Richard Iorio MD

Dr. Richard Iorio, MD, was recently named chief of the Adult Reconstruction and Total Joint Arthroplasty Service in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and vice chairman of Clinical Effectiveness at BWH. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon and expert in revision hip- and knee-replacement surgery, Iorio specializes in caring for patients with hip and knee arthritis and osteonecrosis/avascular necrosis a condition that occurs when blood cannot reach bone tissue, causing the bone cells to die.

Dr. Iorio’s clinical interests include the treatment of osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, osteonecrosis of the hip and knee, total joint replacement/adult reconstruction, and nonsurgical arthritis management. As a researcher, he studies the role of orthopedic care in quality and safety, health care policy, and alternative payment paradigms, including systems that compensate physicians and hospitals for care based on quality outcomes and cost-effectiveness rather than service volume. James Kang, MD, chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, said Iorio brings a wealth of experience in evolving strategies for cost-effective care models.

For example, some patients may be able to safely undergo joint replacement surgery in an outpatient setting, eliminating the need for hospitalization and speeding up recovery, Kang noted. “Dr. Iorio will help the Brigham streamline and standardize efficient care coordination processes for overall quality improvements in patient care,” Kang said. Iorio is a graduate of Boston University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia and a fellowship in hip and knee surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City.