Risk Stratification in Orthopaedic Surgery

➢ Risk stratification in orthopaedic surgery is complex and depends on the outcome of interest and multiple interdependent factors. Effective risk stratification has uses for limiting and predicting adverse events in patients undergoing discretionary surgery, avoiding the penalization of surgeons for operating on candidates whose health is situated in more difficult circumstances, and ensuring that inordinate attention is not placed on discrete musculoskeletal pathophysiology when there are other pressing health priorities.➢ For individual patient decision-making, no comprehensive risk-stratification tool currently exists, in part due to the heterogeneity of orthopaedic procedures performed and the diverse patient population treated. The Elixhauser Comorbidity Measure and the Risk Stratification Index 3.0 appear to be most promising.➢ At a population level, risk stratification may be useful in alternative payment models to ensure that hospitals that treat a disproportionate number of high-risk patients are not penalized and that cherry-picking (preferentially selecting only healthier patients with a lower risk of complications) does not occur. Any attempt to risk-stratify may have unintended consequences.➢ Orthopaedic surgeons must be aware of the tools available, their strengths, and their limitations in order to be included in decision-making as payment models and public health policies are implemented.