Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty Outpatient Case Volume During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in New York and California.

Background: Inpatient total hip and total knee arthroplasty were substantially impacted by the SARSCoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. We sought to characterize the transition of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) to the outpatient setting in 2 large state health systems during this pandemic. Methods: Adult patients who underwent primary elective TJA between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020 were retrospectively reviewed using the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System and California Department of Health Care Access and Information datasets. Yearly inpatient and outpatient case volumes and patient demographics, including age, sex, race, and payer coverage, were recorded. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using descriptive statistics. Signi ficance was set at P < .05. Results: In New York during 2020, TJA volume decreased 16% because 22,742 fewer inpatient TJAs were performed. Much of this lost volume (46.6%) was offset by a 166% increase in outpatient TJA. In California during 2020, TJA volume decreased 20% because 34,114 fewer inpatient TJAs were performed. Much of this lost volume (37%) was offset by a 47% increase in outpatient TJA. Conclusions: This present study demonstrates a marked increase in the proportion of TJA being performed on an outpatient basis in both California and New York. In both states, despite a decrease in overall TJA volume in 2020, outpatient TJA volume increased markedly. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV, Retrospective Cohort Study. (c) 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.