Projections say 51% of total joints will be outpatient by 2026 — will they be correct? Key thoughts from Dr. Steve Lucey

Becker's Healthcare August 20, 2019
Laura Dyrda

Total knee and hip replacements are moving into the outpatient setting, but the transition may be slower than expected.

Sg2 reported 15 percent of total joint replacements were performed in the outpatient setting in 2017 and predicted 26 percent would be performed there in 2018. The firm expects 51 percent of total joint replacements to be outpatient by 2026.

But in most cases, surgeons are still performing a majority of their joint replacements in the inpatient setting, even if the patient would be a good candidate for outpatient surgery. Here, Steve Lucey, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Greensboro, N.C., discusses the roadblocks to transitioning total joints into the outpatient setting and what to expect going forward.

Question: What challenges...

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