Persistent racial disparities in postoperative management after tibia fracture fixation: A matched analysis of US medicaid beneficiaries.

INTRODUCTION: Racial and ethnic disparities in orthopaedic surgery are well documented. However, the extent to which these persist in fracture care is unknown. This study sought to assess racial disparities in the postoperative surgical and medical management of patients after diaphyseal tibia fracture fixation. METHODS: Patients with surgically treated tibial shaft fractures from October 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020, were identified in the MarketScan® Medicaid Database. Exclusion criteria included concurrent fractures or amputation. Outcomes included 2-year postoperative complications, reoperation rates, and filled prescriptions. Surgically-treated Black and White cohorts were propensity-score matched using nearest-neighbor matching on patient demographics, comorbidities, fracture pattern and severity, and fixation type. Chi-square tests and survival analyses (Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models) were conducted. RESULTS: 5,472 patients were included, 2,209 Black and 3,263 White patients. After matching, 2,209 were retained in each cohort. No significant differences in complication rates were observed in the matched Black vs White cohorts. Rates of reoperation, however, were significantly lower in Black as compared to White patients (28.5 % vs. 35.5 % rate, risk difference = 7.0 % (95 % confidence interval (CI): 4.2 % to 9.7 %)). Implant removal was also significantly lower in Black (17.9 %) vs. White (25.1 %) patients (Risk difference = 7.2 %, (95 %CI: 4.8 % to 9.6 %)). The adjusted hazard ratio comparing the reoperation rate in Black versus White patients was 0.77 (95 %CI: 0.69-0.82, p < 0.0001). Significantly lower proportions of Black vs White patients filled at least one prescription for benzodiazepine, antidepressants, strong opiates, or antibiotics at every time point post-index. DISCUSSION: Fewer resources were used in post-operative management after surgical treatment of tibial shaft fractures for Black versus White Medicaid-insured patients. These results may be reflective of the undertreatment of complications after tibia fracture surgery for Black patients and highlight the need for further interventions to address racial disparities in trauma care.

Machine Learning Methods Using Artificial Intelligence Deployed on Electronic Health Record Data for Identification and Referral of At-Risk Patients From Primary Care Physicians to Eye Care Specialists: Retrospective, Case-Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: Identification and referral of at-risk patients from primary care practitioners (PCPs) to eye care professionals remain a challenge. Approximately 1.9 million Americans suffer from vision loss as a result of undiagnosed or untreated ophthalmic conditions. In ophthalmology, artificial intelligence (AI) is used to predict glaucoma progression, recognize diabetic retinopathy (DR), and classify ocular tumors; however, AI has not yet been used to triage primary care patients for ophthalmology referral. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to build and compare machine learning (ML) methods, applicable to electronic health records (EHRs) of PCPs, capable of triaging patients for referral to eye care specialists. METHODS: Accessing the Optum deidentified EHR data set, 743,039 patients with 5 leading vision conditions (age-related macular degeneration [AMD], visually significant cataract, DR, glaucoma, or ocular surface disease [OSD]) were exact-matched on age and gender to 743,039 controls without eye conditions. Between 142 and 182 non-ophthalmic parameters per patient were input into 5 ML methods: generalized linear model, L1-regularized logistic regression, random forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and J48 decision tree. Model performance was compared for each pathology to select the most predictive algorithm. The area under the curve (AUC) was assessed for all algorithms for each outcome. RESULTS: XGBoost demonstrated the best performance, showing, respectively, a prediction accuracy and an AUC of 78.6% (95% CI 78.3%-78.9%) and 0.878 for visually significant cataract, 77.4% (95% CI 76.7%-78.1%) and 0.858 for exudative AMD, 79.2% (95% CI 78.8%-79.6%) and 0.879 for nonexudative AMD, 72.2% (95% CI 69.9%-74.5%) and 0.803 for OSD requiring medication, 70.8% (95% CI 70.5%-71.1%) and 0.785 for glaucoma, 85.0% (95% CI 84.2%-85.8%) and 0.924 for type 1 nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), 82.2% (95% CI 80.4%-84.0%) and 0.911 for type 1 proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), 81.3% (95% CI 81.0%-81.6%) and 0.891 for type 2 NPDR, and 82.1% (95% CI 81.3%-82.9%) and 0.900 for type 2 PDR. CONCLUSIONS: The 5 ML methods deployed were able to successfully identify patients with elevated odds ratios (ORs), thus capable of patient triage, for ocular pathology ranging from 2.4 (95% CI 2.4-2.5) for glaucoma to 5.7 (95% CI 5.0-6.4) for type 1 NPDR, with an average OR of 3.9. The application of these models could enable PCPs to better identify and triage patients at risk for treatable ophthalmic pathology. Early identification of patients with unrecognized sight-threatening conditions may lead to earlier treatment and a reduced economic burden. More importantly, such triage may improve patients' lives.

