Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/915879
$ DATA REL ATED TO ORTHOPEDICS PRESENT BOTH CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH REGARD TO TRE ATMENT, PRE VENTION AND AVAIL ABILIT Y OF CARE. ORTHOPEDIC OVERVIEW ORTHOPEDIC OVERVIEW BY STEVE BARRETT THE PROPORTION OF MEDICARE RECIPIENTS WHO ARE ELDERLY, FRAIL AND USE HIGH LEVELS OF HEALTHCARE SPENDING THE PROPORTION OF PREVENTABLE MEDICARE SPENDING THAT IS RELATED TO TREATING THESE INDIVIDUALS 44% 4% New Jersey: $494,510 Washington, D.C.: $487,773 California: $484,118 New York: $475,933 Connecticut: $469,966 Current annual costs of treatment exceed $116 billion. By 2030, the number of Americans with a diagnosis of arthritis is expected to rise to about 67 million, roughly 25% of all adults. PATH TO PREVENTION A lower proportion of orthopedists — 47% — report burnout than physicians in most other specialties. However, that percentage has increased in recent years. Areas of their job that orthopedists fi nd most rewarding are patients' gratitude and the relationships they forge with patients, as well as achieving profi ciency in their fi eld. Almost 80% of orthopedists say they would select medicine as their career if they had it to do over, and 95% would select the same specialty. PITCH PERFECT? BURGEONING COSTS THE TA B FOR TRE ATING A RTHRITIS A ND C A RTIL AGE INJURIES IN THE UNITED STATES IS LIKELY TO RISE IN COMING Y E A RS A S THE BA BY BOOM POPUL ATION AGES. Four out of fi ve Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers who undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction return to play. Those players typically performed at a higher level than average MLB pitchers prior to surgery. Their performance after surgery is comparable to that of average MLB pitchers. PAY AND GEOGRAPHY BESIDES C A LIFORNI A , THE HIGHEST PAY FOR ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS IS MOSTLY CONCENTR ATED IN THE NORTHE A ST. NOT IMMUNE TO STRESS Sources: American Academy o f O r t h o p a e d i c S u r g e o n s , Orthopedics Today, Annals of Int e r n a l Medi c in e , B eck e r 's Orthopedic Review, Medscape M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C L E V E L A N D /A K R O N / C A N T O N ■ N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 017 1 9