Regional Variation in Rates of Total Knee Arthroplasty Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT: Importance:Rates of total knee arthroplasty vary widely across the United States. Whether this variation is associated with differences in patient characteristics or physician practice is unknown. Objectives:To determine regional variations in rates of total knee arthroplasty after accounting for the prevalence of knee arthritis and other potentially associated patient risk factors and to assess the correlation of these variations with measures of access to care and surgical indications. Design, Setting, and Participants:This retrospective national cohort study used Medicare data on more than 24 million deidentified beneficiaries annually from 2011 to 2015. Individuals included had fee-for-service coverage, were 65 to 89 years of age, and resided in 1 of 306 health referral regions. Data w

SUBMITTER: Ward MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7189226 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature