The medical devices industry is pushing back against further reforms to lower the cost of hip and knee replacements as the federal government searches for ways to make private health insurance more affordable.

A report commissioned by the Medical Technology Association of Australia, released on Thursday, offers suggestions of how to reduce premiums without further restricting implantable medical devices - which cost $860 million more in the private sector than they do in public hospit­als.

Federal government reforms have already slashed the cost of medical devices on the Prostheses List - which is similar to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, but insurers want further cuts.

Instead, the report recommends making more cuts to alternative therapies, treating patients in the community instead of in hospital where possible and even "removing rugs" from elderly people's homes to reduce falls.