Value in Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparative Patient-Level Value Analysis of Cost and Cost-Effectiveness for Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty and Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty in the United States

UKA offers higher value that primary TKA, driven primarily by lower cost structure rather than differences in patient-reported outcomes. To maximize health care value, patients with single compartment disease should be treated with UKA, as they will have similar outcomes with reduced cost, as compared with primary TKA. Outpatient surgery can considerably-but not entirely-reduce the facility cost discrepancy between primary TKA and UKA.