Hip and knee osteoarthritis patients are more likely to delay elective total joint arthroplasty until they are eligible for Medicare enrollment, according to a study in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
The study authors used the 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database to determine the incidence of total joint arthroplasty, assessing the increase in procedures from age 64 to 65.
The expected and observed increases in total joint arthroplasty procedures from age 64 to 65 were 595 and 5211, respectively. This resulted in a pent-up demand of 4,616 joint arthroplasties, split between 1,273 total hip arthroplasties and 3,343 total knee arthroplasties.
The excess cost because of the delays totaled $55 million.
"As the population ages, it will become increasingly important for stakeholders and policy-makers to be aware of this pent-up demand for TJA procedures," the study authors concluded.