News for Immediate Release
October 2, 2025
Harrisburg – PHC4’s Common Procedures Report, released today, displays volume, complication and postoperative length of stay data, as well as statewide Medicare payment data for three orthopedic procedures commonly performed in Pennsylvania facilities.
This report includes information from inpatient acute care hospital discharges and hospital outpatient department and ambulatory surgery center encounters for Spinal Fusion, Total Hip Replacement, and Total Knee Replacement procedures performed in Pennsylvania. Barry D. Buckingham, PHC4’s Executive Director, stated, “Reporting procedure volume, alongside hospital ratings for outcomes such as complications and extended postoperative length of stay, and average hospital charges increases transparency and highlights opportunities for quality improvement and cost containment.”
PHC4 knows there are many benefits in reporting procedure volume. This type of fact-based information showing the overall total number of cases performed at a facility level reflects the degree of experience a facility has in caring for patients who undergo a procedure. In-depth information can be found in the individual reports, as each orthopedic procedure is displayed separately, using data collected for federal fiscal year 2024, (October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024). The figure below shows the volume of cases in 2021 and 2024.
PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.
For more information, visit phc4.org or review the full report here.
Media contact:
Barry D. Buckingham, Executive Director, PHC4
