Wu M, Belay E, Cochrane N, et al. - Given the established racial disparities that exist in different aspects of total joint arthroplasty, this study was undertaken to explore if racial and ethnic disparities exist in outpatients compared with inpatient total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. They recorded demographics, inpatient (≥ 2 midnights) versus outpatient (≤1 midnight) status, comorbidities, and perioperative events/complications. They examined differences between racial/ethnic groups and predictors of inpatient vs outpatient surgery, and outcomes. They enrolled a total of 54,582 individuals (83.2% Caucasian, 9.2% African American [AA], 4.5% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 0.6% Native American). This study’s findings demonstrate that differences in indications for outpatient TKA between races/ethnicities appear to be highly correlated with comorbidity burden and preoperative baseline differences, not race alone. The findings suggest that appropriate patient optimization for either outpatient or inpatient TKA may decrease disparities between groups in either care setting.