title: Evidence, Quality, Costs, and Reimbursement:  Connecting the Dots.
abstract: Healthcare costs in the United States continue to rise, and substantial variations in the type, quality, and location of that care persist. It is critically important for all healthcare stakeholders to address and define value in orthopaedic care delivery. Evidence-based orthopaedic care delivery, reliable quality and performance measurement, and the delivery of the best care at the lowest cost are the key strategies to improve the value of musculoskeletal care. A failure to implement these strategies could negatively affect the reimbursement of all healthcare providers--at both the private and government payer levels.
authors.affiliation: Chair, Department of Orthopaedics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Jevsevar
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Karl
authors.forename: Mohit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bhandari
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bozic
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Piasio
authors.forename: Stuart L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000191:economics*; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D014481:United States