Why is this measure important?

During elective hip or knee replacement surgery, surgeons take out the hip or knee joint that is not working and replace it with an artificial joint, also known as a prosthesis.

What does this measure show?

This measure tracks patients who experienced serious problems after hip or knee replacement surgery.

Serious problems from hip or knee replacement surgery can include heart attack, pneumonia, infections, bleeding, blood clots, death, problems with how the artificial joint works, joint or wound infection.

While some patients have higher risks than others, some of these complications may be preventable. A lower rate may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

For this measure, a lower number is better.