SURGE Center for Joint Replacement Surgery
Columbus Community Hospital is changing the way patients and their families think about and experience joint replacement surgery with the introduction of Surge, a comprehensive program that is based on a national best practice model for shoulder, hip and knee replacements.
“This is not your typical hospital program or hospital stay,” said Dr. Richard Cimpl, CCH orthopedic surgeon.
Cimpl and the administrative and clinical team at Columbus Community Hospital developed Surge as a way to provide better experiences and outcomes for people having hip or knee replacement surgery.
“First and foremost, we do not see our patients as being sick,” Dr. Cimpl explained. “Instead, we see our patients as healthy individuals who are coming to the hospital because they have hip or knee pain, and want to live a better quality of life by having joint replacement surgery.”
This fundamental concept of wellness is executed throughout the entire Surge program, which incorporates advanced, minimally invasive, analgesic and rapid-recovery surgical techniques —with an environment that maximizes patient recovery through education, a culture of early mobility, family involvement and group interaction.
Surge Center Services – How Does Surge Work?
First, each patient chooses a coach—usually a family member or loved one—who is an active participant in their care before, during and after discharge from the hospital. Coaches learn the program right along with their loved one and provide encouragement and support every step of the way. Both the patient and coach are required to attend a preoperative class three to four weeks prior to surgery, where they meet their Surge team. At this point, they also learn about the procedure, what to expect in the hospital and how to care for themselves after discharge.
In addition to this education, participants in the Surge Center also have an additional resource in CCH’s patient experience manager who oversees patients’ entire Surge experience – before, during and after discharge. All staff at the Surge Center receive special training, and are chosen to work on the unit because of their expertise; positive, upbeat nature and motivational skills.
Patients stay in a unit especially for people having joint replacement surgery and they begin their recovery the day after their surgery. Each day, patients receive a daily newsletter — Shoulder Scoops, Knee Keys or Hip Hints, depending on their surgery – which lets them know their agenda for the day, along with tips on how to care for themselves later. Two group therapy sessions are held daily — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — in the Surge Ortho Suite located on the unit. Group therapy is supplemented by individual, in-room therapy sessions.
Patients compete with one another in terms of the distance they walked each day and their progress is tracked on a large exercise board posted in a common area. The group environment of the Surge Center provides camaraderie and additional motivation.
But the care doesn’t end after discharge or graduation from the Surge Center. Graduates receive calls from the Surge staff within 72 hours of discharge, and again one to two weeks later. Reunions for Surge graduates and their coaches are held quarterly with surgeons and their entire team.
CCH staff will evaluate each patient on multiple clinical, functional and patient satisfaction criteria. So, when we say we offer better outcomes, we have the data to prove it.
Contact Us
For more information on the Surge Center for Joint Replacement Surgery, contact:
Dona J. Kudron RN, BSN
Patient Experience Manager
402-562-4624
Columbus Community Hospital
4600 38th Street
Columbus, Nebraska 68602-1800