Outcomes of Same-Day Discharge After Total Hip Arthroplasty in the Medicare Population

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an increasing utilization of same-day discharge total hip arthroplasty (SDD THA). As the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services considers removing THA from the inpatient-only list, there is likely to be a significant increase in the number of Medicare patients undergoing SDD THA. Thus, there is a need to report on outcomes of SDD THA in this population. MethodsA retrospective review was performed on 850 consecutive SDD THA patients including 161 Medicare patients. We compared failure to launch, complication, emergency department visit, and 90-day readmission rates between the Medicare and non-Medicare cohorts. ResultsThe Medicare group was older and had less variability in their admission diagnosis. There was no significant difference in failure to launch, complication, emergency department visit, or 90-day readmission rates between Medicare and non-Medicare groups. ConclusionThe benefits of SDD THA can be safely extended to the carefully indicated and motivated Medicare patient.