Nail fixation of unstable trochanteric fractures with or without cement augmentation: A cost-utility analysis in the United States: Cost-utility of cement augmentation.

OBJECTIVES: Recent clinical studies have shown favorable outcomes for cement augmentation for fixation of trochanteric fracture. We assessed the cost-utility of cement augmentation for fixation of closed unstable trochanteric fractures from the US payer's perspective. METHODS: The cost-utility model comprised a decision tree to simulate clinical events over 1 year after the index fixation surgery, and a Markov model to extrapolate clinical events over patients' lifetime, using a cohort of 1,000 patients with demographic and clinical characteristics similar to that of a published randomized controlled trial (age ≥75 years, 83 % female). Model outputs were discounted costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) over a lifetime. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of parameter uncertainty on results. RESULTS: Fixation with augmentation reduced per-patient costs by $754.8 and had similar per-patient QALYs, compared to fixation without augmentation, resulting in an ICER of -$130,765/QALY. The ICER was most sensitive to the utility of revision surgery, mortality risk ratio after the second revision surgery, mortality risk ratio after successful index surgery, and mortality rate in the decision tree model. The probability that fixation with augmentation was cost-effective compared with no augmentation was 63.4 %, 58.2 %, and 56.4 %, given a maximum acceptable ceiling ratio of $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000 per QALY gained, respectively. CONCLUSION: Fixation with cement augmentation was the dominant strategy, driven mainly by reduced costs. These results may support surgeons in evidence-based clinical decision making and may be informative for policy makers regarding coverage and reimbursement.

Insurer costs of COVID-19 by disease severity and duration.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze US commercial insurance payments associated with COVID-19 as a function of severity and duration of disease. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, in the Merative MarketScan Commercial database were identified and stratified as having asymptomatic, mild, moderate (with and without lower respiratory disease), or severe/critical (S/C) disease based on the severity of the acute COVID-19 infection. Duration of disease (DOD) was estimated for all patients. Patients with DOD longer than 12 weeks were defined as having post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). Outcomes were all-cause payments (ACP) and disease-specific payments (DSP) for the entire DOD. Variables included demographic and comorbidities at the time of acute disease. Adjusted payments by disease severity were estimated using generalized linear models (γ distribution with log link). RESULTS: A total of 738,339 patients were included (374,401 asymptomatic, 156,220 mild, 180,213 moderate, and 27,505 S/C cases). DSP increased from $217 (95% CI, $214-221) for asymptomatic cases to $2744 (95% CI, $2678-$2811) for moderate cases with lower respiratory disease and $28,250 (95% CI, $26,963-$29,538) for S/C cases. ACP increased from $505 (95% CI, $497-$512) for asymptomatic cases to $46,538 (95% CI, $44,096-$48,979) for S/C cases. The DSP and ACP further increased by $50,736 (95% CI, $45,337-$56,136) and $94,839 (95% CI, $88,029-$101,649), respectively, in S/C cases with PCC vs a DOD of fewer than 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 payments for S/C cases were more than 10-fold greater than those of moderate cases and further increased by nearly $95,000 in S/C cases with PCC vs a DOD of fewer than 4 weeks.

Risk factors and healthcare costs associated with long bone fracture non-union: a retrospective US claims database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Few contemporary US-based long bone non-union analyses have recently been published. Our study was designed to provide a current understanding of non-union risks and costs, from the payers' perspective. METHODS: The Merative™ MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database was used. Patients with surgically treated long bone (femur, tibia, or humerus) fractures in the inpatient setting, from Q4 2015 to most recent, were identified. Exclusion criteria included polytrauma and amputation at index. The primary outcome was a diagnosis of non-union in the 12 and 24 months post-index. Additional outcomes included concurrent infection, reoperation, and total healthcare costs. Age, gender, comorbidities, fracture characteristics, and severity were identified for all patients. Descriptive analyses were performed. Crude and adjusted rates of non-union (using Poisson regressions with log link) were calculated. Marginal incremental cost of care associated with non-union and infected non-union and reoperation were estimated using a generalized linear model with log link and gamma distribution. RESULTS: A total of 12,770, 13,504, and 4,805 patients with femoral, tibial, or humeral surgically treated fractures were identified, 74-89% were displaced, and 18-27% were comminuted. Two-year rates of non-union reached 8.5% (8.0%-9.1%), 9.1% (8.6%-9.7%), and 7.2% (6.4%-8.1%) in the femoral, tibial, and humeral fracture cohorts, respectively. Shaft fractures were at increased risk of non-union versus fractures in other sites (risk ratio (RR) in shaft fractures of the femur: 2.36 (1.81-3.04); tibia: 1.95 (1.47-2.57); humerus: 2.02 (1.42-2.87)). Fractures with severe soft tissue trauma (open vs. closed, Gustilo III vs. Gustilo I-II) were also at increased risk for non-union (RR for Gustilo III fracture (vs. closed) for femur: R = 1.96 (1.45-2.58), for tibia: 3.33 (2.85-3.87), RR for open (vs. closed) for humerus: 1.74 (1.30-2.32)). For all fractures, younger patients had a reduced risk of non-union compared to older patients. For tibial fractures, increasing comorbidity (Elixhauser Index 5 or greater) was associated with an increased risk of non-union. The two-year marginal cost of non-union ranged from $33K-$45K. Non-union reoperation added $16K-$34K in incremental costs. Concurrent infection further increased costs by $46K-$86K. CONCLUSIONS: Non-union affects 7-10% of surgically treated long bone fracture cases. Shaft and complex fractures were at increased risk for non-union.

