Costs Versus Benefits of Routine Histopathological Examination in Total Ankle Replacement

Foot & Ankle International
Dylan S SoukupScott J Ellis

Abstract

Routine histopathological examination has previously been scrutinized as a source of extraneous cost in orthopedic foot and ankle care. As an increasingly prevalent joint replacement operation, total ankle replacement poses a notable cost to the health care market in an era of cost containment. The purpose of this study was to compare the costs and benefits of routine histopathological examination of specimens removed during total ankle replacement. We hypothesized that a new diagnosis would rarely be found and such examination would seldom alter patient care. A retrospective review was conducted of all total ankle replacement operations between 2006 and July 2014 at the investigators' institution. Medical records for 90 patients, undergoing a total of 95 total ankle replacement operations, were reviewed to determine the clinical and pathological diagnoses for each operation and, subsequently, the rates of discrepancy and discordance. Professional charges were determined using estimated reimbursement rates for the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes billed: 88304 (level III microscopic examination), 88305 (level IV microscopic examination), and 88311 (decalcification). Degenerative joint disease was diagnosed by the path...Continue Reading

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
total ankle arthroplasty
4454 hip arthroplasties

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