Economic Studies for Lower-Extremity Joint Arthroplasty: An Example-Based Review

As health care costs in the United States continue to rise, understanding the various economic studies and what constitutes them will become increasingly important for orthopaedic surgeons. In this review, we discuss the three major types of economics studies and provide examples of each. Cost-effective analyses are the gold standard for economic analyses and allow for the direct comparison of monetary costs and patient-centered outcomes. Cost-benefit analyses are similar to cost-effective analyses but compare both costs and benefits in monetary terms. Cost minimization analyses are the most common type of economic analysis, and they simply compare costs between two experimental groups.