Health care costs of COVID-19 vs influenza and pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate payments for the treatment of COVID-19 compared with that of influenza or viral pneumonia (IP), from the perspective of the US payer. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 during the period from October 1, 2020, to February 1, 2021, or IP during the period from October 1, 2018, to February 1, 2019, in the IBM MarketScan databases were identified. The index was defined as the date of the first COVID-19 or IP diagnosis. Patients with COVID-19 were stratified by severity. Variables for all patients included demographics and comorbidities at the time of index and duration of disease. IP and COVID-19 cohorts were matched using propensity scores, and inflation-adjusted all-cause payments (ACP), and disease-specific payments (DSP) for IP vs COVID-19 were estimated using generalized linear models. RESULTS: Matched cohorts included 6332 Medicare (female, 58.5%; mean [SD] age, 75.3 [7.6] years), and 397,532 commercially insured patients (female, 57.6%; mean [SD] age, 34.7 [16.7] years). ACP and DSP were significantly higher in the COVID-19 cohort vs IP cohort. Payments for severe/critical COVID-19 were significantly greater than those for IP, with adjusted marginal incremental DSP and ACP of $24,852 (95% CI, $21,573-$28,132) and $50,325 (95% CI, $43,932-$56,718), respectively. IP was significantly less expensive than moderate COVID-19 for commercial payers but not Medicare. IP was more expensive than mild COVID-19 for all payers. CONCLUSIONS: Payments associated with severe/critical COVID-19 significantly exceeded those associated with IP. For Medicare, IP was more expensive than mild or moderate COVID-19. For commercial payers, IP was less expensive than moderate COVID-19 but more expensive than mild COVID-19.

Readmission rate and healthcare utilization outcomes of computer-assisted fluoroscopy-based hip navigation versus manual total hip arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION: The study evaluates the technology of fluoroscopy-based hip navigation that has shown to improve implant positioning in total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Premier Healthcare data for patients undergoing manual THA or fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA between 1 January 2016-30 September 2021, were analyzed 90- and 365-day post-THA. The primary outcome was inpatient readmission. Secondary outcomes were operating room (OR) time, length of stay, discharge status, and hospital costs. Baseline covariate differences were balanced using fine stratification and analyzed using generalized linear models. RESULTS: Among 4,080 fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA and 429,533 manual THA balanced patients, hip-related readmission rates were statistically significantly lower for the fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA cohort vs. manual THA for both 90-day (odd ratio [95% CI]: 0.69 [0.52 to 0.91] and 365-day (0.63 [0.49 to 0.81] follow-up. OR time was higher with fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA vs. manual THA (134.65 vs. 132.04 minutes); however, fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA patients were more likely to be discharged to home (93.73% vs. 90.11%) vs. manual THA. Hospital costs were not different between cohorts at 90- and 365-day post-operative. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoroscopy-based hip navigation THA resulted in fewer readmissions, greater discharge to home, and similar hospital costs compared to manual THA.

Computer-assisted solutions are becoming more ubiquitous in surgical procedures. However, most of the current research is limited to small sample size and limited economic endpoints. The current study utilizes hospital billing data and fine stratification methodology to address the issue around sample size and covariate balancing. Hospital billing data provide a large sample across the US along with hospital costs that can be broken into different categories. Fine stratification methodology allows for covariate balancing while keeping all the samples. It is particularly advantageous when the treated or exposed group represents less than 5% of the entire cohort for a given study, as was observed in this study. Covariate balancing was done on patient, provider (hospital) and surgeon characteristics to minimize confounding. Furthermore, a generalized linear model was utilized to minimize any residual confounding. The study evaluated both short term (3-month) and long term (1-year) outcomes. Study suggested clinical benefits in using computer-assisted fluoroscopy-based hip navigation system in THA compared to manual THA as well as showed cost parity between computer-assisted fluoroscopy-based hip navigation system in THA and manual THA.

