Orthopedics continued to shift in 2025 as care delivery models evolved, technology adoption accelerated and market pressures reshaped how musculoskeletal services are delivered.
Here are five moves that defined the year:
1. Orthopedic service lines expanded aggressively through new centers and market entries — reshaping access: Health systems and orthopedic groups grew their footprints in 2025, opening new clinics, outpatient centers and ASCs to meet rising demand for musculoskeletal care. Expansions spanned both urban and fast-growing suburban markets, with organizations citing access, referral capture and downstream revenue as key drivers.
2. Orthopedic surgeon movement accelerated amid talent competition:
Recruitment and leadership changes intensified as orthopedic practices and health systems competed for experienced surgeons, subspecialists and program leaders. Dozens of surgeon moves were reported in 2025, including relocations tied to service line expansion, leadership transitions and new market development.
Workforce dynamics remain a defining issue for orthopedics, as groups balance burnout, retirement trends and the need to scale capacity in high-demand subspecialties such as joint replacement, sports medicine and spine.
3. Orthopedic procedures continued migrating to outpatient and ASC settings: Orthopedic and spine procedures increasingly moved into ambulatory and outpatient environments as reimbursement pressure intensified and CMS removed surgeries from the inpatient-only list.
Outpatient hip, knee and shoulder replacements have steadily grown since 2020, and nearly all hand, foot, ankle and sports medicine arthroscopies now occur in ASCs. Spine procedures, including multilevel disc replacements and lumbar surgeries, are also expanding into outpatient settings.
4. Hospital-orthopedic partnerships reshaped regional care networks: Hospitals and orthopedic groups continued restructuring their relationships in 2025 through acquisitions, employment arrangements and network additions. Recent moves included hospitals adding independent orthopedic and spine practices to their medical groups, acquiring orthopedic practices outright and integrating large specialty groups and clinic staff into system networks.
At the same time, some orthopedic groups exited hospital-based service arrangements, including ending orthopedic emergency and trauma coverage at select facilities.
5. Orthopedics shifted from repair toward prevention-focused care models: Orthopedic leaders emphasized prevention in 2025 and the value of moving beyond episodic injury treatment toward proactive measures to reduce musculoskeletal injuries.
Leaders across academic and health system programs pointed to new approaches such as embedding athletic trainers in high-risk settings, expanding bone health clinics to identify osteoporosis earlier, adopting neuromuscular training programs shown to reduce ACL injuries, and using predictive analytics, wearables and AI to detect musculoskeletal problems earlier in the disease course.
