Cohesion, cooperation and compassion continue to drive Connecticut surgeons after 15 years
t was 2007, and a group of 10 orthopedic surgeons working across three New England hospitals found they were all witnessing the same trend: More and more baby boomers were coming of age, leading to an explosion in the volume of patients needing joint-replacement surgery.
This was a common challenge as their respective hospital systems
were equipped to handle only three replacement procedures a
day. As a result, there was often a three-month wait (or
longer) for these vital operations. So the surgeons
came together to provide a solution to patients
throughout the Northeast. Together, they founded
the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute (CJRI)
at Saint Francis Hospital. Fifteen years and more
than 45,000 procedures later, this “hospital within
a hospital” is the largest joint-replacement center
in Connecticut, one of the largest in the nation, and
a destination for patients seeking the most advanced
and minimally invasive joint replacements.
“Even before we opened, the surgeons all agreed
to do two things: Adopt standardized clinical protocols
and make data-driven decisions, thus beginning our value-based
healthcare journey” says Steven F. Schutzer, co-founder of the CJRI
and physician executive at Trinity Health Of New England. “The only way to improve is for everyone to do it the same way and then measure our outcomes.”
Awards for Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute and Trinity Health Of New England
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r. Schutzer says that cohesion, cooperation and compassion are at the core of the CJRI’s culture. Because the institute is its own self-contained physical space staffed with specialized personnel, the team of experts have end-to-end quality control, from initial consultation to scheduling to surgery to rehabilitation and recovery.
“We are a laser focused team,” says Dr. Schutzer. “Our operating rooms run like a well-choreographed ballet. In each room, we have the same highly trained, specialized clinicians for each procedure.”
That type of specialization and remarkable consistency enables the CJRI to perform as many as eight joint replacements a day—and occasionally more—over twice what they were able to do under the old model. And because the clinical protocols are standardized, the research team can collect analytics from each procedure, compile the data, and hone technique and technology accordingly.
Dr. Steven F. Schutzer
"We are a laser focused team.
Our operating rooms run like a well-choreographed ballet. In each room, we have the same highly trained, specialized clinicians for each procedure."
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“Over the years, we’ve been cautious with how we adopt new technology,” says Dr. Schutzer. “We all love new technology and new widgets, but sometimes their promise is unsupported by better clinical outcomes data. So we established a new technology evaluation committee to study these devices before adopting them into clinical use. The bottom line is: How is this going to improve our patient's clinical outcomes or reduce total cost of care for our Institution?”
Robotic-assisted technology is one relatively recent introduction that seems to add such value. That’s why CJRI is at the cutting edge of robotic joint replacement system development and has become one of the largest robotic centers in the United States.
ut above all, CJRI will always use its deep experience, expertise and robust outcomes data to empower their patients and their families to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.
“This is a very exciting time in healthcare. Today, the world is finally moving toward a more value-based model in health care,” says Dr. Schutzer. “We’ve been doing it since 2007 and this bodes well for the future.”
But just because CJRI strives for data-informed, machine-like precision doesn’t mean its physicians and staff sacrifice compassion for efficiency. In fact, the opposite is true—the smoother an operation goes, the better the outcome is for the patient in terms of comfort, early mobility and rapid recovery - all desirable outcomes. And for the purchasers of healthcare? This also comes at a lower total cost of care.
As an industry, joint replacement surgery is constantly bombarded by new technology. But the surgeons at CJRI emphasize that "shiny and new" are not always better when it comes to what’s best for patients.
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If pain medication, exercise and other treatments aren’t working any longer, learn how CJRI can help.
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t was 2007, and a group of 10 orthopedic surgeons working across three New England hospitals found they were all witnessing the same trend: More and more baby boomers were coming of age, leading to an explosion in the volume of patients needing joint-replacement surgery.
This was a common challenge as their respective hospital systems were equipped to handle only three replacement procedures a day. As a result, there was often a three-month wait (or longer) for these vital operations. So the surgeons came together to provide a solution to patients throughout the Northeast. Together, they founded the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute (CJRI) at Saint Francis Hospital. Fifteen years and more than 45,000 procedures later, this “hospital within a hospital” is the largest joint-replacement center in Connecticut, one of the largest in the nation, and a destination for patients seeking the most advanced and minimally invasive joint replacements.
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