Racial and Health Insurance Differences in Patient Outcomes After Surgical Treatment for Cauda Equina Syndrome: A United States Retrospective Hospital Claims Database Analysis.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database evaluation. OBJECTIVES: To study the association between race, health care insurance, mortality, postoperative visits, and reoperation within a hospital setting in patients with cauda equina syndrome (CES) undergoing surgical intervention. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CES can lead to permanent neurological deficits if the diagnosis is missed or delayed. Evidence of racial or insurance disparities in CES is sparse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with CES undergoing surgery from 2000 to 2021 were identified from the Premier Health care Database. Six-month postoperative visits and 12-month reoperations within the hospital were compared by race ( i.e ., White, Black, or Other [Asian, Hispanic, or other]) and insurance ( i.e. , Commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, or Other) using Cox proportional hazard regressions; covariates were used in the regression models to control for confounding. Likelihood ratio tests were used to compare model fit. RESULTS: Among 25,024 patients, most were White (76.3%), followed by Other race (15.4% [ 8.8% Asian, 7.3% Hispanic, and 83.9% other]) and Black (8.3%). Models with race and insurance combined provided the best fit for estimating the risk of visits to any setting of care and reoperations. White Medicaid patients had the strongest association with a higher risk of 6-month visits to any setting of care versus White patients with commercial insurance (HR: 1.36 (1.26,1.47)). Being Black with Medicare had a strong association with a higher risk of 12-month reoperations versus White commercial patients (HR: 1.43 (1.10,1.85)). Having Medicaid versus Commercial insurance was strongly associated with a higher risk of complication-related (HR: 1.36 (1.21, 1.52)) and ER visits (HR: 2.26 (2.02,2.51)). Medicaid had a significantly higher risk of mortality compared with Commercial patients (HR: 3.19 (1.41,7.20)). CONCLUSIONS: Visits to any setting of care, complication-related, ER visits, reoperation, or mortality within the hospital setting after CES surgical treatment varied by race and insurance. Insurance type had a stronger association with the outcomes than race. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level-III.

Total knee arthroplasty in the outpatient vs inpatient settings: impact of site of care on early postoperative economic and clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery performed in the outpatient setting has increased as a result of improved perioperative recovery protocols, bundled payments, and challenges brought by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on health systems. This study evaluates early postoperative clinical and economic outcomes of patients treated in the inpatient vs outpatient setting using the Attune Knee System (AKS). METHODS: Patients with an elective, primary TKA implanted with the AKS, from Q4 2015 to Q1 2021, were identified within the Premier Healthcare Database. The index was defined as the admission date for inpatient cases and the service day for outpatient procedures. Inpatient and outpatient cases were matched on patient characteristics. Outcomes included 90-day all-cause readmissions, 90-day knee reoperations, and index- and 90-day costs of care. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate outcomes (Reoperation: binomial distribution; costs: Gamma distribution with log link). RESULTS: Before matching, 39,337 inpatient and 9,365 outpatient cases were identified, with greater comorbidities in the inpatient cohort. The outpatient cohort had a lower average Elixhauser Index (EI) compared to the inpatient cohort (1.94 (standard deviation (SD): 1.46) vs 2.17 (SD: 1.53), p < 0.001), and the rates for each individual comorbidities were also slightly lower in the outpatient compared to the inpatient cohorts. Post-match, 9,060 patients were retained in each cohort [mean age: ~ 67, EI = 1.9 (SD: 1.5), 40% male]. Post-match comorbidity rates were similar between inpatient and outpatient cohorts (outpatient EI: 1.94 (SD: 1.44)-inpatient EI: 1.96 (SD: 1.45), p = 0.3516): in both, 54.1% of patients had an EI between 1 and 2, and 5.1% had an EI ≥ 5. No differences were observed in 3-month reoperation rates (0.6% in outpatient, 0.7% in inpatient cohort). Index and post-index 90-day costs were lower in the outpatient vs inpatient cases [(savings for index-only costs: $2,295 (95% CI: $1,977-$2,614); 90 days post-index knee-related care only: $2,540 (95% CI: $2,205-$2,876); 90 days post-index all-cause care: $2,679 (95% CI: $2,322-$3,036)]. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to matched inpatient cases, outpatient TKA cases treated with AKS showed similar 90-day outcomes, at lower cost.

Longitudinal Rates, Patient Risk Factors, and Economic Impact of Superficial and Deep Incisional Surgical Site Infection After Primary and Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty: A U.S. Retrospective Commercial Claims Database Analysis.

Background: Longitudinal rates, risk factors, and costs of superficial and deep incisional surgical site infection (SSI) were evaluated six months after primary total hip arthroplasty (pTHA) and revision total hip replacement (rTHA). Patients and Methods: Patients who had pTHA or rTHA between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018 were identified using the IBM® MarketScan® administrative claims databases. Kaplan-Meier survival curves evaluated time to SSI over six months. Cox proportional hazard models evaluated SSI risk factors. Generalized linear models estimated SSI costs up to 12 months. Results: The total cohort included 17,514 pTHA patients (mean [standard deviation] age 59.6 [10.1] years, 50.2% female; 66.4% commercial insurance), and 2,954 rTHA patients (61.2 [12.0] years, 52.0% female; 48.6% commercial insurance). Deep and superficial post-operative SSI at six months affected 0.30% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22%-0.39%) and 0.67% (95% CI, 0.55%-0.79% of patients in the pTHA, and 8.9% (95%CI: 7.8%-10.0%) and 4.8% (95% CI, 4.0%-5.6%) of patients in the rTHA cohorts. Hazards for SSI were related to patient comorbidities that included diabetes mellitus, obesity, renal failure, pulmonary or circulatory disorders, and depression. The adjusted average all-cause incremental commercial costs associated with post-operative infection ranged from $21,434 to $42,879 for superficial incisional SSI and $53,884 to $76,472 for deep incisional SSI, over a 12-month post-operative assessment period. Conclusions: The SSI rate after revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) was nearly 9% compared with 1.0% after pTHA. The risk of infection was influenced by several comorbid risk factors. The incremental cost associated with SSIs was substantial.

