Providing Hand Surgery Care to Vulnerably Uninsured Patients

AOA Critical Issues Symposium: Promoting Health Equity

ABSTRACT

Promoting equitable health care is to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality medical services and appropriate treatment options. The definition of health equity often can be misinterpreted, and there are challenges in fully understanding the disparities and costs of health care and when measuring the outcomes of treatment. However, these topics play an important role in promoting health equity. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us more aware of profound health-care disparities and systemic racism, which, in turn, has prompted many academic medical centers and health-care systems to increase their efforts surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Therefore, it is important to understand the problems that some patients have in accessing care, promote health care that is culturally competent, create policies and standard operating procedures (at the federal, state, regional, or institutional level), and be innovative to provide cost-effective care for the underserved population. All of these efforts can assist in promoting equitable care and thus result in a more just and healthier society.

Billing and Utilization Trends for Hand Surgery Indicate Worsening Barriers to Accessing Care

BACKGROUND

Hospitals and providers may increase hand surgery charges to compensate for decreasing reimbursement. Higher charges, combined with increasing utilization of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), may threaten the accessibility of affordable hand surgery care for uninsured and underinsured patients.

METHODS

We queried the Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary to collect the number of procedures, charges, and reimbursements of hand procedures from 2010 to 2019. We adjusted procedural volume by Medicare enrollment and monetary values to the 2019 US dollar. We calculated weighted means of charges and reimbursement that were then used to calculate reimbursement-to-charge ratios (RCRs). We calculated overall change and r2 from 2010 to 2019 for all procedures and stratified by procedural type, service setting, and state where service was rendered.

RESULTS

Weighted mean charges, reimbursement, and RCRs changed by + 21.0% (from $1,227 to $1,485; r2 = 0.93), +10.8% (from $321 to $356; r2 = 0.69), and -8.4% (from 0.26 to 0.24; r2 = 0.76), respectively. The Medicare enrollment-adjusted number of procedures performed in ASCs increased by 63.8% (r2 = 0.95). Trends in utilization and billing varied widely across different procedural types, service settings, and states.

CONCLUSIONS

Charges for hand surgery procedures steadily increased, possibly reflecting an attempt to make up for reimbursements perceived to be inadequate. This trend places uninsured and underinsured patients at greater risk for financial catastrophe, as they are often responsible for full or partial charges. In addition, procedures shifted from inpatient to ASC setting. This may further limit access to affordable hand care for uninsured and underinsured patients.

Providing Orthopaedic Care to Vulnerably Underserved Patients: AOA Critical Issues

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act has increased the number of Americans with health insurance. However, a substantial portion of the population is still considered underserved, including those who are uninsured, underinsured, and those who are enrolled in Medicaid. The patients frequently face substantial access-to-care issues. Many underlying social determinants of health impact this vulnerable, underserved population, and surgeons must understand the nuances of caring for the underserved. There are numerous opportunities to engage with this population, and providing care to the indigent can be rewarding for both the vulnerably underserved patient and their surgeon.