sentatives who pro-
vide trauma sets, and
they will often be at
your facility within
hours."
The difference
between performing
profitable procedures
and operating in the
red often comes down
to the cost of the
implants. Although Dr.
Bettin's study found
that implant costs for
outpatient fracture
cases tend to be lower than those for inpatient procedures, he says
surgeons who are unaware of the costs can easily double or triple the
expense of an individual case.
"There are a lot of ways to fix fractures with implants, and you can
often achieve the same quality of repair with different implants that
can range in price," he says.
For example, Dr. Bettin notes that surgeons can use non-locking
plate implants starting at around $500 for repairing a fibula ankle frac-
ture. "But locking-plate implants in which screws engage with the
plate — which tend to be used in more complicated cases — can run
between $2,000 and $4,000."
Medicare and Medicaid typically do not reimburse for implants,
according to Dr. Bettin, who says private insurers are more likely to
cover the cost of an implant by working it into the overall reimburse-
ment for the case, though the amount varies depending on the con-
A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 5
• SURGEON PREFERENCE Deciding to perform fracture surgery in ambulatory
facilities instead of acute care hospitals has the potential to save the healthcare
system hundreds of millions of dollars.
Orthopedic
and
Sports
Medicine
Specialists
