Worth the investment
When it's time to add new joint replacement technology to your ORs,
consider more than the price tag. Here's an example: A custom knee-
cutting block might cost $400 to $600 more compared to the mechani-
cal guides that surgeons have always used when cutting into bone.
Should you spend more on the custom option?
"In my mind, it's absolutely worth it," says Ritesh R. Shah, MD, an
orthopedic surgeon at Chicagoland's Illinois Bone and Joint Institute.
"It's much more exact. It's much less damaging to patients."
Dr. Shah says custom cutting blocks can help him make more pre-
cise cuts, which means patients will feel better after surgery and
require less physical therapy and fewer post-op pain meds. If he can
show his patients are doing better after 90 days or longer, then payers
will see the value in reimbursing more customized surgery.
"It's an additional upfront cost to the facility," he says, "but the long-
term outcomes speak for themselves."
OSM
1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 9
