Journal of medical economics
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Observational Study
Impact of treatment with liposomal bupivacaine on hospital costs, length of stay, and discharge status in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty at high-use institutions.
Aims: Post-surgical pain experienced by patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be severe. Enhanced recovery after surgery programs incorporating multimodal analgesic regimens have evolved in an attempt to improve patient care while lowering overall costs. This study examined clinical and economic outcomes in hospitals using liposomal bupivacaine (LB) for pain control following TKA. ⋯ Limitations: Costs were estimated using Premier charge-to-cost ratios and limited to goods and services recorded in the chargemaster. Findings from these 10 hospitals may not be representative of other US hospitals. Conclusions: In a sub-set of 10 US hospitals with the highest use of LB for TKA, LB use was associated with shorter hospital LOS, increased home discharge, lower total hospitalization costs, and decreased opioid use after TKA.