Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE: Surgical costs are under scrutiny and surgeons are being held increasingly responsible for cost containment. In some instances, implants are the largest component of total procedure cost, yet previous studies reveal that surgeons' knowledge of implant prices is poor. Our study aims to (1) understand drivers behind implant selection and (2) assess whether educating surgeons about implant costs affects implant selection. METHODS: We surveyed 226 orthopedic surgeons across 6 continents. The survey presented 8 clinical cases of upper extremity fractures with history, radiographs, and implant options. Surgeons were randomized to receive either a version with each implant's average selling price ("price-aware" group), or a version without prices ("price-naive" group). Surgeons selected a surgical implant and ranked factors affecting implant choice. Descriptive statistics and univariate, multivariable, and subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: For cases offering implants within the same class (eg, volar locking plates), price-awareness reduced implant cost by 9% to 11%. When offered different models of distal radius volar locking plates, 25% of price-naive surgeons selected the most expensive plate compared with only 7% of price-aware surgeons. For cases offering different classes of implants (eg, plate vs external fixator), there was no difference in implant choice between price-aware and price-naive surgeons. Familiarity with the implant was the most common reason for choosing an implant in both groups (35% vs 46%). Price-aware surgeons were more likely to rank cost as a factor (29% vs 21%). CONCLUSIONS: Price awareness significantly influences surgeons' choice of a specific model within the same implant class. Merely including prices with a list of implants leads surgeons to select less expensive implants. This implies that an untapped opportunity exists to reduce surgical expenditures simply by enhancing surgeons' cost awareness. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic/Decision Analyses I.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the Risk Assessment and Predictor Tool (RAPT) and patient discharge disposition in an institution participating in bundled payment program for total joint replacement, spine fusion and cardiac valve surgery patients. METHOD: Between April 2014 and April 2015, RAPT scores of 767 patients (535 primary unilateral total joint arthroplasty; 150 cardiac valve replacement; 82 spinal fusions) were prospectively captured. Total RAPT scores were grouped into three levels for risk of complications: <6='high risk', between 6 and 9 ='medium risk', and >9='low risk' for discharge to a post-acute facility. Associations between RAPT categories and patient discharge to home versus any facility were conducted. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine if there was any correlation between RAPT score and discharge to any facility. RESULTS: 70.5% of total joint patients, 80.7% of cardiac valve surgery patients and 70.7% of spine surgery patients were discharged home rather than to a post-acute facility. RAPT risk categories were related to discharge disposition as 72% of those in the high risk group were discharged to a facility and 91% in the low risk group were discharged to home in the total joint replacement cohort. In the cardiac cohort, only 33% of the high risk group was discharged to a facility, and 94% of the low risk group was discharged to home. In the spinal fusion cohort, 60% of those in the high risk group were discharged to a facility and 86% in the low risk group were discharged to home. Multivariate analysis showed that being in the high risk category versus low risk category was significantly associated with substantially increased odds of discharge to a facility. CONCLUSION: The RAPT tool has shown the ability to predict discharge disposition for total joint and spine surgery patients, but not cardiac valve surgery patients, where the majority of patients in all categories were discharged home, at an institution participating in a bundled payment program. The ability to identify discharge disposition pre-operatively is valuable for improving care coordination, directing care resources and establishing and maintaining patient and family expectations.

BACKGROUND: Though previous studies have shown improved outcomes associated with higher volume surgeons and hospitals, this may not be replicated in ASDS due to case complexity variation. We hypothesized that high-volume surgeons perform more complex surgeries. Therefore, we defined an Operative Complexity Index (OCI), specifically for the National Inpatient Samples (NIS) data, which provides information on in-hospital postoperative complications, to assess rates of adult spine deformity surgery (ASDS) cases as they relate to surgeon and hospital operative volume. METHODS: The 2001 to 2010 NIS was queried for patients greater than 21 years of age with in-hospital stays, including a spine arthrodesis for a diagnosis of scoliosis. Surgeon and hospital identifiers were used to allocate records into volume quartiles by number of surgeries per year. The OCI was devised considering the number of fusion levels, surgical approach, revision status, and use of osteotomy. The index was validated using blood-loss-related diagnostic and procedural codes. One-way ANOVA assessed continuous measures. Chi-square assessed categorical measures. RESULTS: 141,357 ASDS cases met the inclusion criteria. High-volume surgeons performed a higher rate of longfusions (> 8 levels), revision surgeries, and surgeries requiring osteotomy. The OCI showed weak, but significant, correlation with blood loss values: acute blood loss anemia (r = 0.21) and treatment with blood products (r = 0.12) (p < 0.001). High OCI also was also associated with increased length of stay (r = 0.27) and total charges (r = 0.41) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The operative complexity index (OCI) for ASDS increases with high-volume surgeons and centers, indicating it can be useful to adjust for surgical invasiveness in the NIS database. Operative complexity must be considered when evaluating patient safety and quality indices among hospitals and surgeons.

