With the recent implementation of a bundled payment model for total joint arthroplasty, healthcare providers are financially responsible for management of complications throughout the 90-day perioperative period. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness of a surveillance system that was implemented to enhance communication during this period.
A retrospective study was conducted using a prospectively collected database of patients who underwent primary total joint arthroplasty from January 2015 to April 2016. Surveillance was performed using electronic messages and telephone calls. The use of this system in response to several clinical scenarios was measured by the total number of messages and calls exchanged.
Communication was greater among patients who experienced a complication (median 8), went to the emergency department (ED; median 9), and were readmitted to the hospital (median 8), relative to patients who had an uncomplicated course (median 5). Additionally, communication was greater among patients who presented to outside facilities for ED visits (median 11) and readmissions (median 9) relative to those who returned to the index hospital for ED visits (median 7) and readmissions (median 6). More distant patients had decreased follow-up attendance but did not have a compensatory increase in use of the surveillance system.
Patients used the surveillance system to relay information about clinically significant events when such events arose. Additionally, patients who returned to outside facilities used the surveillance system to remain engaged with their original provider. However, more distant patients did not appear to use the surveillance system to compensate for decreased follow-up attendance.