Availability of Consumer Prices for Arthroscopic Meniscus Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Health Economics
• Healthcare Transparency

Background:

• Price transparency is crucial for healthcare consumers.
• Information on costs for orthopaedic procedures like arthroscopic meniscal surgery is often limited.
• Understanding surgical pricing variations is essential for patient decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the availability of consumer pricing information for arthroscopic meniscal surgery in the US.
• To compare the costs of meniscal repair versus meniscectomy.
• To investigate potential regional differences in surgical pricing.

Main Methods:

• Orthopaedic sports medicine clinics were identified and randomly selected nationwide.
• Clinics were contacted via phone using a standardized script to inquire about surgical costs.
• Data on complete bundle pricing and physician-only fees were collected.

Main Results:

• Only 6% of contacted clinics provided complete bundle pricing for meniscal surgery.
• 18.2% offered physician-only fees for meniscectomy or meniscal repair.
• Meniscal repair was consistently less expensive than meniscectomy, with no significant regional price disparities.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant lack of price transparency for arthroscopic meniscal surgery.
• Meniscal repair is a more cost-effective option compared to meniscectomy.
• Further efforts are needed to improve the availability of healthcare pricing information for patients.