New data on the Philadelphia region’s top hip and knee replacement providers by volume

If you’re among the thousands of people in Southeastern Pennsylvania getting a hip or knee replaced this year, it’s increasingly likely that you will end up at a Jefferson Health facility.

Jefferson acquired three Pennsylvania health systems since 2015 — plus took control of two orthopedic specialty hospitals that are joint ventures with Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.

In recent years, those two hospitals — Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital in Bensalem and Physicians Care Surgical Hospital in Royersford, where Main Line Health is also a partner — have seen explosive growth in joint replacements.

Combined, the two facilities performed 3,923 hip and knee replacements in the year ended Sept. 30, 2022, up nearly 50% over four years, according to an Inquirer analysis of data released in October by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.

The local market for such surgeries was up just 9%, compared to the 12 months ended June 30, 2018.

The Inquirer culled the data from Cost Containment Council reports. (The analysis reflects an adjustment for Jeanes Hospital, which is now under Temple University Hospital. The 2018 counts were combined to get an apples-to-apples comparison.)

The declines at Bryn Mawr Hospital are likely because Main Line Health, in partnership with Rothman and others, in June 2017 opened the Orthopaedic Surgery Center at Bryn Mawr Hospital, a separately licensed outpatient facility that has pulled business from the hospital.

Not in the top ten, but also having an impact on the market, are other new ambulatory surgery centers like Bucks County Surgical Suites in Warrington and Muve West Chester. They are both in the top 20 for both knee and hip.