Cost Savings From Utilization of an Ambulatory Surgery Center for Orthopaedic Day Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare providers are increasingly searching for ways to provide cost-efficient, high-quality care. Previous studies on evaluating cost used estimated cost-to-charge ratios, which are inherently inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to quantify actual direct cost savings from performing pediatric orthopaedic sports day surgery at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) compared with a university-based children's hospital (UH). METHODS: Custom-scripted accounting software was queried for line-item costs for a period of 3 fiscal years (fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2014) for eight day surgery procedures at both a UH and a hospital-owned ASC. Hospital-experienced direct costs were compared while controlling for surgeon, concomitant procedures, age, sex, and body mass index. RESULTS: One thousand twenty-one procedures were analyzed. Using multiple linear regression analysis, direct cost savings at the ASC ranged from 17% to 43% for seven of eight procedures. Eighty percent of the cost savings was attributed to time (mean, 64 minutes/case; P < 0.001) and 20% was attributed to supply utilization (P < 0.001). Of the time savings in the operating room, 73% (mean, 47 minutes; P < 0.001) was attributed to the surgical factors whereas 27% (17 minutes; P < 0.001) was attributed to anesthesia factors. CONCLUSIONS: Performing day surgery at an ASC, compared with a UH, saves 17% to 43% from the hospital's perspective, which was largely driven by surgical and anesthesia-related time expenditures in the operating room. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Rotator cuff injuries in adolescent athletes.

The cause of rotator cuff injuries in the young athlete has been described as an overuse injury related to internal impingement. Abduction coupled with external rotation is believed to impinge on the rotator cuff, specifically the supraspinatus, and lead to undersurface tears that can progress to full-thickness tears. This impingement is believed to be worsened with increased range of motion and instability in overhead athletes. A retrospective review of seven patients diagnosed with rotator cuff injuries was performed to better understand this shoulder injury pattern. The type of sport played, a history of trauma, diagnosis, treatment method, and outcome were noted. Six patients were male and one was a female. Baseball was the primary sport for four patients, basketball for one, gymnastics for one, and wrestling for one. The following injury patterns were observed: two patients tore their subscapularis tendon, two sustained avulsion fractures of their lesser tuberosity, one tore his rotator interval, one tore his supraspinatus, and one avulsed his greater tuberosity. Only four patients recalled a specific traumatic event. Three patients were treated with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, three with miniopen repair, and one was treated with rehabilitation. Six of the seven patients returned to their preinjury level of sport after treatment. Rotator cuff tears are rare in the adolescent age group. The injury patterns suggest that acute trauma likely accounts for many rotator cuff tears and their equivalents in the young patient. Adolescents with rotator cuff tears reliably return to sports after treatment. The possibility of rotator cuff tears in skeletally immature athletes should be considered. The prognosis is very good once this injury is identified and treated.