title: Temporal relationship between knee arthroscopy and arthroplasty: a quality measure for joint care?
abstract: This study examined the incidence and rates of knee arthroscopy in patients older than 65 years and the risk of subsequent knee arthroplasty. Medicare claims data (1997-2006, 5% sample) were used to identify 78,137 knee arthroscopy patients. Performance of arthroscopy increased 56.1%. Prevalence increased 44.6% from 362.2 to 523.7 per 100,000 Medicare patients. The prevalence was greater for women and white patients. Prevalence of knee arthroscopy was greater in the South. Within 1 year after arthroscopy, 10.2% of arthropathy patients and 8.5% of injury patients underwent knee arthroplasty. A progressive increase was seen in the rates of use of knee arthroscopy in elderly Medicare patients for a 10-year period. A 10.2% failure rate 1 year after knee arthroscopy may be a reasonable benchmark against which performance of knee arthroscopy in patients older than 65 years can be measured.
authors.affiliation: Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA.
authors.forename: Norman A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Johanson
authors.forename: Fredric A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Kleinbart
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Cerynik
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Brey
authors.forename: Kevin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kurtz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States