This section shows how reporting hospitals performed in the area of joint replacement. These data reflect patients who were discharged for either total hip or knee replacement, after deciding with their physicians that this procedure would benefit them. These are nonemergency, elective operations. Patients who had joint replacements in the past and needed a second operation are not included. Patients who required emergency joint replacements are also not included.

• Section D-1: Total hip replacements

• Section D-2: Total knee replacements

Average Length of Stay

An expected range best represents the average time a patient needs to stay in the hospital. This table shows whether a hospital's average length of stay is within the range expected in a hospital with the same type of patient population. Length of stay is considered an indirect indicator of efficiency. Conclusions about the efficiency of the hospital cannot be based solely on length of stay.