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- Talk
- 22/09/2021
- UK
Does the RKCC Classification Predict the True Cost of Revision Knee Arthroplasty? A Financial Analysis of Eighty-Nine Cases at a Regional Centre
Description
This presentation features Aris Alexiadis, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Exeter, discussing his project focused on a financial analysis at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. The project investigates the cost-effectiveness of revision knee arthroplasty through the lens of the Revision Knee Complexity Classification (RKCC), which categorizes revision surgeries by their complexity.
Alexiadis explains that total knee arthroplasty is a common procedure, with over 100,000 primary surgeries performed annually in the UK. However, a significant percentage of these cases eventually require revision surgery, around 6% over 15 years. The RKCC is introduced as a tool to classify revision surgeries from less complex cases (R1) to highly complex cases involving severe issues and comorbidities (R3).
The analysis looks at the cost implications of revision surgeries, utilizing data from 89 procedures performed in 2019 and comparing costs with financial codes assigned to these surgeries. The findings highlight a discrepancy between the costs incurred and the funding received through tariffs, indicating a substantial deficit, totaling nearly 400,000 pounds for the trust. Alexiadis concludes that more complex revisions lead to increased costs, and current funding models fail to reflect these realities accurately. He suggests that the RKCC could be instrumental in improving funding accuracy for future revision surgeries and underscores its adoption in the new BASK guidelines.