Word: joint
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Orthopaedic Surgeons. Hip replacements? Those will more than double, rising from 285,000 to 573,000. And the money spent on these procedures is expected to reach $65.2 billion by 2015, putting a huge burden on federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, which pay for about 60% of U.S. joint replacements...
...surprise that Americans are turning toward these operations - joint replacement has spared millions of older adults from spending their older years in a wheelchair. "We have a perfect storm of an aging population, increased demands by younger patients, a better ability to do the procedure, and increased arthritis in the general population," says Dr. Richard Iorio, a senior orthopedic surgeon at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., and lead author of the paper. Painful osteoarthritis, he explains, is responsible for the vast majority of joint replacement surgery...
...Iorio says that average age at which Americans seek joint replacements has been gradually creeping down. "In my own practice," he says, "it used to be about 70 years of age, and now it's about 65." With better-lasting implants and better surgical techniques, he observes, "people are much less reluctant to jump in." Changing attitudes will likely accelerate this trend. "Baby boomers want to be active and they are not willing to accept disability, so they seek out surgery earlier than their parents...
...Future patients may, however, be stymied by a shortage of skilled surgeons. The supply of orthopedic surgeons will increase only 2% between 2000 and 2020, despite soaring demand for their services. Patients with more complicated cases, requiring the attention of a joint replacement specialist, could really be in trouble, according to an analysis by Iorio and his co-authors. They found that only 6% to 7% of orthopedic surgeons are specializing in joint replacement. A plummeting reimbursement rate for this kind of surgery - it's dropped about 39% in recent years, according to the paper - makes this kind of work...
...ability to "handle tough decisions." But there were already hints McCain saw the relationship in different terms. In his opening statement, he said he'd welcome the President on the campaign trail as his schedule allows, and he repeated that theme five times in ten minutes. He'd hold joint campaign events "in keeping with the President's schedule," he said. He hopes the President will "find time from his busy schedule" to campaign with him, he said. McCain apparently hasn't seen the "Week Ahead" memos the White House has been sending out that shows Bush's lame duck...