Implant prices and physician reimbursement have declined more than total costs and hospital payments in total shoulder arthroplasty

Background: Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is among the fastest-growing joint replacement procedures in the United States. As bundled payment models and value-based care initiatives expand, surgeons and hospitals face increasing pressure to contain costs. Implants account for a substantial portion of procedural expenses, yet trends in TSA implant pricing relative to total costs, hospital and physician reimbursement, and patient out-of-pocket (OOP) spending remain poorly characterized. Methods: Implant prices for anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) from 2010 to 2022 were obtained from the largest publicly available implant registry, Orthopedic Network News. Cost, reimbursement, and patient OOP spending data were sourced from a commercial insurance claims database. All costs, reimbursements, and prices were adjusted for inflation. Trends were analyzed using linear regressions. Results: = .25). Conclusion: Although implant prices have decreased substantially over time, the financial benefit has not been realized by patients or surgeons. This is the first study to contextualize implant cost trends alongside total costs, hospital reimbursement, physician reimbursement, and OOP patient expenses in TSA, highlighting persistent gaps in cost transparency. In an era of increasing TSA volumes and growing cost-control pressures, these findings underscore the need for surgeon awareness of implant costs, which will be particularly important in guiding future changes to clinical practice, payment models, and policy.