Abstract As health care reform continues to evolve, there will need to be an emphasis on generating value, quality improvement, and cost control. In 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ...Services (CMS) initiated a new Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative. Early results from this CMS bundled payment initiative at an urban, tertiary, academic medical center demonstrate decreased length of stay and increased discharge to home, with decreasing readmission rates, which can result in cost-savings without compromise of the quality of care. Changes in care coordination, clinical care pathways, and evidence-based protocols are the key to improving the quality metrics and cost effectiveness within the implementation of the bundled payment for care initiative, thus bringing increased value to our total joint arthroplasty patients.
Although 2-stage exchange arthroplasty is the preferred surgical treatment for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in the United States, little is known about the risk of complications between ...stages, mortality, and the economic burden of unsuccessful 2-stage procedures.
The 2015-2019 Medicare 100% inpatient sample was used to identify 2-stage PJI revisions in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients using procedural codes. We used the Fine and Gray sub-distribution adaptation of the conventional Kaplan-Meier method to estimate the probability of completing the second stage of the 2-stage PJI infection treatment, accounting for death as a competing risk. Hospital costs were estimated from the hospital charges using “cost-to-charge” ratios from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A total of 5094 total hip arthroplasty and 13,062 total knee arthroplasty patients had an index revision for PJI during the study period. In the first 12 months following the first-stage explantation, the likelihood of completing a second-stage PJI revision was 43.1% (95% confidence interval CI 41.7-44.5) for hips and 47.9% (95% CI 47.0-48.8) for knees. Following explantation, 1-year patient survival rates for hip and knee patients were 87.4% (95% CI 85.8-88.9) and 91.4% (95% CI 90.6-92.2), respectively. The median additional cost for hospitalizations between stages was $23,582 and $20,965 per patient for hips and knees, respectively. Hospital volume, Northeast or Midwest region, and younger age were associated with reduced PJI costs (P < .05).
Although viewed as the most preferred, the 2-stage revision strategy for PJI had less than a 50% chance of successful completion within the first year, and was associated with high mortality rates and substantial costs for treatment failure.
We sought to understand the magnitude of the shift in care settings (hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, or ambulatory surgery center) for primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and its economic ...impact on surgeons and hospitals.
We measured the shift in care settings for primary TJAs using national 100% sample Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims data from January 2017 through March 2021. We also measured the percent of case being discharged the same day over time. We calculated the national average hospital payment rate by setting and the weighted average hospital payment rates based on the mix of inpatient and outpatient cases over time. We compared average facility and physician payment rate changes over time across common types of surgeries.
By the first quarter of 2021, 29% of Medicare FFS primary TJAs were performed hospital inpatient (down from 100% in 2017), 64% were performed hospital outpatient, and about 7% in an ambulatory surgery center. The percent of hospital-based primary TJAs that were discharged the same day increased from less than 2% in the first quarter of 2018 to over 18% in the first quarter of 2021. Medicare increased its payment rates for both inpatient and outpatient TJAs, which offset the impact of TJAs shifting from being performed inpatient to outpatient. The average Medicare payment rates for TJAs declined by more than they did for most other major procedures.
There was a significant shift in care setting from hospital inpatient to hospital outpatient for Medicare primary TJAs. This shift led to lower average TJA payment rates to hospitals; however, the impact was attenuated due to the increasing Medicare reimbursement rates in each setting, particularly for outpatient cases.
Abstract Background In 2011 Medicare initiated a Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) program with the goal of introducing a payment model that would “lead to higher quality, more coordinated ...care at a lower cost to Medicare.” Methods A Model 2 bundled payment initiative for Total Joint Replacement (TJR) was implemented at a large, tertiary, urban academic medical center. The episode of care includes all costs through 90 days following discharge. After one year, data on 721 Medicare primary TJR patients were available for analysis. Results Average length of stay (LOS) was decreased from 4.27 days to 3.58 days (Median LOS 3 days). Discharges to inpatient facilities decreased from 71% to 44%. Readmissions occurred in 80 patients (11%), which is slightly lower than before implementation. The hospital has seen cost reduction in the inpatient component over baseline. Conclusion Early results from the implementation of a Medicare BPCI Model 2 primary TJR program at this medical center demonstrate cost-savings. Level of Evidence IV economic and decision analyses—developing an economic or decision model
Background
Reporting of complications after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is not standardized, and it is done inconsistently across various studies on the topic. Advantages of standardizing ...complications include improved patient safety and outcomes and better reporting in comparative studies.
Questions/purposes
The purpose of this project was to develop a standardized list of complications and adverse events associated with THA, develop standardized definitions for each complication, and stratify the complications. A further purpose was to validate these standardized THA complications.
Methods
The Hip Society THA Complications Workgroup proposed a list of THA complications, definitions for each complication, and a stratification scheme for the complications. The stratification system was developed from a previously validated grading system for complications of hip preservation surgery. The proposed complications, definitions, and stratification were validated with an expert opinion survey of members of The Hip Society, a case study evaluation, and analysis of a large administrative hospital system database with a focus on readmissions.
