2012 Nursing Annual Report - Stormont-Vail HealthCare

total
joint
center
The Total Joint Center provides postoperative
care to patients who have undergone a total hip,
knee, or shoulder surgery. Joint replacement
surgeries are scheduled on Mondays and
Tuesdays and patients are ready for discharge
on Thursday and Friday, allowing the Joint
Center to be open from 8 a.m. on Monday and
until 3 p.m. on Friday. This unique approach
to patient care was supplemented in 2012 with
the addition of a surgical nurse navigator. The
navigator follows and assists the patient through
the continuum of care beginning in the clinic
through post discharge, answering questions
and assisting the patient with coordination of
care as needed.
The Total Joint Center is designated by The
Joint Commission as a Center of Excellence for
hips and knees. This designation follows an
intense one day survey that reviews selected
metrics such as patient reassessment following
the administration of pain medication and
patient falls; chart reviews focusing on the
patient’s involvement in the plan of care and
discharge instructions; observations of the team
as they provide care to our patient population;
and interviews with staff and patients. In 2012,
484 patients had total knee replacements and
204 patients had total hip replacements.
Marlys Bennett, BS, PT,
Physical Therapy