I attached Part 1 of my paper, which provides background information on the topic. I’ll be adding more background depending on the content of Part

QUESTION

I attached Part 1 of my paper, which provides background information on the topic. I’ll be adding more background depending on the content of Part 2. Feel free to write a “Background” section before you start Part 2 if you think you need it. The paper is targeted towards a lay audience, so feel free to elaborate on any concepts assuming a member of the public will read it. Feel free to find sources to back up the points you make and paraphrase the content of the sources.

I want Part 2 to discuss some ideas that the medical device company, DePuy Synthes, can use to come up with a Value-Based Agreement (Contract) for their ATTUNE knee implant. This contract is aimed at hospitals that are performing total knee arthroplasty (TKA; knee replacement surgery). The contract needs to consider the shift of TKA to the outpatient setting (more competition, and less funding per procedure for TKA), as well as potentially how to improve surgical efficiency post-COVID-19. I want the following sections:

1. What are the “pain points” for the hospital due to the shift of TKA and COVID-19? What are they currently worried about, given the TKA shift to outpatient surgical centres?

2. How can DePuy share some of the risk in their contract? What are some measurable outcomes that can be used to assess the success of ATTUNE? (like reduction on length of surgery time, length of stay, how often do patients come back after surgery due to complications?)

3. What are some other elements to incorporate into this contract? For instance, outpatients spend less time in the hospital, so they don’t get as much healthcare guidance compared to when they stay longer. However, getting patients to stay for a shorter amount of time makes a hospital more competitive with outpatient centres. For example, DePuy can make training for hospital staff on how to properly discharge and stay in contact with patients, and/or provide take-home resources for patients that tell them, through video and images, whether they are healing or whether they need to go back into the hospital.

4. What are some future steps/details that need to be ironed out? What information do we need from the hospital, for instance?

5. Optional (if you can find information or make an educated estimate): Can we estimate how much money we will save the hospital if they use ATTUNE? This might be hard since there’s little publicly available data, so skip it if needed.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I attached background information on the shift of TKA to the outpatient setting as well as an ATTUNE value brief. I have more sources, but I’ll only send them if you would like.

ANSWER

Background

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA), commonly known as knee replacement surgery, is a surgical procedure that aims to alleviate pain and improve mobility for individuals suffering from severe knee joint damage. Traditionally, TKA has been performed in hospitals, requiring patients to stay for an extended period to ensure proper recovery and post-operative care. However, in recent years, there has been a significant shift towards performing TKA in outpatient surgical centers.

This shift to the outpatient setting is driven by several factors. Firstly, there is a growing emphasis on reducing healthcare costs, prompting a move away from costly inpatient procedures. Performing TKA in an outpatient facility allows for more efficient resource utilization and cost savings. Additionally, advancements in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and pain management have made it possible for patients to undergo TKA and recover safely outside of the hospital setting.

However, this shift to outpatient TKA brings its own set of challenges for hospitals. Hospitals are concerned about the potential impact on their revenue streams due to a reduction in the number of TKA procedures performed within their facilities. The competition from outpatient centers poses a threat to their market share, leading hospitals to seek innovative strategies to remain competitive in this evolving landscape.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the concerns of hospitals regarding TKA. The pandemic has strained healthcare systems, leading to a reallocation of resources and an increased focus on infection control measures. Hospitals have had to adapt their surgical practices to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, including prioritizing urgent and essential surgeries and implementing stringent safety protocols. These changes have disrupted the regular workflow and added further complexity to the delivery of TKA.

In light of these challenges, medical device companies like DePuy Synthes are exploring value-based agreements (VBAs) or contracts to address the shifting landscape of TKA and offer comprehensive solutions to hospitals. A VBA is a contractual agreement that aligns payment with patient outcomes, ensuring that healthcare providers receive value for their investment in medical devices. By developing a VBA for their ATTUNE knee implant, DePuy Synthes aims to support hospitals in optimizing patient outcomes, improving surgical efficiency, and enhancing the overall quality of care in the outpatient TKA setting.

In the following sections, we will delve into the specific pain points hospitals face due to the shift of TKA and the COVID-19 pandemic, propose ways for DePuy Synthes to share the risk in their contract, discuss additional elements to incorporate into the contract, outline future steps and details to consider, and touch upon the potential financial benefits of implementing the ATTUNE knee implant.

(Note: Please provide the background information you mentioned, including the attachments, for a more comprehensive understanding of the topic and to accurately address the subsequent sections.)