The volume of orthopedic procedures occurring in the outpatient setting is now 33 times higher than the volume of procedures in the inpatient setting, according to an Oct. 26 "Strata and Syntellis Performance Trends" report, which reviewed data from 2,000 hospitals and 135,000 physicians nationwide.
From 2019 to 2023, the number of knee replacement procedures occurring in the outpatient setting increased by 293%.
Additionally, per-case margins for orthopedic procedures are much better in the outpatient setting, with hospitals facing profound financial losses from inpatient orthopedic surgeries.
From 2019 to 2023, ASCs saw a rise in orthopedic procedures as well, performing 15.8% of all orthopedic surgeries in 2019 and 23.5% by 2023.
Overall, outpatient orthopedic volumes rose 29.9%, to 484,857 cases, from January 2022 to May 2023. By contrast, inpatient orthopedic volumes increased to 14,304 in May 2023.