Inland Valley Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement after undergoing a rigorous onsite review. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with advanced disease-specific care standards and total hip and total knee replacement requirements. This certification demonstrates Inland Valley’s commitment to quality, consistency and patient safety.
Shaneen Netter, RN, orthopedic/spine program manager, explains that care provided at the Total Joint Center is based on practices that have been shown to support the best possible outcomes. Educating patients and involving them in the process is a key part of this, she says. Defining clear expectations helps patients prepare for surgery and the rehab that follows. “We want them to know they have an important role,” Netter says.
Getting patients up and moving the day of their procedure is strongly emphasized, and can help decrease the length of hospital stay and speed recovery. Physical therapy begins in the hospital, and patients are encouraged to attend outpatient rehab after discharge. “The journey begins here,” explains Netter. “We get patients up in the morning for therapy. We want to capture that same expectation when they go home.”
To help minimize discomfort, a multimodal approach to pain management is used to provide around-the-clock relief. “We’re doing extremely well in reducing the amount of IV narcotics required,” says Netter. Along with different modalities, such as nerve blocks, alternative approaches like aromatherapy and listening to relaxing music also may be utilized.
Netter notes that the hospital remains focused on continually improving patient safety and quality. The Joint Commission recognition is a major achievement, she says, and provides reassurance to patients that the hospital is focused on delivering a high standard of care.