James D. Slover

Cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty in elderly low-demand patients. A Markov decision analysis.

BACKGROUND Interest in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty has recently increased in the United States, making a firm understanding of the indications for this procedure important. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty compared with total knee arthroplasty in elderly low-demand patients. METHODS A Markov decision model was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty as compared with total knee arthroplasty in the elderly population. Transition probabilities were estimated from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register and the arthroplasty literature, and costs were based on the average Medicare reimbursement for unicompartmental, tricompartmental, and revision knee arthroplasties. Outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life-years. RESULTS Our model showed unicompartmental knee arthroplasty to be a cost-effective strategy for this population as long as the annual probability of revision is <4%. The cost of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty must be greater than

Cost Burden of 30-Day Readmissions Following Medicare Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

13,500 or the cost of total knee arthroplasty must be less than

Impact of Hospital Volume on the Economic Value of Computer Navigation for Total Knee Replacement

8500 before total knee arthroplasty becomes more cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS Our model suggests that, on the basis of currently available cost and outcomes data, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty have similar cost-effectiveness profiles in the elderly low-demand patient population. However, several important parameters that could alter the cost-effectiveness analysis were identified; these included implant survival rates, costs, perioperative mortality and infection rates, and utility values achieved with each procedure. The thresholds identified in this study may help decision-makers to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of each strategy as further research characterizes the variables associate with unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasties and may be helpful for designing future appropriate clinical trials.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Custom Total Knee Cutting Blocks

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed bundling of payments for acute care episodes for certain procedures, including total joint arthroplasty. The purpose of this study is to quantify the readmission burden of TJA as a function of readmission rate and reimbursement for the bundled payment. Using the hospitals administrative database, we identified all unplanned 30-day readmissions following index admissions for total hip and total knee arthroplasty, and revision hip and knee arthroplasty among Medicare beneficiaries from 2009 to 2012. For each group, we determined 30-day readmission rates and direct costs of each readmission. The hospital cost margins for Medicare TJAs are small and any decrease in these margins can potentially make performing these procedures economically unfeasible potentially decreasing Medicare patient access.

The Effect of Discharge Disposition on 30-Day Readmission Rates After Total Joint Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND An aim of the use of computer navigation is to reduce rates of revisions of total knee replacements by improving the alignment achieved at the surgery. However, the decision to adopt this technology may be difficult for some centers, especially low-volume centers, where the cost of purchasing this equipment may be high. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hospital volume on the cost-effectiveness of this new technology in order to determine its feasibility and the level of evidence that should be sought prior to its adoption. METHODS A Markov decision model was used to evaluate the impact of hospital volume on the cost-effectiveness of computer-assisted knee arthroplasty in a theoretical cohort of sixty-five-year-old patients with end-stage arthritis of the knee to coincide with the peak incidence of knee arthroplasty in the United States. RESULTS Computer-assisted surgery becomes less cost-effective as the annual hospital volume decreases, as the cost of the navigation increases, and as the impact on revision rates decreases. Centers at which 250, 150, and twenty-five computer-navigated total knee arthroplasties are performed per year will require a reduction of the annual revision rate of 2%, 2.5%, and 13%, respectively, per year over a twenty-year period for computer navigation to be cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS Computer navigation is less likely to be a cost-effective investment in health-care improvement in centers with a low volume of joint replacements, where its benefit is most likely to be realized. However, it may be a cost-effective technology for centers with a higher volume of joint replacements, where the decrease in the rate of knee revision needed to make the investment cost-effective is modest, if improvements in revision rates with the use of this technology can be realized.

Shared Decision-making in Orthopaedic Surgery

The purposes of this study were to examine the cost-effectiveness of this technology and to determine improvements in patient outcome needed to make custom total knee cutting blocks cost-effective. A Markov decision model was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of custom cutting blocks compared with traditional instrumentation in total knee arthroplasty. The analysis demonstrates routine use of custom cutting blocks for total knee arthroplasty will not be cost-effective unless it results in a significantly reduced revision rate. The reduction necessary increases with increasing costs for the custom blocks. Further research will be necessary to determine if this can be achieved using custom cutting blocks. Patients, surgeons, payers, and institutions should consider this when determining their support of this technology in the absence of supportive data.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Staphylococcus aureus Screening and Decolonization Program for High-Risk Orthopedic Patients

