Abstract

The implications of rising healthcare expenditures are of great concern nationally and internationally. Performing procedures in the outpatient setting can be one solution to this crisis. However, there is a lack of research on systematic approaches for transitioning procedures to the outpatient setting. Unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) presents an opportunity, as it is already in the early stages of transitioning to the outpatient setting. The key step in facilitating an effective transition to the outpatient setting is comparing outpatient UKAs with inpatient UKAs with a focus on process time, quality outcomes, and patient satisfaction. This study retrospectively compares 400 UKA patients in the outpatient setting with 675 UKA patients in the inpatient setting. The primary analytical tools for this study are Ordinary Least Squares Regression, Logistic Regression, and Ordinal Regression adjusting for comorbidity, social history, demographics, and surgery related characteristics. Outpatient UKAs outperformed inpatient UKAs across 11 of 18 variables analyzed. Process Time will be less for outpatient UKAs in all phases with the exception of Surgery Breakdown Time. The risk-adjusted quality outcomes of UKAs in the outpatient setting were better across Non-Surgery Related Complications, Follow-Up Pain, and Follow-Up Functional Range of Motion Limitation. Patient Satisfaction was higher for outpatient UKAs. There was a lack of consistent and appropriate information to conduct a substantial statistical analysis of the costs. These findings point towards outpatient UKAs being a viable option in the future. This research serves as a platform to launch a system-wide effort of transitioning procedures to the outpatient setting across different specialties.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2015

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Ramirez, Bernardo

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Degree Program

Public Affairs; Health Services Management and Research

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006427

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006427

Language

English

Release Date

June 2016

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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