The Relationship of Hospital Charges and Volume to Surgical Site Infection After Total Hip Replacement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of hospital volume and charges on the rate of surgical site infections for total hip replacements (THRs) in New York State (NYS). In NYS, higher volume hospitals have higher charges after THR. The study team analyzed 93 620 hip replacements performed in NYS between 2008 and 2011. Hospital charges increased significantly from $43 713 in 2008 to $50 652 in 2011 (P < .01). Compared with lower volume hospitals, patients who underwent THR at the highest volume hospitals had significantly lower surgical site infection rates (P = .003) and higher total hospital charges (P < .0001). The study team found that in the highest volume hospitals, preventing one surgical site infection was associated with $1.6 million dollars in increased charges.

Keywords

surgical site infection total hip replacement THR volume charges

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