Congress is now considering a bill that would give Medicare beneficiaries access to the advanced surgical techniques, improved outcomes, and decreased pain that are seen when joint replacements are done in outpatient facilities. H.R. 1453 is a bill being sponsored by Devin Nunes (R-CA) and John Larson (D-CT) that would ensure that Medicare patients would have access to the high level of care, personal touch, and cost savings that is available in ASCs. Congressman Nunes and Larson have asked Dr. McAllister to brief Congress on the results of over 300 joint replacements done using MIS techniques and a rapid rehabilitation.
Ambulatory Surgery Centers―known as ASCs―are modern health care facilities that allow advanced surgical care to be provide in a focused, highly specialized, and effective way. The outpatient experience is a convenient, personalized, lower-cost alternative to traditional hospital care.
Besides offering a simpler, more personal way to receive a joint replacement, outpatient joint replacement increases safety and reduces costs. According to a recent analysis by the University of California-Berkeley Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare, during the four-year period from 2008 to 2011, ASCs saved the Medicare program $7.5 billion―$2.3 billion in 2011 alone. The Berkeley researchers also found that ASCs have the potential to save Medicare up to $57.6 billion more over the next decade.
These savings occur because ASCs are more efficient, result in fewer complications, involve fewer unnecessary tests and procedures, and do not charge exorbitant facility fees. Medicare pays significantly less—and patients’ coinsurance is less—for the same procedures when performed in ASCs instead of traditional hospital settings.
