Same-day knee and hip replacement: are you a candidate?

Hospital stays after joint replacement have shrunk dramatically. According to the American Joint Replacement Registry, the average stay after a total knee replacement fell from 2.9 days in 2012 to 1.1 days in 2023.¹ For the right patient, going home the same day is now routine.

Is it safe?

In a systematic review of outpatient joint replacement, 94.7% of patients planned for same-day discharge went home as planned, and about 2% were readmitted or returned to the emergency room.² The key words are “for the right patient.” Careful selection is what makes outpatient surgery safe.

Who is a good candidate?

• Your major health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, are well controlled.
• You have a responsible adult who can stay with you for the first few days.
• Your home is set up for recovery, or you're willing to set it up.
• You're motivated to start walking right away and to keep up with therapy.

If you're not a candidate, that's fine. An overnight stay is still a short, safe recovery. We decide together based on your health, not a schedule.

How precision helps

Getting home quickly depends on controlling pain and getting you moving the same day. With Mako robotic-arm assisted knee replacement, I plan your implant on a 3D model of your knee and the robotic arm helps keep bone preparation within that plan. In one study, robotic-arm assisted total knee replacement was associated with less pain, less need for pain medication and earlier discharge than conventional surgery.³

What's changing with Medicare

Medicare has been steadily opening the door to outpatient joint replacement. Total hip replacement was added to the list of procedures covered at ambulatory surgery centers in 2021.⁴ For 2026, Medicare began a three-year phase-out of its “inpatient-only” list, removing hundreds of musculoskeletal procedure codes and adding many to the surgery-center list.⁵ What this means for you depends on your plan, so our office can help you check.

Getting ready

Patients who go home the same day usually prepare well: they do prehab exercises, set up their home, line up help and arrange physical therapy in advance. If you're wondering whether same-day surgery fits you, request a consultation.