Cheryl Bednar, 54, of Laflin, Penn., suffered from chronic pain from hip deterioration until Geisinger Dr. James Murphy performed a hip replacement in February 2018 and offered the lifetime guarantee. (Image from Geisinger)
Swiss orthopedics company Medacta International and Geisinger Health System have said they will pilot a lifetime guarantee program for knee replacement surgeries.
The program will cover full costs for screened Geisinger Health Plan members who receive knee replacement surgery while also ensuring reimbursement for any associated future care the patients may incur throughout their lifetimes. Medacta and Geisinger will share the costs of the implant and associated hospital fees while patients remain on the Geisinger Health Plan and are treated by Geisinger providers.
Under pressure from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), healthcare systems nationwide are working to reduce the cost of orthopedic procedures and follow-up care. Danville, Penn.-based Geisinger modeled the knee replacement program on a similar guarantee program it began last year for hip replacements.
The knee guarantee program will use products Medacta’s MyKnee patient-matched cutting blocks, which use pre-operative planning via 3D reconstruction for customization, as well as its GMK Efficiency single-use Instruments, designed to lower the risk of infection and create a streamlined surgical process. Both of these products fall under Medacta’s Mpower Sustainability Solutions, a company initiative to deliver long-lasting products via value-based healthcare models, the device maker said.
“When thoroughly trained surgeons leverage our patient-matched technologies and thoughtfully designed instruments, they are more confident in the OR and often conduct more precise and efficient procedures, with the end goal of improving patient outcomes,” said Medacta CEO Francesco Siccardi in a prepared statement. “We are proud to be the first orthopedic firm to offer a lifetime guarantee on our hip and knee replacement surgery implants and instrumentation alongside our partner Geisinger, which is known for its early adoptions of innovative technologies and care delivery models. From complete revisions to treating a simple infection, the complete cost of care is covered.”
Geisinger’ system includes 13 hospital campuses and a nearly 600,000-member health plan.
“Together we launched the industry’s first and only lifetime hip replacement warranty and we are thrilled to expand this model to our patients receiving knee replacements,” added Dr. Michael Suk, chair of the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute and its Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Geisinger is committed to delivering high-quality care at lower costs and, ultimately, having patients pay only for the value they receive.”
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