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December 19, 2024
Hip and knee replacements continue to be two of the most common procedures in North America and account for significant health system costs annually. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, in Canada, there are more than 138,000 hip and knee surgeries a year with estimated inpatient costs of over $1.4 billion annually.
The Center of Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Care and Research in Oregon estimates that almost one million hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed in the United States annually, making it one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed today. They also project that by 2030, total knee replacement surgeries are projected to grow 673% to 3.5 million procedures per year and about 60% of all knee replacement operations are performed on women.
As providers continue to grapple with issues stemming from the pandemic, high volume surgeries like hip and knee replacement continue to experience an extensive backlog. Many patients who were waiting out the pandemic still find themselves on long wait lists with no end in sight. As surgery backlogs grow, providers are compelled to explore innovative solutions to combat bed shortages as well as staffing challenges in a quest to reduce length of stay and achieve same-day surgery.
In December 2022, CBC reported that Manitoba is issuing letters to hip, knee patients about free out-of-province option for care. With a focus on reducing Manitoba’s surgery wait list for hip and knee surgeries, the letter issued by the provincial task force to hundreds of Manitobans waiting for hip or knee replacement is focused on stimulating interest among eligible people who are willing to travel to get their procedure more quickly. The letter encourages them to leave the province for their operation, with the province covering all costs, including travel and accommodations.
Also in December 2022, Eastern Health announced that they started to complete hip and knee replacement surgery on an outpatient basis. This new, innovative approach to managing surgical waitlists for hip and knee joint replacement surgeries helps to reduce wait times and improve access to care for patients who are clinically eligible for this surgical approach.
Digital Care Journeys Proven to Increase Same-Day Surgery and Shorten Length of Stay
Today, more than 25 hospitals and health systems across North America have taken a tech-enabled approach to shorten length of stay and achieve same-day surgeries for hip and knee. Through the deployment of the SeamlessMD Digital Care Journey platform for Orthopedics, hospitals engage, connect, and monitor patients throughout their entire surgical journey. The platform enables providers to discharge patients sooner while continuing to keep tabs on patients by remotely monitoring them in the comfort of their homes. Enabling patients with access to Digital Care Journeys tailored to hip and knee surgery with evidence-based education has proven to reduce surgical backlogs, decrease cancellations, and provide significant clinical outcomes.
Patients access their Digital Care Journey through their own smart device or computer to gain access to evidence-based pathways that guide them from pre-admission preparation through post-discharge recovery in the form of multimedia education, reminders, to-do lists, and tasks. Providers can monitor patient compliance, symptoms, and recovery progress such as range-of-motion, pain levels, incision photos, etc. By digitally engaging with patients through their everyday devices, providers can digitally collect patient-reported outcomes, and automate patient self-care guidance reducing length of stay, readmissions, ED visits, and phone calls to providers.
As Caroline Fanti, Director of Regional Surgical Services for Northwest Ontario and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre explains, “We have now had several patients that had their first joint replacement surgery completed at the beginning of the pandemic, and their second joint replacement in the past months with the SeamlessMD app. The feedback we have received is very compelling with patients saying their experience was 100x better with the app and the support of our NP.”
Organizations such as Brant Community Health System, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cornwall Community Hospital, Health Sciences North, Intermountain Healthcare, MultiCare, Niagara Health, North Bay Regional Health Centre, North York General Hospital, Quinte Health Care, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Sault Area Hospital, Sinai Health System, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Sunnybrook, Timmins and District Hospital, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Unity Health, and William Osler to name a few have deployed Digital Care Journeys for Hip and Knee Surgery and as a result, have been able to reduce high-cost services such as length of stay, readmissions, and ED visits as well as decrease surgical backlogs, improve patient quality and optimize the patient experience.
For example:
Grand River Hospital provides access to the SeamlessMD Digital Care Journey platform to patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery and achieved:
Hip Replacement:
- ↓89% readmissions
- ↓62% ED visits
- ↓29% LOS
Knee Replacement:
- ↓26% readmissions
- ↓43% ED visits
- ↓16% LOS
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre achieved:
- ↓24% LOS
- ↓58% readmissions
- ↓49% ED visits
MultiCare a 11-hospital system in the state of Washington reported a reduction in length of stay, readmissions, and costs:
- ↓0.38 days LOS
- ↓39% 90-day readmissions
- ↓37% 30-day readmissions
- ↓6.7% in total costs
- ↓11.5% in labor costs
The full case study provides in-depth insights into their EHR integration, why they choose to partner with SeamlessMD, and additional clinical outcomes.
Interested in learning more?
If you’re looking for ways to reduce surgical backlogs, shorten wait times, and improve the overall patient experience, watch this short on-demand webinar to hear first hand from Dr. Friedrich Boettner, Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) how he uses Digital Care Journeys to guide patients pre and post surgery or request a no obligation demo today.
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