Background: The aim was to determine whether players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who sustain metacarpal fractures demonstrate decreased performance upon return to competition when compared with their performance before injury and that of their control-matched peers. Methods: Data for 32 NBA players with metacarpal fractures incurred over 11 seasons (2002-2003 to 2012-2013) were obtained from injury reports, press releases, and player profiles (www.nba.com and www.basketballreference.com). Player age, body mass index (BMI), position, shooting hand, number of years in the league, and treatment (surgical vs nonsurgical) were recorded. Individual season statistics for the 2 seasons immediately prior to injury and the 2 seasons after injury, including player efficiency rating (PER), were obtained. Thirty-two controls matched by player position, age, and performance statistics were identified. A performance comparison of the cohorts was performed. Results: Mean age at the time of injury was 27 years with an average player BMI of 24. Players had a mean 5.6 seasons of NBA experience prior to injury. There was no significant change in PER when preinjury and postinjury performances were compared. Neither injury to their shooting hand nor operative management of the fracture led to a decrease in performance during the 2 seasons after injury. When compared with matched controls, no significant decline in performance in PER the first season and second season after injury was found. Conclusion: NBA players sustaining metacarpal fractures can reasonably expect to return to their preinjury performance levels following appropriate treatment.

Early physical activity has been proven to accelerate functional recovery after total hip replacement (THR). Weightbearing intolerance secondary to postoperative pain inhibits participation in physical therapy and limits the achievement of functional independence. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been shown to improve pain and accelerate recovery. This study focused on the effects of NMES on weightbearing pain. The primary objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of NMES versus placebo in the reduction of pain and the use of opiate medications in the treatment of patients during weightbearing exercises after THR. A secondary objective was to assess the use of NMES during weightbearing exercise and its effects on function, hospital length of stay, and disposition planning. This was a randomized, doubleblinded, placebo-controlled study performed with subjects obtained from an outpatient orthopaedic service. Subject underwent elective THR. The NMES device was provided to all subjects; active and a control group were assigned different intensity levels of stimulation. Twenty-nine subjects participated in the study: 15 in the active and 14 in the control group. Data, including pain assessment, opiates use, function, hospital length of stay in days, and disposition was recorded and analyzed. Both control and active groups showed no significant difference on the pain visual analog scale at various postoperative time intervals, length of inpatient hospital stay, and days on opiate medications.

INTRODUCTION: To date, no study has reported on the public's opinion of orthopaedic resident duty-hour requirements (DHR). METHODS: A survey was administered to people in orthopaedic waiting rooms and at three senior centers. Responses were analyzed to evaluate seven domains: knowledge of duty hours; opinions about duty hours; attitudes regarding shift work; patient safety concerns; and the effects of DHRs on continuity of care, on resident training, and on resident professionalism. RESULTS: Respondents felt that fatigue was unsafe and duty hours were beneficial in preventing resident physician fatigue. They supported the idea of residents working in shifts but did not support shifts for attending physicians. However, respondents wanted the same resident to provide continuity of care, even if that violated DHRs. They were supportive of increasing the length of residency to complete training. DHRs were not believed to affect professionalism. Half of the respondents believed that patient opinion should influence policy on this topic. DISCUSSION: Orthopaedic patients and those likely to require orthopaedic care have inconsistent opinions regarding DHRs, making it potentially difficult to incorporate their preferences into policy.

