St. John’s Medical Center announces the opening of the Peak Joint
Replacement Center. This new, comprehensive program is based on a national
best practice model for hip, knee, and shoulder replacements and is structured
around the fundamental principles of wellness.
“This is not your typical hospital program or hospital stay,”
according to Dr. Gus Goetz, one of five orthopedic surgeons who, along
with the administrative and clinical team at St. John’s, developed
this innovative program to provide a superior experience for individuals
having joint replacement surgery.
“First and foremost, we do not see our patients as being sick,”
Dr. Goetz explains. “We see them as healthy individuals who want
to have a better quality of life by having joint replacement surgery.”
Each patient chooses a coach—usually a family member or loved one—to
be an active participant in his or her care. Both the patient and coach
attend a pre-operative class at least two weeks before surgery, where
they learn about the procedure, the hospital stay, and post-discharge care.
Orthopedic Program Manager Jaime Jackson, RN-BC, oversees the patients’
entire stay at the hospital and serves as their resource before, during,
and after discharge. All members of the Peak Joint Replacement team receive
special training and have been selected to work in this program due to
their expertise, upbeat nature, and excellent motivational skills.
Throughout their hospital stay, patients experience a wellness care model.
They wear their own comfortable gym clothes, not hospital gowns, they
reside in specifically designed rooms to accommodate their orthopedic
needs and follow a structured daily schedule that begins at 6 am the day
after surgery. Each morning, patients receive a newsletter letting them
know the agenda for the day, along with tips on how to care for themselves.
In addition to individual physical therapy sessions, patients have two
group sessions each day. This group approach makes recuperation fun, as
patients encourage and support each other during their stay. After patients
go home, the care doesn’t end. They receive follow-up calls from
the program manager and are invited back to a reunion lunch to share their
progress and feedback on the program with the joint replacement team.
During monthly performance improvement meetings, the Peak Joint Replacement
team reviews the program by analyzing data collected on former patients,
including clinical metrics and satisfaction levels. This enables St. John’s
“to continue to build a more efficient and effective program,”
says Dr. Lou Hochheiser, St. John’s Medical Center CEO. “So,
when we say we offer better outcomes, we have the data to prove it.”
For more information on the Peak Joint Replacement Center or the patient
education classes, visit our web page at
http://www.tetonhospital.org/joints.
Media Contact: Karen Connelly,
kconnelly@tetonhospital.org, 307 739 7380
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St. John's Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming, offers patient-centered
care, clinical excellence, and community wellness through a full-service
hospital, primary care and specialty physician practices, and a long-term
care Living Center. For more information, visit tetonhospital.org
St. John’s Hospital Foundation works to broaden the community’s
understanding of and support for St. John’s Medical Center and to
inspire philanthropy to improve the health of our community. For more
information about the Foundation, visit stjohnshospitalfoundation.org