Dataset Information

Geographic variation and factors associated with rates of knee arthroplasty in Korea-a population based ecological study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The recent increase in knee arthroplasty (KA) use in Korea is among the highest in the world. The rapid increase in KA use suggests that the KA use in Korea could have been affected by medically unjustifiable factors. This study aimed to examine the geographic variation in the rate of KA and its associated factors in Korea.

Methods

We used the data from the National Health Insurance in Korea in 2013, from which a total of 67,086 claims for KA were obtained. We calculated the age-sex-standardized KA rates of the entire population and the crude rates of the age groups 0-64 and 65 and over in 251 districts. We assessed the geographic variation of the KA rates and examined the associated factors with a multivariate linear regression with the KA rate as a dependent variable.

Results

The overall rate of KA in Korea was 132.7 per 100,000 persons. The rates of KA showed a four-fold variation. The deprivation index score and the number of beds in the small to medium sized hospitals showed a positive association with the rates of KA while the number of orthopedic surgeons showed a negative association.

Conclusions

Korea has been experiencing a rapid increase in the use of KA for the last decade or so, which was most prominent among the elderly population aged 65 and older. Our results suggest that the higher rate of KA is strongly related to a higher supply of beds and the socioeconomically deprived conditions. Considering that the decision concerning KA has room for discretion and also affects a considerable portion of health care expenditures, the use of KA should be thoroughly monitored with more emphasis on standardization in the decision making process and preventive measures that can lessen the need for KA.

SUBMITTER: Kim AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6721190 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Geographic variation and factors associated with rates of knee arthroplasty in Korea-a population based ecological study.

Kim Agnus M AM Kang Sungchan S Park Jong Heon JH Yoon Tae Ho TH Kim Yoon Y

BMC musculoskeletal disorders 20190902 1

<h4>Background</h4>The recent increase in knee arthroplasty (KA) use in Korea is among the highest in the world. The rapid increase in KA use suggests that the KA use in Korea could have been affected by medically unjustifiable factors. This study aimed to examine the geographic variation in the rate of KA and its associated factors in Korea.<h4>Methods</h4>We used the data from the National Health Insurance in Korea in 2013, from which a total of 67,086 claims for KA were obtained. We calculate ...[more]

PMID: 31477060

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Project description:Importance:Rates of total knee arthroplasty vary widely across the United States. Whether this variation is associated with differences in patient characteristics or physician practice is unknown. Objectives:To determine regional variations in rates of total knee arthroplasty after accounting for the prevalence of knee arthritis and other potentially associated patient risk factors and to assess the correlation of these variations with measures of access to care and surgical indications. Design, Setting, and Participants:This retrospective national cohort study used Medicare data on more than 24 million deidentified beneficiaries annually from 2011 to 2015. Individuals included had fee-for-service coverage, were 65 to 89 years of age, and resided in 1 of 306 health referral regions. Data were analyzed from September 13, 2018, to August 15, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures:Rate of primary total knee arthroplasty indexed to the national rate using observed to expected ratios. The expected numbers of arthroplasty procedures were derived from estimates based on beneficiaries' demographic and clinical characteristics. Observed to expected ratios were confounded by race/ethnicity; thus race/ethnicity-stratified analyses were conducted. Results:In 2011, there were 218?282 total knee arthroplasty procedures among 24?583?706 white Medicare beneficiaries (mean [SD] age 74.2 [6.9] years; 54.6% women). The rate of arthroplasty during the study period (5 years) was 9.3 per 1000 person-years. Adjustment for clinical characteristics reduced the spread in observed to expected ratios among regions by 29% compared with adjustment for age and sex alone. However, substantial variation remained, with observed to expected ratios that ranged from 0.61 in Newark, New Jersey, to 1.82 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. High ratios were primarily present in the upper Midwest, Great Plains, and Mountain West regions. Higher ratios were associated with regions where beneficiaries had fewer outpatient visits (Spearman correlation [r], -0.64; 95% CI, -0.70 to -0.56) and with regions having more surgeons per capita who performed knee arthroplasty (r?=?0.27; 95% CI, 0.16-0.37). Higher ratios were associated with higher rates of arthroplasty procedures among beneficiaries with dementia (r?=?0.36; 95% CI, 0.25-0.46), peripheral vascular disease (r?=?0.52; 95% CI, 0.42-0.61), and skin ulcers (r?=?0.43; 95% CI, 0.32-0.53), which are relative contraindications to arthroplasty. Conclusions and Relevance:Substantial regional variation in rates of total knee arthroplasty remained after adjustment for patient characteristics. Coexistence of high observed to expected ratios and high rates among patients at greater surgical risk suggested overuse of knee arthroplasty in some regions.

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Dataset Information

Geographic variation and factors associated with rates of knee arthroplasty in Korea-a population based ecological study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Geographic variation and factors associated with rates of knee arthroplasty in Korea-a population based ecological study.

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