Assessing the hospital volume–outcome relationship in total elbow arthroplasty
Charles Poff, BS, Bryce Kunkle, BS, Xinning Li, MD, Richard J. Friedman, MD, FRCSC, Josef K. Eichinger, MD,
Background: Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is an effective intervention for multiple elbow disorders including complex fracture in elderly patients, post-traumatic arthropathy, inflammatory arthropathy, and distal humeral nonunion. Given its known therapeutic value and low utilization rate, an investigation into the thresholds for TEA institutional volume–outcome relationships is warranted. The purpose of this study was to identify TEA volume thresholds that serve as predictors of institutional outcomes including complications, readmissions, revisions, cost of care, length of stay (LOS), and non-home discharge. We hypothesized that increased institutional volume would be associated with decreased 90-day adverse outcomes and resource utilization.
