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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic effect on the landscape of outpatient joint arthroplasty. By accelerating the migration to ambulatory surgery centers and hospital outpatient departments, protocols and techniques had to adapt quickly. In addition, the roles of technology and partnering with industry became more appealing in some cases to address specific voids and needs during this transition period. The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly affected the state of outpatient joint arthroplasty in 2020 with long-lasting effects that will continue to shape the practice of outpatient total joint arthroplasty for years to come.

Joint arthroplasty is increasingly being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Enabled by enhanced recovery protocols and multimodal pain management, and incentivized by the implementation of value-based payment models, this trend is projected to continue, with more than half of total joint replacements predicted to be outpatient by 2026.