Outpatient Management of Ankle Fractures

Interest in outpatient orthopedic surgery has been fueled by provider desire to control costs and development of rapid recovery protocols. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is a commonly elected treatment strategy for ankle fracture that may be performed in an outpatient setting. Lessons on cost-savings of the outpatient model in orthopedics can be learned in total joint replacement and spine surgery. Moreover, in properly selected patients, outpatient ORIF has been shown to be comparably safe. Reasons for admission of the surgically managed patient with ankle fractures, including concern for surgical delay and additional social factors, warrant further investigation.