Joint Replacement Center: Certified for Excellence
The certification was awarded after an extensive study of the center, including its clinical procedures, documentation policies, patient satisfaction and patient outcomes.
Former patient Carol Gilliam wasn’t surprised when she found out about the honor. She has experienced the center’s excellence firsthand — twice.
Carol’s Story
Carol first started to notice the pain in her knees in 2001. By 2004, her pain had progressed significantly. On a muchanticipated trip with her husband to California, Carol was in so much pain that she was unable to leave their hotel room.Carol finally met with James Ramser, M.D., of Blue Ridge Orthopaedic and Spine Center and some of the Fauquier Health Center for Joint Replacement staff to discuss surgery. They told her what to expect and what she would need to do to have the best outcome. In January 2005, Dr. Ramser performed the joint replacement on Carol’s most painful knee.
Carol says, “A successful surgery is the first step of course, but it’s important to follow your recovery program.” Carol did and was so happy with the results that she soon scheduled surgery for the second knee.
The Meaning of Excellence
The journey to the Center of Excellence Certificate of Distinction did not happen overnight. Blue Ridge Orthopaedic’s David Snyder, M.D., began in 2004 to guide the hospital’s center of excellence development team through nearly five years of progressive changes.Dr. Ramser says, “Years ago, before we started to use the center model, everyone did his or her own job, but it was more about the mechanics of getting the job done. With the center concept, everyone is part of a bigger team. Now, everyone from the physician to the therapist, nurses and cleaning staff are all focused on one thing — to have a happy patient with good outcomes. It is great to have official recognition from the Joint Commission.”
Dr. Ramser points to the best technology as another contributor to the center’s success — “for example, the recently adopted Brain Lab.” Brain Lab is computer-assisted surgery — sort of a GPS system for joint surgeries.
A Better Life
Looking back, Carol has no regrets. “Three months after my second surgery, I traveled across the country with no problems. Then we went to Germany and I walked everywhere, even up and down lots of steps.” Carol’s husband, Frank, says, “Carol got her life back, and I got my wife back. We are very lucky to have a hospital like this in our community.”
WHEN TO CONSIDER JOINT REPLACEMENT
Orthopedic surgeon David Snyder, M.D., says, “Most people think pain is reason enough to have knee or hip replacement, but it isn’t necessarily. Many people can lead complete and fulfilled lives with some pain, perhaps controlled by medication.”
That being said, here are three reasons to consider joint replacement:
- Incapacitation: You are so disabled by the pain that you are unable to enjoy a satisfactory quality of life.
- Unsafe knee: Your knee gives way at unexpected times, creating a dangerous situation that could result in serious injury, like a broken hip.
- Sleep deprivation: You are so uncomfortable that you don’t sleep.
