Medical services and associated costs vary widely among surgeons treating patients with hand osteoarthritis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There are substantial variations in medical services that are difficult to explain based on differences in pathophysiology alone. The scale of variation and the number of people affected suggest substantial potential to lower healthcare costs with the reduction of practice variation. Our study assessed practice variation across three affiliated urban sites in one city in the United States and related healthcare costs following the diagnosis of hand osteoarthritis (OA) in patients.

Questions/purposes

(1) What are the factors associated with increased costs and surgery in the first year after diagnosis of hand OA? (2) How much practice variation exists among hand surgeons in terms of the number of patient visits, use of imaging tests, use of injections, occupational

SUBMITTER: Becker SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4317453 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature