Are you a candidate for a surgery center outpatient shoulder replacement?

Recently I have been performing outpatient shoulder replacements at the Princess Anne Surgery Center. Currently, this is the only surgery center in the Virginia Beach, Norfolk & Chesapeake region offering this procedure, and Dr. Chad Manke and myself, are the only surgeons performing them. Over the past few weeks, I had a patient travel here from Florida for an outpatient Ream and Run replacement, and I had a local patient recieve a total shoulder replacement at the Princess Anne surgery center. 

Outpatient shoulder replacement can offer many advantages. Patients enjoy being able to go home the same day and recover in the comfort of their home. You also can decrease exposure to bacteria and infections that are more commonly found in hospitals. Finally, there is a significant financial benefit. A surgery center might usually charge ten thousand dollars for a shoulder replacement while the hospital may charge over twenty thousand dollars. Many patients are having to pay large portions of these bills due to high deductible health plans, so anything that we can do to decrease costs helps them. 

But, this is not the right option for everyone. Firts, Medicare does not currently pay for shoulder replacements to be done in a surgery center. In typical government fashion they prefer to pay more for the same service and therefore require it to be done in the hospital. This will likely change over the next 5-10 years. Also, patients who have multiple medical problems such as heart disease and lung disease must be done in the hospital. Patients who may require prolonged pain control measures also should have surgery in the hospital. This means that if you have been taking narcotic pain medication for a long time before surgery your replacement should not be done at a surgery center.  

Here is a brief list of patients who do not qualify to have an outpatient shoulder replacement. All other patients should strongly consider this option. 

1. Over sixty five years old, 2. Mutliple medical problems (heart disease, lung disease, stroke, etc), 3. Sleep apnea, 4, Obesity, 5. Long term narcotic pain medication usage. 

Author

Brad Carofino, MD Dr. Brad Carofino is a board-certified (American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery), fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder & upper extremity surgery. Dr. Carofino is an expert in shoulder replacement surgery, minimally invasive arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and complex reconstructive procedures of the upper extremity.