Studies have shown that there is a relationship between the number of total hip replacement (primary and revision) procedures performed at a hospital and quality outcomes. One study of 70,000 Medicare patients indicated that at hospitals in which more than 100 of the procedures were performed per year, patients had a lower risk of death and selected complications than those treated in hospitals in which ten or fewer procedures were performed per year (The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, November 2001: 83; 1622-1629) .

In addition, The 100 Top Hospitals: Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success study, conducted by HCIA-Sachs, found that hospitals that perform the most orthopaedic procedures appear to be doing a better job controlling patient complications and have the lowest death rates (For 2000 study: Modern Healthcare, February 26, 2001: 14-20).

Some complications are inevitable and hospitals can reach a plateau where additional procedure volume does not reduce the number of complications (Journal of Arthroplasty, September 2004: 19 (6): 694-699).