Kirkland, WA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/23/2018 --SwiftPath Certified® Ambulatory Joint Replacement Centers of Excellence (AJRCs) represent the next innovation in joint replacement care, according to Craig McAllister, MD, President and chief medical officer of the SwiftPath Program.
The SwiftPath Method enables safe and reliable outpatient hip and knee replacements, many of which are done in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) across the country, according to Dr. McAllister. In the SwiftPath Program, ASCs that adopt and adhere to the rigorous Standards of Excellence developed by SwiftPath will be certified by the SwiftPath Program and will be eligible to be identified as SwiftPath Certified® AJRCs.
"Outpatient joint replacement surgery can be quite successful and rewarding for patients, providers, facilities, and payers. However, some ASCs are simply not prepared or equipped for the special needs and considerations for these major surgeries," says Dr. McAllister.
As outpatient joint replacement goes mainstream, new standards and accountability are required. "ASCs performing joint replacement surgeries should meet certain Standards of Excellence that are evidenced-based and have been vetted by joint replacement experts from across the country," Dr. McAllister explains. SwiftPath Certified® AJRCs standards address implant management, staff training, facilities, infection prevention, patient education, pain management, blood preservation, and other issues of specific relevance to outpatient joint replacement surgery.
SwiftPath Certified® AJRCs will be facilities that are built for and focused on joint replacement and will serve as the gold standard for innovation in the delivery of joint replacement care. "Facility staff, patients and surgeons will all be focused on the joint replacement episode of care—in lockstep from end-to-end," Dr. McAllister says, "enabling considerable improvements in outcomes, patient satisfaction, and costs."
The first ASC in the nation to be designated a SwiftPath Certified® AJRC is Proliance Eastside Surgery Center in Kirkland, Washington (owned and operated by Proliance Surgeons). Its affiliated surgeons have completed more than 400 hip and knee replacements using the SwiftPath Method. "The mission of Proliance Surgeons is to be the leader in physician-managed healthcare services, and to provide excellent surgical and clinical care for every patient, every day," says Charles Peterson II, MD, President of Proliance. "Programs like SwiftPath are a critical tool in helping us fulfill that mission."
"We are honored to be SwiftPath Program's first SwiftPath Certified® Ambulatory Joint Replacement Center of Excellence," says Kristen Butterfield, RN, CASC, Director of Proliance Eastside Surgery Center. Butterfield led the center's adoption and implementation of the rigorous physical and operational standards and protocols for outpatient and enhanced-recovery joint replacement surgeries required for the SwiftPath Certified® designation.
About SwiftPath
SwiftPath (http://www.swiftpath.com) develops consensus-based protocols, patient education programs and an array of information technology tools to assure the safety and efficiency of outpatient and early discharge setting joint replacement.
About Proliance
Proliance Surgeons (http://www.proliancesurgeons.com) is one of the largest surgical practices in the country, with more than 425 providers, including more than 250 board-certified physicians, providing treatment at more than 100 care centers in Washington State.