An elbow replacement can be used to treat severe arthritis, badly broken bones, damaged tissue or elbow tumors.
Typical costs:
Without health insurance, an elbow replacement surgery typically costs a total of $35,000 to $40,000 or more. The hospital fee generally would be $30,000 to $35,000 or more, and a surgeon's fee would range from $2,000 to $4,000 or more, according to the office off one orthopedic surgeon who performs elbow replacements; a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services[1] transparency initiative shows that surgeon fees for joint replacements can reach $5,000.
An elbow replacement typically would be covered by health insurance if medically necessary.
With health insurance, typical expenses could include doctor visit copays, drug copays and coinsurance for the surgery. This could total thousands of dollars or the yearly out-of-pocket maximum.
In a total elbow replacement, the patient generally will be put under general anesthesia or regional anesthesia plus a relaxant. Then the surgeon will make an incision and remove the elbow joint and drill holes into the arm bones, then put the artificial joint in place using bone cement. A hospital stay of up to four days will be necessary. It can take 12 weeks or longer to regain use of the elbow and a year to fully recover.
The National Institutes of Health[2] has a primer on elbow replacement surgery.
Additional costs:
Several sessions of physical therapy might be required at $50 to $75 per hour.
Discounts:
Some orthopedic specialists and hospitals offer discounts for uninsured/cash-paying patients. For example, Southern California Orthopedic Institute offers discounted services for cash-paying patients, and Northwest Community Hospital Orthopedic Services Center[3] , in Chicago, offers discounts for prompt payment.
Shopping for elbow replacement:
Look for a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has extensive experience with total elbow replacements. The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery[4] offers an orthopedic surgeon finder by city, state or zip code.
Elbow replacement is a technically difficult surgery and not that many are done each year in the United States, so it is especially important to look for an experienced surgeon at a center that performs at least several elbow replacements per year, according to the University of Washington Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
Risks of elbow replacement include reaction to anesthesia, blood clots, infection, allergic reaction to the implanted hardware and loosening of the artificial joint.
Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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just wanted to know how much it cost because he ended r sessions saying I need file for disability can't continue with the job I ent to school for. and it seems like peple are hesitant to do it because of all the crushed hardware in my elbow told me it actuallly is possible 4 me the elbow can feel pain like I do but not as bad.
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