Patient Selection in Short Stay Total Hip Arthroplasty for Medicare Patients

There is a trend towards shortening inpatient hospital stays following total hip arthroplasty (THA) in an effort to reduce healthcare costs and potentially decrease complications. The purpose of this study was to identify patients who are at risk for readmission, complications, and mortality after short stay THA. The Medicare sample (1997–2011) was used to identify THA patients with 1–2-day (Group A, n = 2949) or 3–day (Group B, n = 8707) stays. Complication risks were similar between groups, though there was a reduced risk for hospitalization for Group A (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.90, P = 0.029). These findings suggest that age and comorbidities, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, have the greatest effect on readmission and event risk after short stay THA.