Total Hip Replacement

Total hip replacement removes the worn ball at the top of the thighbone and the socket it turns in, and replaces both with artificial parts. It is done most often for hip arthritis that no longer responds to medication or physical therapy. The hospital stay is short, but rebuilding strength takes weeks to months.

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What it is

The hip is a ball-and-socket joint: the rounded top of the thighbone sits in a cup in the pelvis, with a layer of cartilage letting the two glide against each other. When that cartilage wears away, bone grinds on bone. In a total replacement the surgeon removes the damaged ball and reshapes the socket, then fits an artificial cup into the pelvis and a stem down the inside of the thighbone with a new ball on top. The parts are made of metal, ceramic and plastic in various combinations, and are either cemented in place or made with a surface that bone grows into. "Total" is the word that separates this from a partial replacement, where only the ball is replaced and the patient's own socket is left alone.

Why it is done

To relieve hip pain from arthritis that keeps someone from walking, climbing stairs, or sleeping, once medication and physical therapy have stopped helping
To restore movement to a hip that has become too stiff for ordinary tasks like putting on shoes
To treat a hip damaged by a fracture, or by osteonecrosis, where the blood supply to the ball of the joint has failed
Less commonly, to deal with a tumor involving the joint

What to expect

The operation takes roughly one to three hours under general or regional anesthesia. Patients are usually up and moving with a walker the same day or the next, and many go home within a day or two — some centers do selected hip replacements as an outpatient procedure. Physical therapy starts early and continues for weeks. Light everyday activity typically returns over the first month or two, with strength and endurance improving for much longer. Artificial hips wear out eventually, and a younger or more active patient is more likely to need a second operation later in life.

Questions worth asking

Is this being booked as an inpatient admission or as an outpatient stay? The surgery is the same, but the two are billed very differently and insurers treat them differently.
Is the implant itself included in the hospital's charge, or listed as a separate device line?
Does the surgeon's fee include the follow-up visits during the recovery period, or are those billed on top?
Will physical therapy be at home, at an outpatient clinic, or in a rehabilitation facility — and how many visits does my plan allow?

What Total Hip Replacement costs by state

Total Hip Replacement cost in California — 84 hospitals, median $9,161.60
Total Hip Replacement cost in Texas — 80 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Florida — 72 hospitals, median $5,605.60
Total Hip Replacement cost in Ohio — 59 hospitals, median $47,179.75
Total Hip Replacement cost in Illinois — 33 hospitals, median $1,771.80
Total Hip Replacement cost in Virginia — 33 hospitals, median $54,119.15
Total Hip Replacement cost in Washington — 30 hospitals, median $30,320.00
Total Hip Replacement cost in Michigan — 26 hospitals, median $17,653.66
Total Hip Replacement cost in Indiana — 25 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Iowa — 25 hospitals, median $6,675.20
Total Hip Replacement cost in Tennessee — 25 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Pennsylvania — 24 hospitals, median $15,727.00
Total Hip Replacement cost in Georgia — 23 hospitals, median $12,866.00
Total Hip Replacement cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $6,311.00
Total Hip Replacement cost in Wisconsin — 21 hospitals, median $9,613.60
Total Hip Replacement cost in New York — 18 hospitals, median $15,226.08
Total Hip Replacement cost in Arizona — 17 hospitals, median $2,010.82
Total Hip Replacement cost in Colorado — 16 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Missouri — 14 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in North Carolina — 14 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in West Virginia — 14 hospitals, median $12,507.50
Total Hip Replacement cost in Oregon — 12 hospitals, median $3,737.25
Total Hip Replacement cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $54,599.40
Total Hip Replacement cost in Kansas — 10 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Minnesota — 10 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Oklahoma — 10 hospitals, median $3,415.75
Total Hip Replacement cost in Nebraska — 8 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Louisiana — 6 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Mississippi — 6 hospitals, median $2,682.40
Total Hip Replacement cost in Kentucky — 5 hospitals, median $4,007.40
Total Hip Replacement cost in Nevada — 3 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in New Mexico — 3 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Alaska — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $1,024.00
Total Hip Replacement cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $1,886.40
Total Hip Replacement cost in North Dakota — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in South Dakota — 2 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Arkansas — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital
Total Hip Replacement cost in Wyoming — 1 hospitals, median not published by hospital

Total Hip Replacement prices at hospitals

Total Hip Replacement at SAN JOAQUIN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Bakersfield — $660.15
Total Hip Replacement at ST HELENA HOSPITAL, Vallejo — $728.70
Total Hip Replacement at SONORA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Sonora — $748.17
Total Hip Replacement at HANFORD COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Selma — $836.19
Total Hip Replacement at REEDLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Reedley — $836.19
Total Hip Replacement at ADVENTIST HEALTH TULARE, Tulare — $836.19
Total Hip Replacement at UKIAH ADVENTIST HOSPITAL, Ukiah — $880.20
Total Hip Replacement at CASTLE MEDICAL CENTER, Kailua — $1,024.00
Total Hip Replacement at ADVENTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER TEHACHAPI, Tehachapi — $1,188.27
Total Hip Replacement at WHITE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, MONTEBELLO — $1,268.28
Total Hip Replacement at WILLITS HOSPITAL INC, Willits — $1,320.30
Total Hip Replacement at Braxton County Memorial Hospital, Gassaway — $1,338.50
Total Hip Replacement at St. Joseph's Hospital, Buckhannon — $1,338.50
Total Hip Replacement at Barnesville Hospital, Barnesville — $1,411.00
Total Hip Replacement at Potomac Valley Hospital, Keyser — $1,419.50
Total Hip Replacement at MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center, Davenport — $1,771.80
Total Hip Replacement at MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center, Silvis — $1,771.80
Total Hip Replacement at MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center, DeWitt — $1,771.80
Total Hip Replacement at MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center, Aledo — $1,771.80
Total Hip Replacement at Providence St Joseph Medical Center, Polson — $1,886.40

See every published price for Total Hip Replacement: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Total Hip Replacement cost — see all prices →

Sources

MedlinePlus: Hip joint replacement (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
OrthoInfo (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons): Total Hip Replacement (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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