Replies to I was surprised the other day to read that only about 13% of knee replacements are…

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Joint Replacements | Last Active: 17 hours ago | Replies (63)

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@steveinarizona

I was surprised the other day to read that only about 13% of knee replacements are done with a robot. My very experienced and very successful surgeon exclusively uses robots.

I have trouble understanding why a surgeon would do such complex surgery without a robot assistant since they are available and covered by insurance.

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Replies to "I was surprised the other day to read that only about 13% of knee replacements are..."

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Sep 24 9:47pm

@steveinarizona Here are some reasons -
My ortho told me the robotic assistant, the training of doc and staff and all related equipment and technology take roughly 1500 operations to recoup the costs. So it is feasible in a major metro area, but a LOT of people do not live where such care is accessible,
The way health insurance ties people to specific networks, they are further limited in where they can seek care.
I recently read that nearly 2/3 of the people in the Midwest - Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota - have "limited access" to care. In more rural states like Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico, these number can approach 80%. In states with high Medicaid coverage, travel for medical care is RARELY approved - this includes many states in the South.

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