Six insights on joint replacement costs and potential savings:
1. Inpatient hip replacements cost commercial insurers $34,300 in 2018, whereas hip replacements cost $27,600 in ASCs.
2. Medicare paid $13,800 for inpatient hip replacements in 2018. The cost of ASC-based hip replacements was $11,000.
3. Inpatient knee replacements cost commercial payers $34,300 in 2018, compared to $28,600 for knee replacement in ASCs.
4. Medicare paid $14,900 for inpatient knee replacements in 2018. Knee replacements done in ASCs cost Medicare $12,400.
5. Private insurers would yield savings per surgery of $6,700 for hip replacements done at an ASC, and savings per surgery of $5,700 for knee replacements done in an ASC.
6. Allowing ASCs to perform more routine joint surgeries could yield Medicare savings of $2,800 per hip replacement and $2,500 per knee replacement.
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