A new study evaluates the formation, implementation, and outcomes of the Musculoskeletal Quality Collaborative (MSKQC) across a Massachusetts hospital system.
The study, published in The American Journal of Managed Care, states that the MSKQC, established in 2019, “comprises physician, quality, and nursing leaders from 14 hospitals” focused on value-based health care (VBHC) initiatives to fight rising costs.
“Using the Delphi method, surgeons identified VBHC interventions, leading to protocols for antibiotic-infused bone cement (AIBC), povidone-iodine irrigation, and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressings, implemented in May 2023,” the researchers state. Usage was then tracked across hospitals and reviewed quarterly from June 2023 to June 2024.
The study states that the “systemwide savings opportunity exceeded $800,000 annually.” It found that AIBC use dropped from 19.6% to 5.5%, NPWT usage remained stable at less than 5%, and sterile iodine irrigation decreased by 51.6% to less than 10%.
“The MSKQC successfully reduced high-cost consumable use while maintaining low infection rates,” conclude the researchers. “Regular protocol distribution and surgeon-specific feedback proved effective in advancing VBHC initiatives. This model offers a scalable approach for orthopedic VBHC implementation in the absence of national guidelines.”
Read the full study here.
