Modern healthcare contracting is shifting the
responsibility for improving quality, enhancing community health
and controlling the total cost of care for patient populations from
payers to providers. Population-based contracting involves capitated
risk taken across an entire population, such that any included services
within the contract are paid for by the risk-bearing entity throughout
the term of the agreement. Under such contracts, a risk-bearing entity,
which may be a provider group, a hospital or another payer, administers
the contract and assumes risk for contractually defined services.
These contracts can be structured in various ways, from professional
fee capitation to full global per member per month diagnosis-based
risk. The entity contracting with the payer must have downstream
network contracts to provide the care and facilities that it has
agreed to provide. Population health is a very powerful model to
reduce waste and costs. It requires a deep understanding of the nuances
of such contracting and the appropriate infrastructure to manage
both networks and risk. Cite this article:
‘Big data’ is a term for data sets that are so
large or complex that traditional data processing applications are
inadequate. Billions of dollars have been spent on attempts to build predictive
tools from large sets of poorly controlled healthcare metadata.
Companies often sell reports at a physician or facility level based
on various flawed data sources, and comparative websites of ‘publicly
reported data’ purport to educate the public. Physicians should
be aware of concerns and pitfalls seen in such data definitions,
data clarity, data relevance, data sources and data cleaning when
evaluating analytic reports from metadata in health care. Cite this article:
Patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) has experienced significant
improvements in implant survivorship with second generation designs.
This has renewed interest in PFA as an alternative to total knee
arthroplasty (TKA) for younger active patients with isolated patellofemoral
osteoarthritis (PF OA). We analysed the cost-effectiveness of PFA We used a Markov transition state model to compare cost-effectiveness
between PFA and TKA. Simulated patients were aged 60 (base case)
and 50 years. Lifetime costs (2015 United States dollars), quality-adjusted
life year (QALY) gains and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
(ICER) were calculated from a healthcare payer perspective. Annual rates
of revision were derived from the National Joint Registry for England,
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Deterministic and probabilistic
sensitivity analysis was performed for all parameters against a
$50 000/QALY willingness to pay. Aims
Patients and Methods
This 501-patient, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial sought
to establish the effect of low-intensity, pulsed, ultrasound (LIPUS)
on tibial shaft fractures managed with intramedullary nailing. We
conducted an economic evaluation as part of this trial. Data for patients’ use of post-operative healthcare resources
and time taken to return to work were collected and costed using
publicly available sources. Health-related quality of life, assessed
using the Health Utilities Index Mark-3 (HUI-3), was used to derive
quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs and QALYs were compared
between LIPUS and control (a placebo device) from a payer and societal
perspective using non-parametric bootstrapping. All costs are reported
in 2015 Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.Aims
Patients and Methods
The factors that predispose to recurrent instability and revision
stabilization procedures after arthroscopic Bankart repair for anterior
glenohumeral instability remain unclear. We sought to determine
the rate and risk factors associated with ongoing instability in
patients undergoing arthroscopic Bankart repair for instability
of the shoulder. We used the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System
(SPARCS) database to identify patients with a diagnosis of anterior
instability of the shoulder undergoing arthroscopic Bankart repair
between 2003 and 2011. Patients were followed for a minimum of three
years. Baseline demographics and subsequent further surgery to the ipsilateral
shoulder were analyzed. Multivariate analysis was used to identify
independent risk factors for recurrent instability.Aims
Materials and Methods
Concurrent hip and spine pathologies can alter the biomechanics of spinopelvic mobility in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study examines how differences in pelvic orientation of patients with spine fusions can increase the risk of dislocation risk after THA. We identified 84 patients (97 THAs) between 1998 and 2015 who had undergone spinal fusion prior to primary THA. Patients were stratified into three groups depending on the length of lumbar fusion and whether or not the sacrum was involved. Mean age was 71 years (40 to 87) and 54 patients (56%) were female. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 30 kg/m2 (19 to 45). Mean follow-up was six years (2 to 17). Patients were 1:2 matched to patients with primary THAs without spine fusion. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated.Aims
Patients and Methods
The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of combined total joint arthroplasty (TJA) (total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed during the same admission) versus bilateral THA, bilateral TKA, single THA, and single TKA. Combined TJAs performed on the same day were compared with those staged within the same admission episode. Data from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample recorded between 2005 and 2014 were used for this retrospective cohort study. Postoperative in-hospital complications, total costs, and discharge destination were reviewed. Logistic and linear regression were used to perform the statistical analyses. p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Aims
Patients and Methods
The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the
clinical relevance of increased facet joint distraction as a result
of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) for trauma. A total of 155 patients (130 men, 25 women. Mean age 42.7 years;
16 to 87) who had undergone ACDF between 1 January 2001 and 1 January
2016 were included in the study. Outcome measures included the Neck
Disability Index (NDI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain.
Lateral cervical spine radiographs taken in the immediate postoperative
period were reviewed to compare the interfacet distance of the operated
segment with those of the facet joints above and below.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the functional
and radiological outcomes of bridge plating, screw fixation, and
a combination of both methods for the treatment of Lisfranc fracture
dislocations. A total of 108 patients were treated for a Lisfranc fracture
dislocation over a period of nine years. Of these, 38 underwent
transarticular screw fixation, 45 dorsal bridge plating, and 25
a combination technique. Injuries were assessed preoperatively according
to the Myerson classification system. The outcome measures included
the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, the
validated Manchester Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) functional
tool, and the radiological Wilppula classification of anatomical
reduction.Aims
Patients and Methods
To examine incidence of complications associated with outpatient
total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to see if medical comorbidities
are associated with complications or extended length of stay. From June 2013 to December 2016, 1279 patients underwent 1472
outpatient THAs at our free-standing ambulatory surgery centre.
Records were reviewed to determine frequency of pre-operative medical
comorbidities and post-operative need for overnight stay and complications
which arose.Aims
Patients and Methods
Many case reports and small studies have suggested that cobalt
ions are a potential cause of cardiac complications, specifically
cardiomyopathy, after metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip arthroplasty
(THA). The impact of metal ions on the incidence of cardiac disease
after MoM THA has not been evaluated in large studies. The aim of
this study was to compare the rate of onset of new cardiac symptoms
in patients who have undergone MoM THA with those who have undergone
metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) THA. Data were extracted from the Standard Analytics Files database
for patients who underwent MoM THA between 2005 and 2012. Bearing
surface was selected using International Classification of Diseases
ninth revision codes. Patients with a minimum five-year follow-up
were selected. An age and gender-matched cohort of patients who underwent
MoP THA served as a comparison group. New diagnoses of cardiac disease
were collected during the follow-up period. Comorbidities and demographics
were identified and routine descriptive statistics were used.Aims
Patients and Methods
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication
of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Different bearing surface materials
have different surface properties and it has been suggested that
the choice of bearing surface may influence the risk of PJI after
THA. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the rate
of PJI between metal-on-polyethylene (MoP), ceramic-on-polyethylene
(CoP), and ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) bearings. Electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, Web
of Science, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
were searched for comparative randomized and observational studies
that reported the incidence of PJI for different bearing surfaces.
Two investigators independently reviewed studies for eligibility, evaluated
risk of bias, and performed data extraction. Meta-analysis was performed
using the Mantel–Haenzel method and random-effects model in accordance
with methods of the Cochrane group.Aims
Patients and Methods