Previous studies have demonstrated no significant difference in overall functional outcomes of patients discharged to a sub acute setting versus home with health services after total joint arthroplasty. These findings coupled with pressure to reduce health care costs and the implementation of a prospective payment system under Medicare have supported the use of home rehabilitation services and the trend towards earlier discharge after hospitalization. While the overall functional outcome of patients discharged to various settings has been studied, there is a relative dearth of investigation comparing postoperative complications and readmission rates between various discharge dispositions. Our study demonstrated patients discharged home with health services had a significantly lower 30 day readmission rate compared to those discharged to inpatient rehab facilities. Patients discharged to rehab facilities have a higher incidence of comorbidity and this association could be responsible for their higher rate of readmission.

Thirty-day readmission rates as a measure of quality: causes of readmission after orthopedic surgeries and accuracy of administrative data.

BackgroundThe process of clinical decision-making and the patient-physician relationship continue to evolve. Increasing patient involvement in clinical decision-making is embodied in the concept of “shared decision-making” (SDM), in which the patient and physician share responsibility in the clinical decision-making process. Various patients’ decision aid tools have been developed to enhance this process.Questions/purposesWe therefore (1) describe decision-making models; (2) discuss the different types of patients’ decision aids available to practice SDM; and (3) describe the practice and early impact of SDM on clinical orthopaedic surgery.MethodsWe performed a search of the literature using PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library. We identified studies related to shared decision-making and the use of patients’ decision aids in orthopaedics. The search resulted in 113 titles, of which 21 were included with seven studies on patients’ decision aid use specifically in orthopaedics.ResultsAlthough limited studies suggest the use of patients’ decision aids may enhance decision-making, conclusions about the use of these aids in orthopaedic clinical practice cannot be made and further research examining the best type, timing, and content of patients’ decision aids that will lead to maximum patient involvement and knowledge gains with minimal clinical workflow interruption are needed.ConclusionIn clinical practice today, patients are increasingly involved in clinical decision-making. Further research on SDM in orthopaedic surgery examining the feasibility and impact on practice, on patients’ willingness and ability to actively participate in shared decision-making, and the timing and type of patients’ decision aids appropriate for use is still needed.

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in orthopaedic surgeons and their patients: a prospective cohort controlled study.

We conducted a Markov decision analysis to assess the cost savings associated with a preoperative Staphylococcus aureus screening and decolonization program on 365 hip and knee arthroplasties and 287 spine fusions. A 2-way sensitivity analysis was also used to calculate the needed reduction in surgical site infections to make the program cost saving. If cost of treating an infected hip or knee arthroplasty is equal to the cost of a primary knee arthroplasty, then the screening program needs to result in a 35% reduction in the revision rate, or a relative revision rate of 65% for patients in the screening program, to be cost saving. For spine fusions, the reduction in the revision rate to make the program cost saving is only 10%. Universal Staphylococcus aureus screening and decolonization for hip and knee arthroplasty and spinal fusion patients needs to result in only a modest reduction in the surgical site infection rate to be cost saving.

Staphylococcus aureus Decolonization Protocol Decreases Surgical Site Infections for Total Joint Replacement

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The rate of unplanned 30‐day readmissions to the hospital after discharge is being used as a marker to compare the quality of care across hospitals and to set reimbursement levels for care. While the readmission rate can be reported using administrative data, the accuracy of these data is variable, and defining which readmissions are unplanned and preventable is often difficult. The purpose of this study was to review readmissions to a single orthopedic hospital to identify the causes for readmission and, in particular, which readmissions are planned versus unplanned. Using that hospitals administrative database of patient records from 2007 to 2009, we identified all patients who were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of a previous hospitalization for a procedure. Readmissions were broadly categorized as planned (a staged or rescheduled procedure or a direct transfer) or unplanned. Unplanned readmissions were defined as either surgical or nonsurgical complications (medical conditions not directly related to the procedure). Almost 30 percent of readmissions were planned. Of the unplanned readmissions, close to 60 percent were triggered by an infection or a concern for an infection. Nonsurgical complications accounted for 18.2 percent of unplanned readmissions. This study highlights the importance of careful data collection and abstraction when calculating early readmission rates. Preventing surgical site infection and better coordinating care between orthopedic surgeons and primary care and medical subspecialty physicians may significantly reduce readmission rates.