Longitudinal rates, risk factors, and costs of superficial and deep incisional surgical-site infection (SSI) after primary and revision total knee arthroplasty: A US retrospective claims database analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated longitudinal rates, risk factors, and costs of superficial and deep incisional surgical-site infection (SSI) 6 months after primary total knee arthroplasty (pTKA) and revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). METHODS: Patients were identified from January 1, 2016 through March 31, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan administrative claims databases. Kaplan-Meier survival curves evaluated time to SSI over 6 months. Cox proportional hazard models evaluated SSI risk factors. Generalized linear models estimated SSI costs up to 12 months. RESULTS: Of the 26,097 pTKA patients analyzed (mean age, 61.6 years; SD, 9.2; 61.4% female; 60.4% commercial insurance), 0.65% (95% CI, 0.56%-0.75%) presented with a deep incisional SSI and 0.82% (95% CI, 0.71%-0.93%) with a superficial incisional SSI. Also, 3,663 patients who had rTKA (mean age, 60.9 years; SD, 10.1; 60.6% female; 53.0% commercial insurance), 10.44% (95% CI, 9.36%-11.51%) presented with a deep incisional SSI and 2.60% (95% CI, 2.07%-3.13%) presented with a superficial incisional SSI. Infections were associated with male sex and multiple patient comorbidities including chronic pulmonary disease, pulmonary circulatory disorders, fluid and electrolyte disorders, malnutrition, drug abuse, and depression. Adjusted average all-cause incremental commercial cost ranged from $14,298 to $29,176 and from $41,381 to 59,491 for superficial and deep incisional SSI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SSI occurred most frequently following rTKA and among patients with pulmonary comorbidities and depression. The incremental costs associated with SSI following TKA were substantial.

Outcomes of surgical versus nonsurgical treatment for multiple rib fractures: A US hospital matched cohort database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Treatment for multiple rib fractures includes surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) or nonoperative management (NOM). Meta-analyses have demonstrated that SSRF results in faster recovery and lower long-term complication rates versus NOM. Our study evaluated postoperative outcomes for multiple rib fracture patients following SSRF versus NOM in a real-world, all-comer study design. METHODS: Multiple rib fracture patients with inpatient admissions in the PREMIER hospital database from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2020, were identified. Outcomes included discharge disposition, and 3- and 12-month lung-related readmissions. Demographics, comorbidities, concurrent injuries at index, Abbreviated Injury Scale and Injury Severity Scores, and provider characteristics were determined for all patients. Patients were excluded from the cohort if they had a thorax Abbreviated Injury Scale score of <2 (low severity patient) or a Glasgow Coma Scale score of ≤8 (extreme high severity patient). Stratum matching between SSRF and NOM patients was performed using fine stratification and weighting so that all patient data were kept in the final analysis. Outcomes were analyzed using generalized linear models with quasinormal distribution and logit links. RESULTS: A total of 203,450 patients were included, of which 200,580 were treated with NOM and 2,870 with SSRF. Compared to NOM, patients with SSRF had higher rates of home discharge (62% SSRF vs. 58% NOM) and lower rates of lung-related readmissions (3 months, 3.1% SSRF vs. 4.0% NOM; 12 months, 6.2% SSRF vs. 7.6% NOM). The odds ratio (OR) for home or home health discharge in patients with SSRF versus NOM was 1.166 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.073-1.266; p = 0.0002). Similarly, ORs for lung-related readmission at 3- and 12-month were statistically lower in the patients treated with SSRF versus NOM (OR [3 months], 0.764 [95% CI, 0.606-0.963]; p = 0.0227 and OR [12 months], 0.799 [95% CI, 0.657-0.971]; p = 0.0245). CONCLUSION: Surgical stabilization of rib fractures results in greater odds of home discharge and lower rates of lung-related readmissions compared with NOM at 12 months of follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Resource utilization and costs for robotic-assisted and manual total knee arthroplasty - a premier healthcare database study.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) vs. traditional, manual TKA (mTKA) on hospital costs is not well documented and is analyzed herein. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients in the Premier billing Healthcare Database undergoing elective rTKA or mTKA ("index') in the in- or outpatient setting for knee osteoarthritis between Oct 1st, 2015, to September 30th, 2021, were identified. Variables included patient demographics and comorbidities and hospital characteristics. Matched rTKA vs. mTKA cohorts were created using direct (on provider characteristics, age, gender, race and Elixhauser index) and propensity score matching (fixation type, comorbidities). Index and 90-day inflation-adjusted costs and healthcare utilization (HCU) were analyzed for both cohorts, using generalized linear models. RESULTS: 16,714 rTKA patients were matched to 51,199 mTKA patients. Average 90-day hospital cost reached $17,932 and were equivalent for both cohorts (rTKA vs. mTKA: $132 (95% confidence interval; -$19 to $284). There was a 2.7% (95%CI: 2.2%-3.3%) increase in home or home health discharge, and a 0.4% (95%CI: 0%-0.8%) decrease in 90-day hospital knee related re-visit in the rTKA vs. mTKA group. CONCLUSIONS: Cost-neutrality of rTKA vs. mTKA was observed, with a potential for lowered immediate post-operative HCU in the rTKA vs. mTKA cohorts.

