A Franklin, Tenn.-based ASC is launching a total joint program just six months after opening.
Ian Byram, MD, performed the inaugural total shoulder replacement at the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee Surgery Center, which is an affiliate of Westchester, Ill.-based Regent Surgical Health. Dr. Byram used computed tomography-guided navigation technology.
The procedure went smoothly in part due to proper preoperative counseling and close postoperative follow-up, Dr. Byram said. The patient was discharged home within hours.
Before the first total joint case was scheduled, ASC staff established:
- Preoperative pathway and joint education classes for patients
- Team meetings with the anesthesia team, surgeon and nurses
- Proper equipment and staffing levels
"A surgery center does not automatically have all of the instrumentation necessary for joint replacement," Dr. Byram said. "Our leadership was great about getting all the pieces together in order to kick off a program supporting this first joint replacement and what will soon be many joint replacement procedures."
With preoperative education, surgery and physical therapy services all housed in the same facility, Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee Surgery Center plans to eventually introduce knee and hip replacements.