Here are six insights:
1. The study was performed by Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
2. Researchers used utilizing data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System from 1997 to 2014. They compared the cost-effectiveness of elective knee replacement over a patient’s lifetime in low-, medium-, high- and very high-volume hospitals for total knee replacements.
3. The patients identified were divided into younger and Medicare-age patients. There were 89,796 patients in the younger group and 111,492 patients in the Medicare group.
4. The study found that total knee replacement in the younger group at very high-volume hospitals was associated with the lowest lifetime costs and the greatest benefits. In the Medicare group, results were similar.
5. Hospitals performing the most knee replacements showed significantly greater cost-effectiveness than all other hospital categories.
6. Researchers estimate the U.S. healthcare system could save between $2.5 billion and $4 billion annually by the year 2030 by directing knee replacement to high-volume hospitals.
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