Clinical and Administrative Approaches to Improving the Efficiency of Joint Arthroplasty and Reducing Hospital Length of Stay.

In the current health care environment, it is more important than ever for orthopedic surgeons to strive for optimal efficiency and effectiveness. For maximum efficiency, patients can be preselected to limit patient types that commonly require a greater investment of the practice's time and resources. Structuring surgical practices for efficiency may involve rethinking the staffing model, anticipating problems that may occur with individual patients, and enhancing internal and external communications. Turnover time between patients must be measured and minimized, and activity in the operating room--including the surgeon's own technique--must be evaluated and refined where necessary. Clinical advances that can enhance efficiency should be considered. Among such advances are tranexamic acid, intravenous acetaminophen, and bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension (EXPAREL®, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc). Intravenous acetaminophen and liposomal bupivacaine, in particular, can significantly improve efficiency by reducing the administration of opioid medication during the postoperative period, and thereby reducing opioid-related side effects. Liposomal bupivacaine has also been shown to shorten the hospital length of stay and, in many cases, eliminate the need for costly and inefficient nerve blocks.