The Cost of Routine Follow-Up in Total Joint Arthroplasty and the Influence of These Visits on Treatment Plans

INTRODUCTION: Many physicians recommend annual or biennial visits after total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA). This study sought to establish the cost of a post-operative visit to both the health care system and patient and identify if these visits altered patient management. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted using patients presenting for follow-up after THA or TKA from April through December 2016. All surgeries were performed by a single orthopaedic surgeon in Wichita, Kansas. All eligible subjects that met the inclusion criteria received and completed a questionnaire about the personal cost of the visit and their assessment of their function and outcome after total joint arthroplasty. The physician also completed a questionnaire that examined the cost of the visit to the health care system and whether the clinical or radiographic findings altered patient management. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients participated with an average length of follow- up of 4.5 ± 4.1 years since surgery. The average patient cost was $135.20 ± $190.53 (range, $1.65 – $995.88), and the average visit time for the patient was 3.9 ± 2.9 hours. Eighty percent of patients reported no pain during the clinic encounter, and 11% reported loss of function. Eighty-four percent thought the visit was necessary. Physician time for each visit lasted 12.9 ± 3.7 minutes (range, 10 – 20 minutes). Only 9% of patient encounters resulted in an alteration in patient management. This occurred at an average follow-up time of 3.6 ± 1.8 years after the index procedure. The average cost of each visit to the health care system at large was $117.31 ± 60.53 (range, $93.90 – $428.28). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study advise total joint patients and orthopaedic surgeons regarding the cost of routine post-operative appointments and whether these visits alter patient management. The majority of the routine follow-up visits after THA and TKA did not result in an alteration in patient management, but added substantial cost to the health care system.