Study: Outpatient Total Joint as Effective as Inpatient

Outpatient total joint replacements outcomes are comparable to those done in inpatient settings, according to research presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Researchers reviewed outcomes from nearly 250 patients who had undergone total hip or total knee replacements, half in an outpatient and half in an inpatient setting. Inpatient and outpatient patient populations were similar; however, inpatients stayed in the hospital for two days following surgery.

In a postsurgical telephone surgery of study subjects, researchers found that 10.2 percent of outpatients were readmitted within 30 days, while 6.6 percent of inpatients were readmitted within 30 days, though the difference was not statistically significant. Including emergency and urgent care visits in these statistics raised them to 12.4 percent and 6.7 percent respectively.

Neither group had higher patient satisfaction rates.

Researchers said more work was needed to examine the trend in higher readmissions for outpatient surgery, though outpatient surgery has the potential to keep costs down for the same surgical quality, according to a news release.

More Articles on Total Joint Replacement:
2 Percent of Americans Have Artificial Hips or Knees
Nueterra Partners With Dr. Michael Crovetti on Outpatient Total Joint Programs, Suites
Case Study: How One ASC Introduced Total Joint Procedures Into the Outpatient Environment

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Webinars

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Podcast