Premier Inc. reports that hospitals have a lot of room in which to cut costs and improve efficiency in total joint-replacement procedures.

FierceHealthcare writes that Premier Inc. found significant variations in the price of medical devices and other supplies, “such as a $1,500 difference in the cost of knee implants between the highest and lowest performing hospitals and a $1,700 difference for hip implants.”

Perhaps most interestingly, Robin Czajka, R.N., service line vice president for cost at Premier,  told Fierce, in the news service’s words, that “hospitals that performed the best joint replacements also had lower operating room labor costs. High-performing facilities accounted for about $2,000 in OR labor spend, compared with $4,600 in lower-performing hospitals.”

And, “An operating room that follows a lean management style, or a systematic method for waste minimization, will be more efficient and ensure the number of people in the OR are those who are most needed, Czajka said.”

For instance,  Fierce  paraphrased Czajka as saying that a “lean approach can also reduce overuse of antibiotics—including pricey antibiotic bone cement—further reducing costs.”

To read the Premier report, please hit this link.

To read the Fierce article, please hit this link.