ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A survey was conducted at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) to evaluate current practice management strategies among AAHKS members. METHODS: An application was used by AAHKS members to answer both multiple-choice and yes or no questions. Specific questions were asked regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on practice patterns. RESULTS: There was a dramatic acceleration in same day total joint arthroplasty with 85% of AAHKS members performing same day total joint arthroplasty. More AAHKS members remain in private practice (46%) than other practice types, whereas fee for service (34%) and relative value units (26%) are the major form of compensation. At the present time, 93% of practices are experiencing staffing shortages, and these shortages are having an impact on surgical volume. CONCLUSION: This survey elucidates the current practice patterns of AAHKS members. The pandemic has had a significant impact on some aspects of practice activity. Future surveys need to monitor changes in practice patterns over time.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee , COVID-19 , Health Workforce , Orthopedics , Practice Management , Ambulatory Surgical Procedures/statistics & numerical data , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/economics , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/methods , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/statistics & numerical data , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/economics , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/methods , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/statistics & numerical data , COVID-19/epidemiology , Delivery of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Health Care Surveys/statistics & numerical data , Health Workforce/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Orthopedics/economics , Orthopedics/organization & administration , Orthopedics/statistics & numerical data , Pandemics , Practice Management/economics , Practice Management/organization & administration , Practice Management/statistics & numerical data , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/economics , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/organization & administration , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data , Professional Practice/economics , Professional Practice/organization & administration , Professional Practice/statistics & numerical data , United States/epidemiologySubject(s)
Economic Competition , Government Regulation , Ownership , Private Sector/legislation & jurisprudence , Professional Practice/organization & administration , Group Practice/organization & administration , Hospital-Physician Joint Ventures , Physicians/organization & administration , Practice Management/legislation & jurisprudence , Practice Management/organization & administration , Professional Practice/economics , Professional Practice/legislation & jurisprudence , State Government , United StatesSubject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Reimbursement Mechanisms/economics , Value-Based Purchasing/economics , COVID-19 , Capitation Fee , Coronavirus Infections/economics , Cost Savings , Delivery of Health Care/economics , Economics, Hospital , Fee-for-Service Plans/economics , Health Expenditures , Health Facility Closure , Hospital-Physician Joint Ventures/economics , Humans , Pandemics/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/economics , Professional Practice/economics , Prospective Payment System/economics , Quality Improvement , Relative Value Scales , Resource Allocation , SARS-CoV-2 , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Synchronous telemedicine allows clinicians to expand their reach by using technology to take care of patients who otherwise may not be seen. Establishing a telemedicine practice can be daunting. This article outlines how to implement a synchronous telemedicine practice into an existing workflow. Telemedicine-specific considerations are discussed, as well as guidance regarding practice assessment, financial feasibility, technical considerations, and clinical guidance to translate in-person visit skills into an effective virtual visit.