Orthopedic surgeon Michael Kang, MD, performed the first two total knee replacement procedures at East Hills (N.Y.) Surgery Center.
Here are five insights:
1. Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based St. Francis Hospital/Catholic Health Services of Long Island and Westchester, Ill.-based Regent Surgical Health partnered to open the 15,000-square-foot East Hills Surgery Center in November 2017.
2. The multispecialty facility was designed for complex cases and procedures, including total joint replacement and spine disorders.
3. East Hills Administrator Debra Hagendorn, RN, spearheaded the center's total joint replacement program.
4. About half of Regent centers across in the U.S. have implemented total joint programs, according to Regent Vice President of Operations Stephanie Martin.
5. Regent guides the process of developing protocols and implementing processes in collaboration with a steering committee.
"We're the first in our area to perform this surgery in a setting that's separate from the hospital," Dr. Kang said. "It's a growing trend across the country fueled by two things: The mandate of value-based care that calls for improved outcomes at reduced cost, and the fact that many patients within the baby boomer population are more active and more fit than previous generations as they begin to develop arthritis, making outpatient total joint replacement a good option."