BY STEVE BARRETT
ABOUT HALF OF U.S. ADULTS HAVE A MUSCULOSKELE TAL CONDITION, CRE ATING WELL
OVER $200 BILLION IN LOST WAGES AND COSTS FOR CARE E ACH YE AR. IN ADDITION,
MANY ORTHOPEDISTS FACE A STAGGERING CLINICAL AND BURE AUCR ATIC WORKLOAD.
ORTHOPEDIC
S P O T L I G H T
Approx i m at ely h a l f of U. S .
women and a quarter of U.S.
men over age 50 are projected
to susta in a fracture related
to osteoporosis.
OSTEOPOROSIS FRACTURE RISK
0
25
50
75
100
BY THE (TROUBLING) NUMBERS
11%:
Orthopedists who
spend 56–65 hours per
week seeing patients
30%:
Orthopedists who
spend 20 or more hours
per week on bureaucracy
51%:
Orthopedists who
believe they are
fairly compensated
PAIN IN
THE NECK —
AND BACK
Roughly a third of
American adults have
neck or back pain.
ORTHOPEDIC REVENUE BY REGION
Median revenue per orthopedics case at ambulatory surgery
centers (ASCs) in the U.S. is $3,133 — higher than for a
number of other service lines, such as general or oral surgery,
pain management, podiatry, and urology. However, per-case
orthopedic revenue at ASCs varies significantly by region. n
The Arthritic Divide
Sources: United States Bone and Joint Initiative, CDC, Medscape Orthopedist Compensation Report 2018, VMG Health
Multi-Specialty ASC Study
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
$3,583
$3,345
$3,292
$2,980
$2,815
$2,534
PACIFIC
MIDWEST
SOUTH
ATL ANTIC
MOUNTAIN
NORTHEAST
Hawaii has the lowest incidence of arthritis — about 17%.
The highest rate, in West Virginia, is about 34%.
1 8 1 8❱❱❱❱❱ D A T A V A U LT