Real-world 2-year clinical and economic outcomes among patients receiving a medial collared, triple tapered primary hip system versus other implants for total hip arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate real-world outcomes of patients receiving ACTIS, a medial collared, triple-tapered (MCTT) hip system vs. other implants, for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Patients with THA between 2016-2021 from Mercy Healthcare Systems-Orthopedics Database were evaluated. The primary outcome was the 2-year revision. Secondary outcomes included operating room (OR) time, length of stay (LOS), and discharge disposition. Fine Stratification and Weighting (FSW) controlled for baseline characteristic differences between ACTIS and other implant groups. Cox proportional regression evaluated the hazard ratio (HR) for revision. RESULTS: Among 9,225 patients with 10,205 THAs (mean [SD] age 66.8 [11.3] years, 56.0% female), MCTT was implanted in 1,591 hips and other implants in 8,614 hips. The balanced cohort included all 10,205 procedures (54.2% female; age 65.5 [11.3]; 14.1% Elixhauser index ≥5; 84.5% MCTT, 82.2% other since 2018; obesity 43.6% MCTT, 43.0% other). Two-year revision was 0.9% for MCTT and 1.8% for other implants (p = .021). HR for revision MCTT vs. other was 0.53 (95% CI 0.30-0.92; p = .023). Mean (SD) OR time was 69.07 (18.93) minutes for MCTT, 83.69 (43.88) for other implants (p < .001). LOS was 1.99 (1.15) days for MCTT, 2.45 (2.91) for other implants (p < .001). MCTT patients were more likely to be discharged home (90.7% vs 33.8%, p < .001) and less likely to be discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) (4.2% vs 9.6%, p < .001). One-year cost savings per patient with MCTT was projected at $2,342. CONCLUSIONS: MCTT patients had fewer revisions, reduced OR time, shorter LOS, more home and less SNF discharge, leading to cost savings.

Risk and economic burden of surgical site infection following spinal fusion in adults.

BACKGROUND: Spinal fusion surgery (SFS) is one of the most common operations in the United States, >450,000 SFSs are performed annually, incurring annual costs >$10 billion. OBJECTIVES: We used a nationwide longitudinal database to accurately assess incidence and payments associated with management of postoperative infection following SFS. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort analysis of 210,019 patients undergoing SFS from 2014 to 2018 using IBM MarketScan commercial and Medicaid-Medicare databases. We assessed rates of superficial/deep incisional SSIs, from 3 to 180 days after surgery using Cox proportional hazard regression models. To evaluate adjusted payments for patients with/without SSIs, adjusted for inflation to 2019 Consumer Price Index, we used generalized linear regression models with log-link and γ distribution. RESULTS: Overall, 6.6% of patients experienced an SSI, 1.7% superficial SSIs and 4.9% deep-incisional SSIs, with a median of 44 days to presentation for superficial SSIs and 28 days for deep-incisional SSIs. Selective risk factors included surgical approach, admission type, payer, and higher comorbidity score. Postoperative incremental commercial payments for patients with superficial SSI were $20,800 at 6 months, $26,937 at 12 months, and $32,821 at 24 months; incremental payments for patients with deep-incisional SSI were $59,766 at 6 months, $74,875 at 12 months, and $93,741 at 24 months. Corresponding incremental Medicare payments for patients with superficial incisional at 6, 12, 24-months were $11,044, $17,967, and $24,096; while payments for patients with deep-infection were: $48,662, $53,757, and $73,803 at 6, 12, 24-months. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a 4.9% rate of deep infection following SFS, with substantial payer burden. The findings suggest that the implementation of robust evidence-based surgical-care bundles to mitigate postoperative SFS infection is warranted.

