Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul;35(7S):S32-S36.
doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2020.04.038. Epub 2020 Apr 18.

Economic Recovery After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resuming Elective Orthopedic Surgery and Total Joint Arthroplasty

Casey M O'Connor  1 , Afshin A Anoushiravani  1 , Matthew R DiCaprio  1 , William L Healy  2 , Richard Iorio  3
Affiliations

Economic Recovery After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resuming Elective Orthopedic Surgery and Total Joint Arthroplasty

Casey M O'Connor et al. J Arthroplasty. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis are not like anything the U.S. health care system has ever experienced.

Methods: As we begin to emerge from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to plan the sustainable resumption of elective procedures. We must first ensure the safety of our patients and surgical staff. It must be a priority to monitor the availability of supplies for the continued care of patients suffering from COVID-19. As we resume elective orthopedic surgery and total joint arthroplasty, we must begin to reduce expenses by renegotiating vendor contracts, use ambulatory surgery centers and hospital outpatient departments in a safe and effective manner, adhere to strict evidence-based and COVID-19-adjusted practices, and incorporate telemedicine and other technology platforms when feasible for health care systems and orthopedic groups to survive economically.

Results: The return to normalcy will be slow and may be different than what we are accustomed to, but we must work together to plan a transition to a more sustainable health care reality which accommodates a COVID-19 world.

Conclusion: Our goal should be using these lessons to achieve a healthy and successful 2021 fiscal year.

Keywords: COVID-19; econonomics; elective orthopaedic surgery; patient demand; technology and innovation; volume.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
6 economic pillars required for the successful implementation of sustainable elective orthopedics. ASC, Ambulatory surgical center; HIPPA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; TJA, total joint arthroplasty; US-SBA, United States Small Business Administration.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Projected gross profit with adjusted and fixed overhead costs using assumptions presented in Table 1. The projected 25% reduction in overhead costs can be achieved with the implementation of pillar V, via the renegotiation for essential disposables (eg, implants), office space, and imaging equipment, while temporarily eliminating nonessentials (eg, robotics, navigation systems, custom implants, radiofrequency sealant devices).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Amadeo K. How does the 2020 stock market crash compare with others? Balance. 2020. https://www.thebalance.com/fundamentals-of-the-2020-market-crash-4799950 [accessed 04.09.20]
    1. World Health Organization WHO director-general’s remarks at the media briefing on 2019-nCoV on 11 February 2020:1–5. https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-remarks-at... [accessed 04.01.20]
    1. Sauter M.B., Stebbins S. How the current stock market collapse compares with others in history. USA Today. 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/21/stock-market-collapse-ho... [accessed 04.09.20]
    1. Cowan J. Newsom orders all Californians to stay home. New York times. 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/us/coronavirus-california-stay-at-hom... [accessed 04.09.20]
    1. Secon H., Woodward A. About 95% of Americans have been ordered to stay at home. This map shows which cities and states are under lockdown. Bus Insid. 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-map-stay-at-home-orders-lockdowns-2020-3 [accessed 04.09.20]