Wide Price Fluctuations for Inconclusive Effects

Newswise — The use of orthobiologics is a hot trend in orthopaedics, but new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows wide variability in cost for these therapies. The UAB study, published in Sports Health...looked at two orthobiologic therapies; platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cell injections, and found dramatic cost variability ranging from a few hundred dollars to as much as $12,000. That is troublesome, say UAB researchers, especially for therapies that are yet to be conclusively proven effective.

“Research into the efficacy of these therapies is mixed at best,” said Amit Momaya, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UAB School of Medicine and the study’s first author. “Some studies show benefit, others don’t. More research is needed to definitively determine their effectiveness, but in the meantime consumers can find themselves paying a lot of money for something that may — or may not — work.”

Orthobiologics such as platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cell injections have been suggested to improve healing and manage pain following orthopaedic injury. They are autologous therapies, meaning they are derived from the patient’s own blood or cells. Because they are autologous, their use is not highly regulated by the government and there is minimal oversight from the public health community.

Momaya and Ponce’s team surveyed 1,345 orthopaedic sports medicine practices around the United States, asking if orthobiologics were offered and at what cost. Roughly two thirds of the responding practices offered one or both of the therapies. In general, costs were higher in affluent areas of larger cities. Geographically, costs were higher in the western regions of the country and lower in the south. Large orthopaedic practices were more likely to have higher prices than smaller practices.

The mean cost of the platelet-rich plasma injection was $707, with a range of $175 to $4,973. Stem cell injections had a mean cost of $2,728, ranging from $300 to $12,000. In most cases, insurance does not cover the cost of the injections.

“We are not against the use of orthobiologics,” Momaya said. “We use them ourselves as we work to understand which conditions and which patients are most likely to benefit from these therapies. But until we can say with confidence that these are effective, we have to urge patients to use caution and get as much information as possible about effectiveness and cost before pursuing orthobiologic therapy.”

 

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