Knee Replacement Surgery Rate Soars

The number of first-time knee replacement surgeries among Medicare recipients has jumped 162 percent in the past 20 years, according to a new study out of the University of Iowa. The surge in surgeries has cost Medicare roughly $9 billion annually.

The researchers also found increases in the number of hospital readmissions and infection rates, which they attributed to shorter hospital stays after surgery.

The jump in knee replacement surgeries was attributed to an increase in obesity rates and a rapidly aging baby boomer population.

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