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 |  | With Insurance: Copays & Coinsurance up to Out of Pocket Maximum |  | Without Insurance: $35,000-$40,000+ |
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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.
Related articles: Broken Arm, Broken Clavicle, Carpal Tunnel Treatment
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What should be included: |
- 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.
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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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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| Posted by: stephanie haines in boca raton, FL. | Posted: June 3rd, 2019 09:06AM |
| Medical Center: | Insurance Carrier: working with car insurance |
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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| Posted by: Joe Ratcliff in rodcester, MN. | Posted: February 16th, 2015 11:02AM |
| Medical Center: mayo clenic | Insurance Carrier: medicare |
going to Mayo Clinic and having Dr. Scott p. Steinman replacing my elbow |
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External Resources: |
- www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Research/HealthCareConInit/index.html?...
- www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007258.htm
- www.nch.org/medical-services/orthopedic-services/index.php
- www.abos.org/find-a-certified-orthopaedic-surgeon.aspx
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