Healthcare disparities: patients' perspectives on barriers to joint replacement.

Objective: Racial and ethnic disparities in arthroplasty utilization are evident, but the reasons are not known. We aimed to identify concerns that may contribute to barriers to arthroplasty from the patient's perspective.

Methods: We identified patients' concerns about arthroplasty by performing a mixed methods study.

Primary Care Provider Density and Elective Total Joint Replacement Outcomes.

Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are often gatekeepers to specialist care. This study assessed the relationship between PCP density and total knee (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) outcomes.

Methods: We obtained patient-level data from an institutional registry on patients undergoing elective primary TKA and THA for osteoarthritis, including Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain and function scores at baseline and 2 years.