Of Zoomers, Boomers and Macaroomers
BY EDITOR, SEPTEMBER 29, 2003
The data we see coming from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) tells us that the large joint reconstruction market is being driven by people born before 1944. Not Boomers. Not Zoomers – whatever they are – or any other “oomer”. According to CMS, Medicare paid for 339,625 large joint procedures in 2001. Those would be patients born before 1936. Three hundred thirty nine thousand procedures was 51% of the U.S. large joint surgical procedures in 2001. Over 50% of the large joint procedures were for patients born before 1936.
By definition, boomers, zoomers, whatever are born after 1945. That's practically a full decade's gap between the majority of today's Medicare patients and the early boomers. A decade is, we estimate, another 20-25 percentage points. That adds up to over 70%.
Our conclusion? The average hip or knee replacement patient was born before World War II, is not a boomer / zoomer and is driving this orthopedic industry with lifestyle demands that the baby boomers can only watch and be amazed by. Interestingly enough... it is the “boomer” analysts who are claiming credit for this industry's record breaking growth and vitality. Typical.