Incidence, costs and post-operative complications following ankle fracture - A US claims database analysis.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology and payer costs for ankle fractures are not well documented. This study evaluated: (1) the incidence of ankle fracture and ankle surgery following fracture in the US population; and (2) the clinical presentation of patients presenting with ankle fractures requiring surgery, their complication rates, and payer costs. METHODS: Patients in the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases with an inpatient/outpatient diagnosis of ankle fracture from 2016 to 2019 were stratified by age group and gender, and rates of fracture per 10,000 enrollees were estimated. Surgically-treated patients between January 2016 - October 2021 were further analyzed. One-year post-surgical outcomes evaluated complication rates (e.g., infection, residual pain), reoperations, and 1-year payments. Standard descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables and outcomes. Generalized linear models were designed to estimate payments for surgical care and incremental payments associated with postoperative complications. RESULTS: Fracture cases affected 0.14% of the population; 23.4% of fractures required surgery. Pediatric and elderly patients were at increased risk. From 3 weeks to 12 months following index ankle surgery, 5.5% (5.3% - 5.7%) of commercially insured and 5.9% (5.1% - 6.8%) of Medicare patients required a new surgery. Infection was observed in 4.4% (4.2% - 4.6%) commercially insured and 9.8% (8.8% - 10.9%) Medicare patients, and residual pain 3 months post-surgery was observed in 29.5% (28.7% - 30.3%) commercially-insured and 39.3% (36.0% - 42.6%) Medicare patients. Commercial payments for index surgery ranged from $9,821 (95% CI: $9,697 - $9,945) in the ambulatory surgical center to $28,169 (95% CI: $27,780 - $28,559) in the hospital inpatient setting, and from $16,775 (95% CI: $16,668 - $16,882) in patients with closed fractures, to $41,206 (95% CI: $38,795 - $43,617) in patients with Gustilo III fractures. Incremental commercial payments for pain and infection averaged $5,200 (95% CI: $4,261 - $6,139) and $27,510 (95% CI: $21,759 - $33,261), respectively. CONCLUSION: Ankle fracture has a high incidence and complication rate. Residual pain affects more than one-third of all patients. Ankle fracture thus presents a significant societal impact in terms of patient outcomes and payer burden.

Risk of Mortality for Proximal Femoral Fracture in Patients With and Without COVID-19. A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has resulted in a widespread loss of lives, morbidity, and major disruptions to the healthcare system. Hip fractures are an emergent condition which require early intervention to reduce increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Infection of SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to increased mortality due to the role of infection and immune response. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 infection (defined by clinical symptoms) on mortality following proximal femoral fracture (PFF) repair procedures. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Data from the Premier Healthcare Database® was extracted for patients presenting for PFF during 2019 for control, and February 2020-September 2020 to represent a COVID time-period. Results: A total of N = 73 953 subjects were enrolled for the 2019 period, and a total of N = 34 842 subjects were enrolled for the COVID period. For the 2019 period, subjects who had a PFF procedure and who had flu/COVID-like illness had 2.47 (CI:2.11, 2.88) times the odds of mortality compared to those who did not have flu/COVID-like illness. Subjects who had a PFF procedure and who had flu/COVID-like illness during the COVID period had 2.85 times (CI:2.36, 3.42) the odds of mortality compared to those who did not have flu/COVID-like illness. For the COVID period, within subjects who did not have a PFF procedure, those with flu/COVID-like illness had increased odds of mortality compared to those who did not have flu/COVID-like illness (OR:2.26, CI:1.57, 3.21). Conclusions: Hip fractures present high risk for mortality and morbidity, where timely intervention is critical to improved outcomes. Presence of infection such as flu/COVID-like illness may influence mortality in patients undergoing hip fracture repair procedures. Consideration of infection status as a comorbidity is important to proper management and achieving optimal outcomes.

Risk of retinal detachment and exposure to fluoroquinolones, common antibiotics, and febrile illness using a self-controlled case series study design: Retrospective analyses of three large healthcare databases in the US.

OBJECTIVE: The risk of retinal detachment (RD) following exposure to fluoroquinolone (FQ) has been assessed in multiple studies, however, results have been mixed. This study was designed to estimate the risk of RD following exposure to FQ, other common antibiotics, and febrile illness not treated with antibiotics (FINTA) using a self-controlled case series (SCCS) study design to reduce risk of confounding from unreported patient characteristics. DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis-SCCS. SETTING: Primary and Secondary Care. STUDY POPULATION: 40,981 patients across 3 US claims databases (IBM® MarketScan® commercial and Medicare databases, Optum Clinformatics). OUTCOME: RD. METHODS: Exposures included FQ as a class of drugs, amoxicillin, azithromycin, trimethoprim with and without sulfamethoxazole, and FINTA. For the primary analysis, all drug formulations were included. For the post hoc sensitivity analyses, only oral tablets were included. Risk windows were defined as exposure period (or FINTA duration) plus 30 days. Patients of all ages with RD and exposures in 3 US claims databases between 2012 to 2017 were included. Diagnostics included p value calibration and pre-exposure outcome analyses. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) comparing risk window time with other time were calculated. RESULTS: Our primary analysis showed an increased risk for RD in the 30 days prior to exposure to FQ or trimethoprim without sulfamethoxazole. This risk decreased but remained elevated for 30 days following first exposure. Our post-hoc analysis, which excluded ophthalmic drops, showed no increased risk for RD at any time, with FQ and other antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Our results did not suggest an association between FQ and RD. Oral FQ was not associated with an increased risk for RD during the pre- or post-exposure period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03479736-March 21, 2018.

