Staff Reports

Photo courtesy: San Antonio Regional Hospital

Upland- San Antonio Regional Hospital has been selected by Blue Shield of California to participate in the Blue Distinction Specialty Program as the Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. To be recognized by the Blue Distinction Center, healthcare facilities must showcase how they deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community. SA has demonstrated expertise in total knee and hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital readmissions.

The Joint Replacement Center at the Orthopedic Institute at SA offers patients a superior experience on many levels. The program not only incorporates best practices but also use a more streamlined, efficient approach to ensure the best outcome for an individual patient  while minimizing the recovery time.

Two previous patients, Patricia Bain and Alfredo Robles both agreed in saying they feel “restored” after having joint replacement surgeries that were performed by Jay Shah, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon. Patricia is a 59 year-old kindergarten teacher in the Chino Valley Unified School District, who had suffered for about 4 years with debilitating knee pain before she decided to have the knee replacement surgery. She states, “They prepared me really well. It’s a night and day difference from before surgery. The pain is really gone.” Before she had the actual procedure done, she also credited the San Antonio pre-op education and physical therapy for ensuring her successful outcome. As the other patient, Alfredo Robles had a similar experience at San Antonio. Her shared how he felt before surgery stating, “My knees and hips got so bad I had to use crutches just to hold myself up.” After Dr. Shah had completed two hip replacements and a left knee replacement on Mr. Robles in the span of a year, Robles says, “Normally, people like me don’t qualify for surgery, but I came in a wheelchair, and Dr. Shah said he wanted to try and help me. Now, I have a whole life. The doctors thought I would at least need a cane, but I’m walking with nothing. My neighbors can’t believe I’m up and walking.”

President and Chief Executive Officer, Harris Koenig, says, “Our patients benefit from a dedicated orthopedic team that involves many disciplines within the hospital, in addition to some of the finest orthopedic surgeons in the region, our registered nurses and physical therapists have special training to concentrate on patients who have undergone a joint replacement surgery. We have also added extra mobility aides on the floor to assist our patients in ambulating more often. This accelerates healing and recovery time. In fact, most of our knee and hip replacement patients go home within one to two days. Our Orthopedic Nurse Navigator is also a valuable part of the team, providing pre-surgery education and post-surgery follow-up, so our patients have a resource to turn to for questions or assistance, every step of the way.”

The Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped many patients with finding a quality provider for the specialty care of needs that include knee and hip replacement. According to San Antonio Regional Hospital, research has shown that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers.

The Joint Replacement Center at the Orthopedics Institute at San Antonio Regional Hospital will be holding a special lecture series entitled Innovations in Joint Replacement Surgery. It will be from September through November, where you have a chance to hear from orthopedic surgeons about the latest options for shoulder, hip, and knee replacements. For information on how to attend, you may call (909) 920-6139.