G. Daxton Steele, MD, of Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based Andrews Institute met with congressional representatives as part of an AAHKS delegation advocating on behalf of improving patient access to the CJR payment model.
Here are five things to know:
1. Dr. Steele is an orthopedic surgeon and hip and knee replacement specialist who specializes in sports medicine.
2. The physicians and congressmen discussed improving patient access through CMS' Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model, which deals with inpatient hip and knee replacement surgery costs.
3. Dr. Steele said that while CJR has had positive impacts in certain regards, "…it has created a slight vacuum, in that it has also incentivized physicians to select patients that are less likely to have problems or less likely to have complications."
4. Studies show that patients suffering from non-fixable problems have a lower chance of becoming candidates for hip and knee replacement surgeries through CJR. Medications for heart or lung transplants are often the hip and knee arthritis-causing culprits.
5. With hip and knee replacement surgeries being the most common inpatient surgeries and top Medicare expenditure, Dr. Steele believes that physicians must find a way to balance financial gain with better patient access.
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