New health data shows meniscus repair can have a positive economic impact.
"Most common medical therapies are cost-effective, meaning that there is an acceptable added expense for the given patient benefit," said President and CEO of Ceterix Orthopaedics John McCutcheon. "This study shows that meniscal repair actually saves money. This is an unexpected but very exciting finding."
An analysis conducted on long-term patient outcomes found:
1. There was improvement for patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery.
2. The overall discounted savings were $2,384.
3. The results make meniscus repair the dominant index procedure strategy.
4. Meniscus repair was associated with increased relative risk of failure, but also led to substantial reductions in subsequent osteoarthritis and total knee replacement.
5. The clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness further improved with longer-term follow-up.
Ceterix sponsored the study to assess the cost-effectiveness of meniscus repair compared to meniscectomy. The company's NovoStitch suture passer is used by more than 300 orthopedic physicians in the United States.
"Our analysis, based on the latest clinical evidence, shows that meniscus repair, despite higher initial failure rates, is associated with improved long-term outcomes and overall cost savings relative to meniscectomy, making it the dominant treatment strategy from a health-economic perspective," said Jan Piezsch, PhD, president and CEO of health economics consultancy at Wing Tech.