by 700%. By that
time, the number of
patients who want
their hips replaced
should jump by
200%.
Plus, CMS has
removed total knees
from the inpatient-
only list after finally
recognizing that per-
forming joint
replacements in out-
patient facilities is appropriate, safe and cost effective. CMS won't yet
pay for knee arthroscopies done in surgery centers, but a change to
that policy seems inevitable. Outpatient total hips, shoulders and
ankles are also likely to get the CMS stamp of approval, so your facili-
ty should be ready to capitalize on the number of cases Medicare
patients will add to the market.
It clearly makes good clinical and financial sense to outfit your
ambulatory ORs for total joints. The question is: How quickly can you
get them ready?
Best laid plans
A group of orthopedic surgeons in North Carolina monitored the
movement of total joints to outpatient facilities as they were planning
to build the Surgical Center of Greensboro. The $20 million, 13-OR
facility, which opened its doors last year and stands at 60,000 square
feet, consolidated surgical services from 2 nearby facilities that were
more than 20 years old.
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 • M A R C H 2 0 1 8
• COST CONTROL Look for deals on big-ticket items such as C-arms and specialty
tables, but you can also save big by standardizing implants and instrumentation.
