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Performing total ankle replacements in the ASC setting is significantly more cost-effective than the in-patient procedure according to a new study presented at the 2016 American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Meeting.
In a recent article, Outpatient Surgery magazine reported that the savings could be as high as $4,000 per patient.
Christopher E. Gross, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and member of the study’s research team, along with his colleagues, analyzed 574 total ankle replacement procedures that were performed in both ASC and hospital settings between 2011 and 2014.
"If all of those patients were to have their total ankle replacements done an in ambulatory surgery setting as opposed to the inpatient setting during that 4-year period, the government would have saved about $1.5 million," Dr. Gross explained to Orthopedics Today.
In addition to the cost savings, Dr. Gross said the efficiency of the procedure in the ASC setting is also worth noting. He says hospitals could benefit from imitating what ASCs are doing to manage costs and efficiencies.
A follow-up study on whether outpatient procedures result in more complications is next on the horizon for Dr. Gross and his research team.
"Hopefully, we can use that data to demonstrate that total ankle replacements can be done in the outpatient setting, similar to how total knees have gotten to that point," Gross said.
To learn more, read the entire article.