Implant Cost Awareness Among Orthopaedic Surgeons at a Single Academic Institution

Abstract

Introduction Despite the increasing costs of implants, surgeons’ awareness of these costs varies widely. The purpose of this study is to determine baseline awareness of sports-medicine-related implant cost among orthopaedic surgeons. Methods A survey including images of 10 different orthopaedic implants related to sports medicine was sent to 18 surgeons. All included surgeons practice in a single ambulatory surgery center and routinely perform sports-medicine-related procedures. Surgeons were asked to estimate the cost of each implant and answer questions about surgeon characteristics. Cost estimates were compared with implant cost found in the institutional charge master database. Results Cost estimates varied widely among providers regardless of fellowship training. The average percent error among all providers was 54.3%. Surgeons that rated knowledge of implant cost to be important most or all of the time had an average cost estimate error of 60.7% versus 48.0% error in their counterparts that stated that knowledge of cost was important to them only some of the time, though this did not reach statistical significance. Low-cost implants were more likely to be overestimated while high-cost implants were more often underestimated. Years of experience, sports medicine fellowship training, and involvement in contract negotiations had no effect on implant cost accuracy. Conclusion Implant cost awareness is dishearteningly low sports medicine orthopaedists despite the large economic impact of these devices. There is considerable room for improving cost awareness in sports medicine.