Orthopedic procedures, especially those of the hip, knee and shoulder, have seen a significant push toward the ASC and outpatient setting in 2026.
Surgeons have had to make some adjustments, but overall the consensus seems as though surgeons are happy with the move.
Here is what three surgeons had to say about the outpatient shift of orthopedic procedures.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Hayden Baker, MD. Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon at Endeavor Health Orthopaedic & Spine Institute (Skokie, Ill.): Within the next few years, I believe most shoulder replacements will be performed safely and efficiently in the outpatient setting. Improvements in anesthesia, multimodal pain management and minimally invasive surgical techniques have dramatically reduced postoperative discomfort and complication rates. With proper patient selection and coordinated perioperative care, same-day discharge for shoulder arthroplasty will soon become standard.
Alexander Meininger, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist at Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute (Steamboat Springs, Colo.): Initially, it was just knee replacement that came off of the inpatient only list, then hip replacement, then shoulder replacement. My partner, J. Alex Sielatycki, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon at SOSI and the spine service line has only continued to grow and perform multilevel disc replacements such as multilevel cervical lumbar fusions. We’re one of the few sites in the U.S. that is hoping to get approval for the MOTUS total lumbar joint-replacement device. Being able to perform outpatient lumbar surgery or treat some of these back patients in the ASC setting is one of our big horizons and opportunities for growth.
Christian Pean, MD. Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, N.C.): In addition to trying to stay up to speed with the trend toward outpatient and ambulatory care, we now feel real financial pressure to rigorously document. We have to make sure the cases that do need to be in the inpatient setting are appropriately billed and documented.
We feel well-positioned to use this as an opportunity to shorten length of stay, identify patients who can be discharged home — rather than to a skilled nursing facility — and rethink how we deliver care. There’s an imperative to embrace care transformation.
