Surgical Efficiency of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Outpatient Surgical Center Versus Hospital Operating Room

Background: Arthroscopic Bankart repair, open Bankart repair, and the Latarjet procedure are common treatments for anterior shoulder instability; however, little is known of costs by patient- and surgeon-specific factors. This study aimed to identify areas where cost reduction may be achieved. Hypothesis: Increased total charges will be associated with low-volume surgeons and surgical facilities, hospital-owned facilities, open surgical techniques, and patients with at least 1 comorbidity. Study Design: Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The 2014 State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases from 6 states were utilized. There were 3 Current Procedural Terminology codes (23455, 23462, 29806) used to identify open Bankart repair, the Latarjet procedure, and arthroscopic Bankart repair, respectively. Patient demographic and surgical variables were evaluated on a univariate basis, and all significant factors were then included in the multiple linear regression to determine which factors had the largest effect on cost. Total charges billed for the encounter were used as a proxy for cost of surgery. Results: For open Bankart repair, arthroscopic Bankart repair, and the Latarjet procedure, longer operative times increased costs, and high-volume surgical facilities had decreased charges. For the arthroscopic Bankart group, additional factors that increased charges included postoperative hospital admission (US$11,516; P < .001), patient residence in a ZIP code with a below-median income (US$2909; P < .001), presence of a comorbidity (US$1982; P < .001), male sex (US$1545; P = .003), Hispanic race (US$2493; P = .005), and use of regional anesthesia (US$1898; P = .025). Additional cost drivers for the Latarjet procedure included postoperative hospital admission (US$7028; P = .022) and older age (US$187/y; P = .039). Conclusion: Postoperative admission to the hospital was the largest cost driver for arthroscopic Bankart repair and the Latarjet procedure. Low-volume facilities were the largest cost driver for open Bankart repair. High-volume surgery centers had lower costs when compared with low-volume surgery centers. Regional anesthesia increased costs in the arthroscopic Bankart group. These findings may help to show where cost savings can be achieved, particularly considering increasing trends toward bundled health care payments.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Cost Drivers Associated With Anterior Shoulder Stabilization Surgery

Bokshan

Levins

et al. 2020

“…38 Outpatient ACL reconstruction is more efficient and results in lesser economic costs to providers while yielding equivalent or improved patient satisfaction, strength, and knee function. 21,43 The 2013 changes to health care regulations in the United States mandated that providers receive decreased compensation or reimbursement in cases where patients were readmitted within 30 days of initial discharge. 12,19,33 As such, it is important to identify risk factors that may contribute to adverse events in the immediate postoperative period.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Operative Time on Short-Term Adverse Events After Isolated Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Agarwalla

Gowd

Liu

et al. 2019

Background: A longer operative time has been previously recognized as a risk factor for short-term complications after various orthopaedic procedures; however, it has yet to be investigated as an independent risk factor for postoperative complications after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purpose: To identify whether a longer operative time in ACL reconstruction is an independent risk factor for the development of postoperative complications, hospital readmissions, or an extended length of stay within 30 days of the index procedure. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction between 2005 and 2016 were identified using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. Cases with concomitant procedures were excluded from the analysis. We evaluated the association between operative time and preoperative variables such as patient age, sex, body mass index, comorbidities, and procedure. Correlations between adverse events and operative time, while controlling for the above preoperative variables, were calculated using multivariate Poisson regression with robust error variance. Results: A total of 14,159 procedures were included in this investigation. The mean patient age was 32.6 ± 10.8 years, the mean body mass index was 27.7 ± 6.5 kg/m 2 , and the mean operative time was 89.7 ± 28.6 minutes. Patients who were between the ages of 18 and 30 years (mean operative time, 95.1 ± 27.8 minutes; relative risk [RR], 17.7; P < .001), male (mean operative time, 91.9 ± 28.3 minutes; RR, 4.7; P < .001), and nondiabetic (mean operative time, 89.8 ± 28.6 minutes; RR, 7.1; P = .011) were associated with a longer operative duration. The overall complication rate was 1.1%. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and procedures, 15-minute incremental increases in operative duration were associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (RR, 1.12; P = .042), surgical site infections (RR, 1.21; P = .001), and sepsis (RR, 1.66; P < .001) as well as increased readmission rates (RR, 1.23; P = .001) and an extended length of stay (RR, 1.18; P = .008). Conclusion: While the overall adverse risk rate after ACL reconstruction remains low, marginal increases in operative time are associated with an increased risk of adverse events such as deep vein thrombosis, surgical site infections, sepsis, an extended length of stay, and readmissions. Thus, the operating physician and surgical staff should make all efforts to coordinate and prepare for each case to maximize surgical efficiency.

“…We hypothesize that private ASCs may be better equipped to provide orthopaedic-specific teams with greater knowledge of the tools and techniques being used. A previous study of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) 18 found greater procedural efficiency at private ASCs compared with their hospital counterparts. A study of supracondylar humeral fractures 19 found that surgeries performed at a physician-owned ASC were more efficient and more cost-effective than surgeries performed at a hospital outpatient department.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

High-Volume and Privately Owned Ambulatory Surgical Centers Reduce Costs in Achilles Tendon Repair

Chuck

Bokshan

et al. 2020

Background: While Achilles tendon repairs are common, little data exist characterizing the cost drivers of this surgery. Purpose: To examine cases of primary Achilles tendon repair, primary repair with graft, and secondary repair to find patient characteristics and surgical variables that significantly drive costs. Study Design: Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 5955 repairs from 6 states were pulled from the 2014 State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Database under the Current Procedural Terminology codes 27650, 27652, and 27654. Cases were analyzed under univariate analysis to select the key variables driving cost. Variables deemed close to significance ( P < .10) were then examined under generalized linear models (GLMs) and evaluated for statistical significance ( P < .05). Results: The average cost was $14,951 for primary repair, $23,861 for primary repair with graft, and $20,115 for secondary repair ( P < .001). In the GLMs, high-volume ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) showed a cost savings of $16,987 and $2854 in both the primary with graft and secondary repair groups, respectively (both P < .001). However, for primary repairs, high-volume ASCs had $2264 more in costs than low-volume ASCs ( P < .001). In addition, privately owned ASCs showed cost savings compared with hospital-owned ASCs for both primary Achilles repair ($2450; P < .001) and primary repair with graft ($11,072; P = .019). Time in the operating room was also a significant cost, with each minute adding $36 of cost in primary repair and $31 in secondary repair (both P < .001). Conclusion: Private ASCs are associated with lower costs for patients undergoing primary Achilles repair, both with and without a graft. Patients undergoing the more complex secondary and primary with graft Achilles repairs had lower costs in facilities with greater caseload.