INTRODUCTIONPatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) may require total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR). The present study aimed to compare the demographic characteristics and medical costs of RA and OA patients from Taiwan who underwent either THR or TKR.

METHODSThe medical records of patients who had undergone THR or TKR from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2010 were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). In all, we found 49 and 146 RA patients who received THR and TKR, respectively, and 1,191 and 6,574 OA patients who received THR and TKR, respectively. The gender, age, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), hospital grade, age at registration in the catastrophic illness dataset, and medical utilisation costs of the different groups were compared.

RESULTSThere were statistically significant differences in age, CCI score, drug costs and surgery costs between RA and OA patients. Joint replacement incidence was lower in RA patients than in OA patients, and among patients who underwent THR, total medical costs incurred were higher for RA patients than OA patients. RA patients who underwent THR incurred a significantly greater total medical utilisation cost in the outpatient department (3 months before surgery and 12 months after surgery) than OA patients who underwent THR.

CONCLUSIONAnalysis of Taiwan NHIRD with regard to patients who had undergone either THR or TKR indicated that RA patients were younger than OA patients, and that significantly more medical resources were used for RA patients before, during and after hospitalisation for these procedures.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; surgery ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; economics ; methods ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; economics ; methods ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Health Care Costs ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis ; surgery ; Sex Factors ; Taiwan ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the resource utilization of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in China. This study aimed to examine the length of stay (LOS) and inpatient charges of TKA in China, and to investigate their determinants. METHODS: We included patients undergoing primary TKA in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System in China between 2013 and 2019. LOS and inpatient charges were obtained, and their associated factors were further assessed using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: A total of 184,363 TKAs were included. The LOS decreased from 10.8 days in 2013 to 9.3 days in 2019. The admission-to-surgery interval decreased from 4.6 to 4.2 days. The mean inpatient charges were 61,208.3 Chinese Yuan. Inpatient charges reached a peak in 2016, after which a gradual decrease was observed. Implant and material charges accounted for a dominating percentage, but they exhibited a downward trend, whereas labor-related charges gradually increased. Single marital status, non-osteoarthritis indication, and comorbidity were associated with longer LOS and higher inpatient charges. Female sex and younger age were associated with higher inpatient charges. There were apparent varieties of LOS and inpatient charges among provincial or non-provincial hospitals, hospitals with various TKA volume, or in different geographic regions. CONCLUSIONS The LOS following TKA in China appeared to be long, but it was shortened during the time period of 2013 to 2019. The inpatient charges dominated by implant and material charges exhibited a downward trend. However, there were apparent sociodemographic and hospital-related discrepancies of resource utilization. The observed statistics can lead to more efficient resource utilization of TKA in China.
Length of Stay ; Fees and Charges ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/economics* ; China ; Humans ; Databases, Factual ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Inpatients