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Study notes patients’ perceptions of physician reimbursement for TJA, willingness to pay out-of-pocket costs
Investigators of this study found patients from private practice and academic centers thought orthopedic surgeons were underpaid for primary total joint arthroplasty procedures, and patients reported willingness to pay significant out-of-pocket expenses for these procedures.
Researchers prospectively administered an anonymous survey to 670 patients in an outpatient setting between January 2014 and April 2015. Using the survey, investigators asked patients what reimbursement surgeons should receive for total joint arthroplasty (TJA), their perceptions about the amount Medicare reimburses physicians for TJA, how much patients would pay out-of-pocket for the surgery and their opinions on Medicare reimbursement rates.
On average, the 557 respondents believed orthopedic surgeons should be reimbursed $27,430 for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and $19,830 for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Investigators found patients were willing to pay a mean of $14,397 in out-of-pocket expenses for THA and $12,797 in out-of-pocket expenses for TKA. Patients who were in the private practice group had a higher household income and education compared with those from academic centers; however, patients from academic centers were willing to pay more out-of-pocket costs. ‒ by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: Courtney reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.