Demographic and clinical profile of patients treated with proximal femoral nails - a 10-year analysis of more than 40,000 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures are common in elderly populations and can be life threatening. Changes in healthcare delivery and outcomes for patients with hip fracture treated with intramedullary nails are not well characterized. The objectives of our study were: 1) the characterization of patients treated with the Trochanteric Fixation Nail -Advanced™(TFNA) Proximal Femoral Nailing System or comparable nails (index) and estimate 12-month all-cause readmissions (ACR) and reoperations following index; and 2) the evaluation of 10-year healthcare utilization (HCU) trends for treatment of femoral fractures with femoral nails. METHODS: This is a retrospective database analysis using the Premier hospital database. All adults with femoral fracture treated with an intramedullary nail, from 2010 to Q3 2019, in the inpatient setting, were identified. Exclusion criteria included patients with bilateral hip surgery and presence of breakage at time of initial surgery. The primary outcome was ACR and reoperation, the secondary outcomes were healthcare utilization metrics. Variables included demographics, comorbidities (Elixhauser Index (EI)), surgical intervention variables and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Forty-one thousand one hundred four patients were included in the study, of which 14,069 TFNA patients, with average age 77.9 (Standard deviation (SD): 12.0), more than 60% with 3 or more comorbidities (more than 64% for TFNA), 40% with severe or extreme disease severity and one third with severe or extreme risk for mortality. ACR reached 60.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 59.6%-60.5%) - for TFNA: 60.0% (95%CI: 59.2%-60.8%). The reoperation rate was 4.0% (95%CI: 3.8%-4.2%) - for TFNA: 3.8% (95%CI: 3.5%-4.1%). Length of stay (LOS) averaged 5.8 days (SD: 4.8), and 12-month hip reoperation was 4.0% (3.8%-4.2%), in TFNA cohort: 3.8% (3.5%-4.1%). From 2010 to 2019: the percentage patients operated within 48 h of admission significantly increased, from 75.2% (95%CI: 74.3%-76.1%) to 84.3% (95%CI: 83.9%-84.6%); LOS significantly decreased, from 6.2 (95%CI: 6.0-6.4) to 5.6 (95%CI: 5.5-5.7) days; discharge to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) increased from 56.0% (95%CI: 54.8%-57.2%) to 61.5% (95%CI: 60.8%-62.2%); ACR rates decreased but reoperation rates remained constant. CONCLUSIONS: ACR and reoperation rates were similar across device types and averaged 60.1% and 4.0%, respectively. Ten-year analyses showed reductions in hospital HCU and greater reliance on SNF.

Cost-Effectiveness of Cement Augmentation Versus No Augmentation for the Fixation of Unstable Trochanteric Fractures.

BACKGROUND: A previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated a trend toward a reduced risk of implant-related revision surgery following fixation with use of a Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation (PFNA) with TRAUMACEM V+ Injectable Bone Cement augmentation versus no augmentation in patients with unstable trochanteric fractures. To determine whether this reduced risk may result in long-term cost savings, the present study assessed the cost-effectiveness of TRAUMACEM V+ cement augmentation versus no augmentation for the fixation of unstable trochanteric fractures from the German health-care payer's perspective. METHODS: The cost-effectiveness model comprised 2 stages: a decision tree simulating clinical events, costs, and utilities during the first year after the index procedure and a Markov model extrapolating clinical events, costs, and utilities over the patient's lifetime. Sources of model parameters included the previous RCT, current literature, and administrative claims data. Outcome measures were incremental costs (in 2020 Euros), incremental quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Model uncertainty was assessed with deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: The base-case analysis showed that fixation with cement augmentation was the dominant strategy as it was associated with cost savings (€50.3/patient) and QALY gains (0.01 QALY/patient). Major influential parameters for the ICER were the utility of revision, rates of revision surgery within the first year after fixation surgery, and the costs of augmentation and revision surgery. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that estimates of cost savings were more robust than those of increased QALYs (66.4% versus 52.7% of the simulations). For a range of willingness-to-pay thresholds from €0 to €50,000, the probability of fixation with cement augmentation being cost-effective versus no augmentation remained above 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Fixation with use of cement augmentation dominated fixation with no augmentation for unstable trochanteric fractures, resulting in cost savings and QALY gains. Given the input parameter uncertainties, future analyses are warranted when long-term costs and effectiveness data for cement augmentation are available. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic and Decision Analysis Level II . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.