Research Outline

Orthopaedic Surgeons in the US

Goals

To determine the number of orthopaedic surgeons in the US by specialty and the number of procedures performed per surgeon by specialty and procedure.

Early Findings

  • According to the AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons), there are 30,141 orthopedic surgeons in the US.
  • The most popular areas of focus have been "sports medicine, hand surgery, and joint replacement."
  • In 2017, the number of arthroplasties (surgical reconstruction) of knee and hip joints exceeded 41,000.
  • The number of knee replacements are projected to reach 1.28 million by 2030.
  • According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the number of its registered hand surgeons in the US is 3,800+.
  • Specialties in orthopaedic surgery include foot and ankle, general orthopaedic surgery, hand & upper extremity surgery, non-surgical orthopaedic physician, physiatry, regenerative medicine, rheumatology, hip & knee, spine, pediatric orthopaedic surgery, shoulder & elbow, and surgery of the hand, among others.
  • There are over 7,700 foot and ankle surgeons registered with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
  • There are between 400,000 and 500,000 carpal tunnel surgeries in the US.

Summary

  • The initial hour of research focused on determining the availability of information for each aspect of the request, i.e. the number of orthopaedic surgeons by specialty and the number of procedures performed per surgeon by specialty and procedure.
  • Initial research has shown that information for the number of surgeons by specialty should be available through reliable sources.
  • Although the number of procedures performed per surgeon by specialty and procedure could be publicly unavailable, this can be calculated/triangulated using supporting data points and statistics, wherever available.