San Jose, Calif.-based Silicon Valley Joint Replacement Center at Good Samaritan Hospital has lowered the rate of complications at the facility from 6.9 percent in 2009 to 0.9 percent in 2014, according to a San Jose Mercury News report.
In the same period of time, the center also reduced blood transfusion rates from 34 percent to 12 percent and average length of stay from 3.75 days to 2.5.
What did the center do to accomplish these improvements in care delivery?
According to Medical Director Edward Littlejohn, MD, the success can be attributed to a department overhaul that standardized protocols for the 13 physicians on staff. The center installed the latest technology to ensure operating room optimization and also made changes to the approach of after-care.
Patients were encouraged to bring along a "coach" for their stay and are offered two group physical therapy positions per day. Also, 50-foot markers hanging from the ceilings help patients track movement after surgery. Being mobile after surgery is extremely important. "Our program keeps people out of bed except for when they're sleeping," Dr. Littlejohn told the San Jose Mercury News.
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