Societal and Economic Impact of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

Abstract

ACL reconstruction is the preferred cost-effective treatment strategy for ACL tears and yields reduced societal costs relative to rehabilitation once indirect cost factors, such as work status and earnings, are considered. The cost of an ACL tear over the lifetime of a patient is substantial, and resources should be directed to developing innovations for injury prevention and for altering the natural history of an ACL injury.

Medicare reimbursement and orthopedic surgery: past, present, and future

“…Lastly, as a group, orthopedic surgeons will be wise to justify reimbursement by proving the value of their work. The AAOS is already leading this effort by demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of several common orthopedic interventions [80][81][82][83].…”

“‘Doc’ do I need an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? What happens if I do not reconstruct the cruciate ligament?”

“…They showed that the incidence of meniscal tear was higher in the late reconstruction group (71.2 % versus 41.7%). They recommended early surgery to prevent meniscal injury 16 . This study was not a randomised study comparing early with late reconstruction and the numbers in each subgroup were small for statistical comparison.…”

Editor's Spotlight/Take 5: How Does Accounting for Worker Productivity Affect the Measured Cost-effectiveness of Lumbar Discectomy?

“…Dr. Schafer: This study is part of a series of papers on the value of treatment for select musculoskeletal conditions supported by AAOS. Studies recently were published on total knee replacement [6], ACL reconstruction [5], and the repair of full thickness rotator cuff tears [4]. This important research on the economic and social value of orthopedic care will continue to gain recognition as additional specific treatment examples are published.…”