Cost-effectiveness of Multidisciplinary Care in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review

Multidisciplinary care has been previously shown to improve outcomes for patients and providers alike, fostering interprofessional collaboration and communication. Many studies have demonstrated the beneficial health care outcomes of interdisciplinary care. However, there has been minimal focus on the cost-effectiveness of such care, particularly in the realm of plastic surgery. This is the first systematic review to examine cost savings attributable to plastic surgery involvement in multidisciplinary care.

A comprehensive literature review of articles published on cost outcomes associated with multidisciplinary teams including a plastic surgeon was performed. Included articles reported on cost outcomes directly or indirectly attributable to a collaborative intervention. Explicitly reported cost savings were totaled on a per-patient basis. Each article was also reviewed to determine whether the authors ultimately recommended the team-based intervention described.

A total of 604 articles were identified in the initial query, of which 8 met the inclusion criteria. Three studies reported explicit cost savings from multidisciplinary care, with cost savings ranging from $707 to $26,098 per patient, and 5 studies reported changes in secondary factors such as complication rates and length of stay. All studies ultimately recommended multidisciplinary care, regardless of whether cost savings were achieved.

This systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary plastic surgery care examined both primary cost savings and associated quality outcomes, such as length of stay, complication rate, and resource consumption. Our findings indicate that the inclusion of plastic surgery in team-based care provides both direct and indirect cost savings to all involved parties.