On May 1st Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center welcomed several healthcare representatives from Nova Scotia, a small Canadian province of approximately a million people, to discuss best practices and latest evidence in joint replacement surgery. Visitors included representatives from several Canadian hospitals and members of the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the organization is responsible for delivering health care to residents of Nova Scotia.
The Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center is the first in Illinois to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Knee Replacements, attracting attention from national and international audiences in the field of joint replacement surgery. The Joint Center has achieved Premiere Site status through Stryker Performance Solutions due to its significant achievements in performance improvement, safety, quality and patient satisfaction.
Patients in Nova Scotia have the longest wait times in Canada for joint replacement, up to a year to see a surgeon, and often up to three years to have joint replacement surgery. Additionally, a patient’s length of stay is reportedly three to four days at most hospitals. The length of stay at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital is one day, with some same-day discharges, and a patient’s wait for surgery is only six to eight weeks. Hospitals in Nova Scotia have set goals to reduce wait times to six months.
During the visit, Orthopaedic Surgeon Rajeev Jain, MD, medical director at Kishwaukee Hospital’s Joint Center; Marcy Saxe-Braithwaite, senior director Preoperative/Surgical Services at Nova Scotia Health Authority; and Charmaine McPherson, executive director, Primary and Acute Care Branch – System Strategy and Performance, Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, discussed all facets of best practices in the care of joint replacement patients, including pre-operative education, acute management and follow-up care. Dr. Jain shared approaches to ensure quality and improve patient satisfaction and individual care.
“Our visitors were most interested in our efficiency of process and patient care. They were impressed with the way the patient is pulled through the system with every caregiver eager and ready to assist the patient from pre-surgery to surgery, orthopaedic unit and outpatient services,” said Dave Smith, DC, PT, coordinator, Orthopaedics, Total Joint & Spine, at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital. “They hope to improve the standardization of the process to ensure consistency and minimize variables.”
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center, which specializes in total knee replacement and total hip replacement, discharges 95 percent of its patients directly home and to outpatient physical therapy the day after surgery. The center’s “likely to recommend” rating is more than 90 percent.
In addition to Kishwaukee Hospital, Northwestern Medicine offers joint replacement surgery at Central DuPage Hospital, Delnor Hospital, Lake Forest Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Valley West Hospital. To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org
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