BACKGROUND: Basketball players are at risk for foot injuries, including Jones fractures. It is unknown how this injury affects the future play and performance of athletes. HYPOTHESIS: National Basketball Association (NBA) players who sustain Jones fractures of the base of the fifth metatarsal have high rates of return to play and do not experience a decrease in performance on return to competition when compared with preinjury and with control-matched peers. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5. METHODS: Data on 26 elite basketball players with Jones fractures over 19 NBA seasons (1994-1995 to 2012-2013) were obtained from injury reports, press releases, player profiles, and online public databases. Variables included age, body mass index (BMI), player position, experience, and surgical treatment. Individual season statistics pre- and postinjury were collected. Twenty-six controls were identified by matched player position, age, and performance statistics. RESULTS: The mean age at the time of injury was 24.8 years, mean BMI was 24.7 kg/m(2), and the mean experience prior to injury was 4.1 NBA seasons. Return to previous level of competition was achieved by 85% of athletes. There was no change in player efficiency rating (PER) when pre- and postinjury performance was compared. When compared with controls, no decline in PER measured performance was identified. CONCLUSION: The majority of NBA players sustaining a Jones fracture return to their preinjury level of competition. These elite athletes demonstrate no decrease in performance on their return to play. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Jones fractures are well-studied injuries in terms of etiology, diagnosis, and management. However, the effect of these injuries on future performance of athletes is unknown. Using the findings of our study, orthopaedic surgeons may be better prepared to counsel and educate elite athletes who sustain a Jones fracture.

BACKGROUND: Despite frequent complaints by orthopaedic trauma patients, to our knowledge there is no data regarding weather's effect on pain and function following acute and chronic fracture. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of daily weather conditions on patient reported pain and functional status. METHODS: We retrospectively examined prospectively collected data from 2369 separate outpatient visits of patients recovering from operative management of acute tibial plateau fractures, acute distal radius fractures, and chronic fracture nonunions. Pain and functional status were assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the DASH and SMFA functional indexes. For each visit date, the mean temperature, difference between mean temperature and expected temperature, dew point, mean humidity, amount of rain, amount of snow, and barometric pressure were recorded. Statistical analysis was run to search for associations between weather data and patient reported pain and function. RESULTS: Low barometric pressure was associated with increased pain across all patient visits (p=0.007) and for patients at 1-year follow-up only (p=0.005). At 1-year follow-up, high temperature (p=0.021) and high humidity (p=0.030) were also associated with increased pain. No significant association was noted between weather data and patient reported functional status at any follow-up interval. CONCLUSIONS: Patient complaints of weather influencing pain after orthopaedic trauma are valid. While pain in the immediate postoperative period is most likely dominated by incisional and soft tissue injuries, as time progresses barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity impact patient pain levels. Affirming and counseling that pain may vary based on changing weather conditions can help manage patient expectations and improve satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of decision aids for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) regarding the potential risks and benefits of different treatment options. METHODS: A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted of 147 patients with advanced hip or knee OA to compare the effect of two decision aids (booklet-only vs. booklet with DVD). RESULTS: Both decision aid programs were well received and demonstrated improvements in patient knowledge and willingness to participate in treatment decisions. The decision aids, however, had a marginal effect on patient willingness to participate in OA management, with an increase of 0.11 and 0.6 on a scale of 2 (P = 0.58) between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The decision aids were accepted for most patients and effective in improving patient knowledge and willingness to participate in the decision process. Nevertheless, the addition of a more expensive DVD to the booklet program did not improve patient acceptance or knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a chronic disease associated with pain and reduced quality of life. The ability to reliably measure patient-reported symptoms is important for clinical decision making and evaluation of outcomes. Electronic and web-based tools can eliminate much of the labor-intensive aspects of questionnaire administration and enables both real-time evaluation of responses by physicians and integration of data from multiple sites. This article describes the results of implementing a single integrated electronic questionnaire system into routine orthopedic practice at 2 diverse institutions. STUDY DESIGN: Case study. METHODS: A web-based version of a general quality-of-life questionnaire (EuroQol 5-dimension [EQ-5D]) and the pain domain of a disease-specific questionnaire (Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]) were administered in the office waiting room to (n = 666) patients at 2 centers over a 9-month period using touchscreen devices. Data were analyzed and descriptive statistics were calculated to assess feasibility of integration into the distinct work flows and to assess the agreement of the results. RESULTS: The electronic questionnaire had a completion rate of 93% to 95%. Average questionnaire completion times were 3 to 5 minutes at each institution. Mean EQ-5D and KOOS scores for patients pre- and postsurgery were also consistent with prior literature studies. CONCLUSIONS: Lessons learned for future adoption of questionnaire systems elsewhere include the need for baseline assessment of clinic work flows to identify the optimal point of administration and the need for IT support. This study demonstrates the feasibility of routinely collecting patient-reported data as part of standard care, which will become increasingly important as the nationwide emphasis on tracking quality and cost-effectiveness of treatments in orthopedics grows.