewer injections to manage pain.
4. The average wait time for rescheduling surgery was four months.