Background: Surgical repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears in symptomatic patients is known to offer significant benefits. Despite this there remains a lack of universal appreciation that such surgery offers high clinical value, with some commissioners even limiting access to it. The value-based healthcare agenda provides a means to design, deliver and measure the impact of healthcare to a defined segment of patients. The aim of this study was to measure the value of surgically repairing primary symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears when outcomes and costs were assessed over an entire care pathway. Methods: A prospective study of patients undergoing rotator cuff tears repair was undertaken. Patients were managed using a standardised integrated care pathway. Subsequent outcomes and costs were measured over the whole care pathway. Outcomes were assessed from both traditional and patient centric re-formatted prisms. Results: Significant improvement in clinical outcomes where recognised when assessed from either the traditional or re-formatted prisms. Economic review of this approach revealed the pathway generated a sustainable and notable positive margin. Discussion: This study evidences how a well-designed value-based healthcare shoulder approach can be delivered and measured. It demonstrates rotator cuff surgery to be a high value treatment for patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears.
Background: Surgical repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears in symptomatic patients is known to offer significant benefits. Despite this there remains a lack of universal appreciation that such surgery offers high clinical value, with some commissioners even limiting access to it. The value-based healthcare agenda provides a means to design, deliver and measure the impact of healthcare to a defined segment of patients. The aim of this study was to measure the value of surgically repairing primary symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears when outcomes and costs were assessed over an entire care pathway. Methods: A prospective study of patients undergoing rotator cuff tears repair was undertaken. Patients were managed using a standardised integrated care pathway. Subsequent outcomes and costs were measured over the whole care pathway. Outcomes were assessed from both traditional and patient centric re-formatted prisms. Results: Significant improvement in clinical outcomes where recognised when assessed from either the traditional or re-formatted prisms. Economic review of this approach revealed the pathway generated a sustainable and notable positive margin. Discussion: This study evidences how a well-designed value-based healthcare shoulder approach can be delivered and measured. It demonstrates rotator cuff surgery to be a high value treatment for patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears.
Authors: Rohit Kulkarni; Joanna Gibson; Peter Brownson; Michael Thomas; Amar Rangan; Andrew J Carr; Jonathan L Rees Journal: Shoulder Elbow Date: 2015-03-31
Authors: Meghan A Piccinin; Zain Sayeed; Ryan Kozlowski; Vamsy Bobba; David Knesek; Todd Frush Journal: Orthop Clin North Am Date: 2018-02-03 Impact factor: 2.472
Authors: Robert Z Tashjian; Jeffrey Belisle; Sean Baran; Erin K Granger; Richard E Nelson; Robert T Burks; Patrick E Greis Journal: J Shoulder Elbow Surg Date: 2017-09-28 Impact factor: 3.019