Looming Public Health Crisis in Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery

The number of Total Hip Replacements (THR) and Total Knee Replacements (TKR) has grown rapidly in the United States.

The explosion in this type of surgery has several base causes:

THR and TKR are among the most successful surgeries available. New materials and new techniques mean that thousands of people who were once condemned to a life of limited mobility and pain now can find relief through surgery.

At the same time, an aging population, a generation that expects to stay active during their senior years, and the growing obesity epidemic mean that demand for THR and TKR surgery is soaring.

At the same time, the number of young surgeons specializing in Total Joint Replacement (TJR) is declining, as reimbursement rates for this type of surgery have declined sharply through Medicare and private insurers with rates tied to Medicare. With increased earning potential in other orthopaedic specialties, we are unlikely to see a reversal in this trend until the economics change.

Given that many of the current TJR surgeons are within ten years of retirement, there is going to be both a manpower and a funding crisis in TJR surgery for the American public.

Details and research in the subject can be found in the following articles:

• How to Deal With the Booming Costs of Hip & Knee Replacements - Medicare Bill Could Hit $50 Billion By 2030
• Projections of Primary and Revision Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in the United States from 2005 to 2030
• Orthopaedic Surgeon Workforce and Volume Assessment for Total Hip and Knee Replacement in the United States: Preparing for an Epidemic
• Joint Replacement Access in 2016: A Supply Side Crisis

If you would like to speak with a surgeon-researcher about this topic, please contact Robert A. Hall, CAE, AAHKS Executive Director @bob@aahks.org or at 847-384-4373.