Results
One hundred five clinical members (100%) of The Hip Society responded to the THA complications survey. Initially, 21 THA complications were proposed. The validation process reduced the 21 proposed complications to 19 THA complications with definitions and stratification that were endorsed by The Hip Society (bleeding, wound complication, thromboembolic disease, neural deficit, vascular injury, dislocation/instability, periprosthetic fracture, abductor muscle disruption, deep periprosthetic joint infection, heterotopic ossification, bearing surface wear, osteolysis, implant loosening, cup-liner dissociation, implant fracture, reoperation, revision, readmission, death).
Conclusions
Acceptance and use of these standardized, stratified, and validated THA complications and adverse events could advance reporting of outcomes of THA and improve assessment of THA by clinical investigators.
Level of Evidence
Level V, therapeutic study.
Background The landscape of healthcare is transitioning from a fee-for-service model to value based purchasing. Methods We developed evidence-based clinical pathways and risk stratification measures ...to effectively implement the BPCI model of value based purchasing. Results We decreased patient length of stay, discharge to inpatient facilities and the cost of an episode of patient care. Conclusion The bundled care payment initiative has been successfully implemented for DRG-469 and 470, delivering high quality patient care at a reduced price.
The Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) presents the 2019 revised staging system of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) based on the 1994 ARCO classification.
In October 2018, ARCO ...established a task force to revise the staging system of ONFH. The task force involved 29 experts who used a web-based survey for international collaboration. Content validity ratios for each answer were calculated to identify the levels of agreement. For the rating queries, a consensus was defined when more than 70% of the panel members scored a 4 or 5 rating on a 5-point scale.
Response rates were 93.1%-100%, and through the 4-round Delphi study, the 1994 ARCO classification for ONFH was successfully revised. The final consensus resulted in the following 4-staged system: stage I—X-ray is normal, but either magnetic resonance imaging or bone scan is positive; stage II—X-ray is abnormal (subtle signs of osteosclerosis, focal osteoporosis, or cystic change in the femoral head) but without any evidence of subchondral fracture, fracture in the necrotic portion, or flattening of the femoral head; stage III—fracture in the subchondral or necrotic zone as seen on X-ray or computed tomography scans. This stage is further divided into stage IIIA (early, femoral head depression ≤2 mm) and stage IIIB (late, femoral head depression >2 mm); and stage IV—X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis with accompanying joint space narrowing, acetabular changes, and/or joint destruction. This revised staging system does not incorporate the previous subclassification or quantitation parameters, but the panels agreed on the future development of a separate grading system for predicting disease progression.
A staging system has been developed to revise the 1994 ARCO classification for ONFH by an expert panel-based Delphi survey. ARCO approved and recommends this revised system as a universal staging of ONFH.
Preemptive and multimodal pain control protocols have been introduced to enhance rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We determined the complication rate associated with preoperative ...femoral nerve block (FNB) for TKA. Among 1018 TKA operations, we performed 709 FNBs using a single-injection technique into the femoral nerve sheath and confirming position with nerve stimulation before induction. After TKA, weightbearing as tolerated was initiated using a walker or crutches on postoperative Day 1. Twelve patients (1.6%) treated with FNB sustained falls, three (0.4%) of whom underwent reoperations. Five patients had postoperative femoral neuritis, which may have been secondary to the block. One patient had new onset of atrial fibrillation after FNB, and the TKA was postponed. Femoral nerve block before TKA is not a harmless intervention. We recommend postoperative protocols be modified for patients who have FNB to account for decreased quadriceps function in the early postoperative period, which can lead to falls.
Level of Evidence:
Level III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Abstract Background Alternative payment models, such as bundled payments, aim to control rising costs for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA). Without risk adjustment for ...patients who may utilize more resources, concerns exist about patient selection and access to care. The purpose of this study was to determine whether lower socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with increased resource utilization following TKA and THA. Methods Using the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative database, we reviewed a consecutive series of 4168 primary TKA and THA patients over a 3-year period. We defined lowest SES based upon the median household income of the patient's ZIP code. Demographics, medical comorbidities, length of stay, discharge destination, and readmission rates were compared between patients of lowest SES and higher SES. Results Patients in the lowest SES group had a longer hospital length of stay (2.79 vs 2.22 days, P < .001), were more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility (27% vs 18%, P < .001), and be readmitted to the hospital within 90 days (11% vs 8%, P = .002) than the higher SES group. Multivariate analysis revealed that lowest SES was an independent risk factor for all 3 outcome variables (all P < .001). Conclusion Patients in the lowest SES group utilize more resources in the 90-day postoperative period. Therefore, risk adjustment models, including SES, may be necessary to fairly compensate hospitals and surgeons and to avoid potential problems with access to joint arthroplasty care.
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