The outmigration of total joint cases isn't slowing down anytime soon, according to Michael Redler, MD, who spoke to Becker's ASC Review in May.
Six insights about the trend:
1. Outpatient joint replacement is expected to surge in the next decade, with 57 percent of all non-fracture knee and hip replacements being performed as outpatient procedures by 2028. Meanwhile, inpatient joint procedures are predicted to grow at a slower rate due to payer and patient price sensitivity, technological advancements, surgeon preference and pain management improvements.
2. Patients who used a smartphone app reduced their opioid use after total knee replacement surgery, according to a study presented at Euroanaesthesia in Vienna, Austria, June 1-3.
3. Artificial intelligence may be used to aid in clinical decision-making after total joint replacement surgery, according to a study from the New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery.
4. The risk of surgical site infection is low among unicompartmental knee arthroplasty patients, according to research published in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
5. Orthopedic procedure prices are higher at hospital outpatient departments than ASCs in Virginia, according to a report from Virginia Health Information.
6. Orthopedic surgeons generate more net revenue for hospitals than gastroenterologists, noninvasive cardiologists, internal medicine physicians and oncologists, on average, according to Merritt Hawkins' "2019 Physician Inpatient/Outpatient Revenue Survey."