From the most common procedures to surgeon compensation, here are 10 things to know about orthopedic procedures and surgeons in the United States.
1. There are approximately 27,773 orthopedic surgeons in the United States, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Nationally, there are 8.72 orthopedic surgeons per 100,000 people. Here are 10 statistics on the lowest and highest orthopedic surgeon density by state.
Highest density
• Wyoming: 14.96
• District of Columbia: 14.73
• Montana: 14.63
• New Hampshire: 13.58
• Vermont: 13.25
Lowest density:
• Mississippi: 6.55
• West Virginia: 6.58
• Texas: 6.83
• Arkansas: 6.91
• Nevada: 7.01
2. Of the 25 specialties surveyed in Medscape's annual compensation report, orthopedists earned the most with an average salary of $413,000. From 2012 to 2013, orthopedists' average salary rose 2 percent, according to the Medscape Orthopedist Compensation Report 2014. Here are nine statistics on orthopedist compensation across the country.
• Great Lakes: $449,000
• Northwest: $468,000
• West: $343,000
• Southeast: $423,000
• Northeast: $410,000
• Southwest: $408,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $397,000
• North Central: $391,000
• South Central: $382,000
3. Self-employed orthopedists earn an average salary of $439,000, while employed orthopedists earn an average of $388,000. Here are seven statistics on orthopedist salary by practice setting, according to the Medscape Orthopedist Compensation Report 2014.
• Office-based multispecialty group practice: $459,000
• Healthcare organization: $449,000
• Office-based single-specialty group practice: $442,000
• Hospital: $397,000
• Outpatient clinic: $388,000
• Office-based solo practice: $348,000
• Academic (non-hospital), research, military, government: $319,000
4. Compensation varies by subspecialty. Here are five statistics on compensation for a number of other orthopedic subspecialties, based on 2011 data.
• Spinal surgeons: $688,503
• Joint replacement: $605,953
• Hand surgeons: $476,039
• Pediatric orthopedic surgeons: $425,000
• Trauma surgeons: $424,555
5. Bonuses and benefits account for 25 percent of the total average orthopedic surgeon's compensation, according to Salary.com. Here are seven statistics on orthopedic surgeons' benefits.
• Bonuses: $37,112 (6.4 percent)
• Social Security: $13,875 (2.4 percent)
• 401(k)/403(b): $9,000 (1.6 percent)
• Disability: $4,237 (0.7 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.1 percent)
• Pension: $15,750 (2.7 percent)
• Time off: $57,937 (10 percent)
6. Orthopedics cases account for 17 percent of total ambulatory surgery center case volume, third only to ophthalmology and GI/endoscopy, according to a VMG Health's 2012 Intellimarker Ambulatory Surgical Center Financial & Operational Benchmarking Study. ASCs in the Southwestern United States have the highest gross charges per orthopedics case at $11,764, while Southeastern ASCs have the lowest gross charges per case at $9,384. Midwestern ASCs have the highest net revenue at $3,166 per orthopedics case, while Southeastern ASCs have the lowest net revenue per case at $2,154.
7. Of the 20 most common procedures performed in ASCs, seven are orthopedics cases. Here are the most commonly performed orthopedics procedures by ASC case volume, according to MedPAC data.
• Injection foramen epidural: lumbar, sacral: 4.1 percent
• Injection spine: lumbar, sacral (caudal): 3.4 percent
• Injection paravertebral: lumbar, sacral add on: 3.4 percent
• Injection paravertebral: lumbar, sacral: 2.4 percent
• Injection foramen epidural add on: 2.1 percent
• Destruction paravertebral nerve, add on: 1.5 percent
• Injection spine: cervical or thoracic: 0.9 percent
8. Orthopedic surgery can have a significant economic impact on individual patients and society as a whole. Here are five points on the economic value of orthopedic surgery, according to a recent Becker's Spine Review report.
• Lifetime societal net benefit for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty averaged around $19,928.
• In 2009, reported lifetime societal savings per patient from surgical repair for displaced intracapsular and extracapsular hip fractures were $60,000.
• The net societal savings per person who underwent discectomy was $9,822 per person over a four year period, according to the report.
• In 2012, societal savings from surgical treatment of rotator cuff repair in comparison to non-surgical treatment were $16,409.
• Lifetime cost to society for patients undergoing ACL repair was $38,121, compared to lifetime costs of $88,538 for rehabilitation.
9. The global orthopedics device market was valued at $29.2 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.9 percent over the next five years, according to a report from Transparency Market Research. By, 2019 the market will reach an estimated value of $41.2 billion. The orthopedic knee device market holds the largest share of the total market, while hip devices hold the second largest share.
10. There are a number of subspecialties in orthopedics. Here are five common areas orthopedic surgeons identify themselves with, according to AAOS.
• Arthroscopy: 38 percent
• Adult knee: 37 percent
• Sports medicine: 36 percent
• Adult hip: 28 percent
• Total joint: 17 percent