For patients needing a variety of orthopedic services, including total joint replacement, the new Meyer Orthopedic Center at Cox Walnut Lawn will offer a single stop for care. When it opens at the beginning of May, the facility will be home to the latest in technology combined with a comprehensive approach to orthopedic care that is aimed at getting patients healthier and back home more quickly.
The Meyer Orthopedic Center will provide a single location where patients can visit their doctors, undergo surgery – and post-acute care such as inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing – and follow up with physical therapy. After they recover, they’ll also have easy access to a medical fitness facility in the adjoining Meyer Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation.
The new facility will serve as an anchor for many of the services offered on the Walnut Lawn campus and leaders say the focus on orthopedics will benefit both patients and the system as a whole.
“More and more studies show that when you focus on one type of service, the result is enhanced patient and physician satisfaction, increased efficiency and overall better services,” says Ron Prenger, administrator at Cox Walnut Lawn.
The new center will provide that care with six cutting-edge operating rooms that feature digital imaging, ceiling-mounted equipment booms and video capabilities. A new patient wing includes 35 private patient rooms, each with bedside charting capabilities and features such as flat-screen televisions and couches for patients and their families.
In addition to the new facility, leaders say the biggest improvements will come from an in-depth approach that will guide patients through the entire process.
“This is a total comprehensive program where we’re working on a lot of up front education,” says Fred Lerche, director of the musculoskeletal service line at Cox. “Our goal is to make sure that patients are involved in their care and our ultimate goal is to keep improving their outcomes.”
A continuum of care
As the population continues to age and more members of the active 78-million-strong Baby Boom generation retire, the need for orthopedic and joint care is continuing to rise. Recent statistics presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery show that experts predict a 673 percent rise in knee replacements by 2030. The nationwide total predicted then is 3.5 million.
Right now, orthopedic surgeons at Cox perform roughly 1,000 joint replacements annually, with hips and knees being the most common, followed by less common replacements such as shoulders and ankles.
The surgery and rehabilitation process creates a major lifestyle change for patients and the musculoskeletal program at Cox is working to help patients deal with those changes by providing enhanced support in the time before and after surgery.
Patients who are scheduling hip or knee replacements will be enrolled in a new program known as Joint Adventures, a sort of pre-surgery educational boot camp. The idea is to prepare patients for the surgery and to help them identify any potential pitfalls early.
“In the past, we’ve done great joint replacements, but we haven’t had a formal joint education class for patients,” Lerche says. “Working with patients early gives us a chance to evaluate a patient’s situation prior to surgery and it’s easier to problem solve before than after.”
Patients will receive education manuals from their physicians and two weeks prior to their procedure, they are invited to weekly educational classes. Those classes will involve going over the manuals and receiving occupational therapy assessments, followed by a question and answer session.
They will also begin an exercise program with stretching and exercises that will help put patients on the road to a faster recovery process. Lerche says the classes are a good chance to help patients plan for how they’ll handle their home life after the surgery.
“If they have a caregiver at home, we’re asking that person to come to class as well,” he says.
The surgery itself usually involves a three-day length of stay. During that time, patients will receive a daily newsletter that details their treatment schedule, including therapy requirements broken down by the hour.
“They’ll know what’s happening at what time each day during their stay. They’ll know when they have meetings with their therapist and when they have group therapy,” Lerche says. “This really gets the patient into their care. They know what to expect and what’s expected of them.”
Getting patients up and moving after surgery is key to a speedy recovery and to the best outcomes. Keeping them engaged and informed lets the patient lead the way in their own care.
“My hope is that on day two if the therapist hasn’t come in, they’ll be asking, ‘Where’s my therapist?’” Prenger says. “When we’re at the stage where the patient is pushing us, we’ve succeeded in an educational process that involves the patient in their care.”
Patients will be able to attend group therapy in the new facility where classes of 6-10 patients will work together on rehab and exercise. Even after discharge, organizers will be tracking outcomes and seeing how patients are doing months down the road.
Lerche and Prenger say the comprehensive program approach isn’t common at most hospitals, but the investment will pay off in the best outcomes.
“It takes extra time and dedication,” Lerche says, “It really is a team approach, everyone from therapists and nurses to the physicians and support staff is on board for the common cause.”
A wise use of resources
In addition to providing seamless care for patients, the opening of the Meyer Orthopedic Center will also produce new efficiencies for the system as a whole. The new facility will handle most orthopedic surgeries, with the exception of trauma cases and fractured hips, which will remain at Cox South.
Prenger says that in choosing to create an orthopedic hospital, leaders looked at what service lines could be pulled out to stand alone while minimizing any duplication of the services at Cox South. With the other bone and joint efforts going on at the Walnut Lawn campus, orthopedics was an obvious choice.
“We need to be good stewards of the resources we have. By moving some orthopedic beds out of Cox South and bringing them here, that allows South more flexibility in handling their patient volume,” Prenger says.
The additional space also allows for features such as private rooms that wouldn’t be available in a facility that handles a variety of cases. By creating an othopedics-focused area, leaders hope to make an environment that is positive for everyone, from patients and families to staff and surgeons.
“We’re unique in that we have a small operation that we can mold to focus on muscloskeletal on the entire campus,” Prenger says. “That allows us to be focused and expand on our services and the amenities we offer to patients.
“We haven’t seen any other programs as inclusive as ours. We haven’t come across anyone yet who has all of these services in one building with a medical fitness facility under the same roof.”
Center adds hotel-style room service
In addition to a comprehensive orthopedic program, the Meyer Orthopedic Center will also bring a new level of service that will cater to patients and their families.
Among the concierge-style features: room service.
Room service has long been tied to increased patient satisfaction and leaders in Food and Nutrition Services say the Meyer Orthopedic Center is a great opportunity to try out the concept.
From 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. patients will be able to phone in orders from their rooms, making their selections from a hotel-style menu. Orders, called in to 19-FOOD, go directly to the kitchen, where meals are made and delivered to the room within 45 minutes.
Menus offer a wide variety of options for patients, with a full array of breakfast selections; soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch; and a variety of dinner entrees.
“We have more options than a typical facility because of the length of stay,” says Jesse Baedke, registered dietitian and coordinator of Food Services at Walnut Lawn.
In the patient wing, the meals are delivered by a host or hostess who is stationed on the unit and works directly with patients.
“This allows us to really focus on the patient, deliver the meal to them and set up the tray and get the patient anything they need.”
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