Analysis of total joint arthroplasty costs in Chinese patients

All charges for patients undergoing unilateral and bilateral hip or knee arthroplasties at 1 hospital in Beijing, China, were identified and assigned to 1 of 11 charge categories: hospital room, nursing, radiology, laboratory, anesthesia, surgery, prosthesis, pharmacy, blood transfusion, materials, and miscellaneous. The prosthesis and pharmacy charges at this institution accounted for approximately 80% of the total charges; compared with published data from institutions in North America and Taiwan, these 2 charges accounted for a greater percentage of total charges. In distinction, labor costs in China accounted for a lower percentage of total charges. Importantly, because the percentage of costs covered by medical insurance was relatively low, a substantial financial burden was imposed on patients that may limit access to joint arthroplasty in China.