Elective Surgery and Your Health Savings Account

Are you suffering from hip or knee pain that doesn’t respond to medication or physical therapy? Even though you hurt, what if your condition doesn’t rise to the need for conventional surgery?

Elective Surgery

Joint replacement surgeries, including hip and knee arthroplasties, are two of the most frequently performed non-emergency procedures. And you can utilize funds for this elective surgery from your health savings account (HSA), especially as we are reaching the end of the year and those funds must be spent.

The benefits of an HSA can extend long past surgery. As you recover, restriction of movement will require the utilization of additional items to assist in the healing process.

After Hip Replacement

The funds in your HSA can be used to pay for equipment not covered by standard insurance. Five tools are typically required for performing daily activities such as dressing and showering, and a “hip kit” can be purchased that contains them all. You should have a reaching tool (or “grabber”), that allows you to pull faraway objects toward you without stretching your body. You should also have a dressing stick, sock aid, long-handled sponge and a long-handled shoehorn. These will all help to extend your reach and prevent you from bending from the waist at too extreme an angle. There are other accommodations to consider. Depending on the height of your toilet, you may need a raised seat to keep your knees below your hips while seated.

Whether you’re at the hospital or at home, an occupational therapist can teach you how to use these items. This will help you to maintain your independence and can reduce the burden on family caregivers.

Before bathing, you probably need to cover the surgical incision with a folded garbage bag and paper tape, another HSA-eligible expense, to keep the wound dry until your doctor tells you it’s no longer required. Investing in a shower chair is also recommended to increase safety and conserve your energy. People are often surprised how exhausting showering can be after surgery.

If you have a tub/shower with a high side, a tub bench will be safer for you to get into the shower. A long-handled shower hose will restrict the necessity for extreme movements, and grab bars will reduce the chance of falls. Grabbing the towel rack is never a good idea.

Get a note from your doctor to purchase items recommended by your surgeon prior to submitting them for HSA reimbursement.

After Knee Replacement

Knee replacement patients usually require fewer precautions after surgery, but there are some tools you can utilize. A leg lifter, consisting of a nylon stick with a loop at the end to put your foot through, can ease getting in and out of bed by yourself.

If you live alone or have surgical complications such as swelling or pain, the reaching tool, sock aid and long-handled shoe horn are also recommended.

No matter if your surgery is for a new hip or a new knee, getting up and walking is a high priority. Many patients begin to do so with the help of a walker or sometimes a wheelchair. Medicare and other insurers usually cover the cost of this durable medical equipment when prescribed by your doctor. But if they don’t, walkers and wheelchairs can be HSA-eligible expenditures.

Physical therapy — performed with a therapist — as well as exercises that you do at home are essential to the healing process and to speed the return of motion to your joints. Best of all, physical therapy is also eligible for HSA reimbursement.

The Orthopedic Performance Institute regularly performs inpatient and outpatient hip and knee arthroplasties on a regular basis. Contact us at (210) 545-7171 to discuss your options.