Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, today announced that it is five-star rated for Outpatient Total Hip Replacement by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting doctors and patients. This five-star rating reflects RWJUH Somerset's dedication to delivering better-than-expected outcomes for patients undergoing outpatient hip replacement and distinguishes RWJUH Somerset as one of the nation's leading hospitals for outpatient hip replacement.
“This national recognition is great news for our community, who can be assured they have access to the highest quality orthopedic care close to home,” said orthopedic surgeon Stephen Kayiaros, MD, who is medical director of RWJUH Somerset’s joint surgery program. “Our joint surgery team is committed to providing the best outcomes for our patients, using the latest surgical techniques and therapies to help them get back to their normal activities as quickly as possible.”
RWJUH Somerset offers the anterior approach for total hip replacement, which is a tissue-sparing alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery that provides the potential for less pain, faster recovery and improved mobility because the muscle tissues are spared during the surgical procedure. Most patients leave the hospital after just one day.
The hospital’s joint surgery program provides a standardized approach to care by all of its joint surgeons, pre-operative education classes, an aggressive rehabilitation program which includes group therapy and a joint care coordinator, a registered nurse who facilitates all aspects of patients’ care from their initial meeting with their surgeon through discharge. Nurses and therapists are specially trained in caring for patients who have undergone total knee or hip surgery. The hospital has received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total hip and total knee replacement surgery.
In 2022, RWJUH Somerset began construction of a 76,000-square-foot, two-story expansion which will house a new Orthopedic Center of Excellence. When completed in late 2024, it will feature a 35-bed inpatient unit with fully private rooms and a rehabilitation gym.
Healthgrades analyzed patient outcomes at short-term acute care hospitals throughout the country that offer joint replacement on an outpatient basis. This analysis included years 2019 through 2021 to identify the top-performing hospitals for outpatient hip replacement. Healthgrades's analysis revealed significant variation in patient outcomes between one- and five-star hospitals during the three-year study period: patients undergoing outpatient hip replacement at five-star rated hospitals have, on average, a 84.9% lower risk of experiencing a complication than patients treated at hospitals with one-star ratings.* In fact, patients having outpatient hip replacement at one-star rated hospitals are over six and a half times more likely to experience at least one complication than patients treated at five-star rated hospitals.*
Where you are treated matters, especially when it comes to joint replacement, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering data-driven insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it is important for consumers to know that if all hospitals performed similarly to five-star rated hospitals, on average, more than 10,000 complications could have been avoided.*
"Through the industry's first-outcomes-based outpatient ratings, Healthgrades is excited to recognize Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset for their ongoing commitment to providing high-quality care to patients undergoing outpatient hip replacement," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science at Healthgrades. "Patients can feel confident that hospitals with five-star ratings from Healthgrades have demonstrated their ability to deliver consistently exceptional outcomes."
As outpatient surgical volumes continue to grow, Healthgrades is working to expand its outpatient ratings methodology to include key outpatient procedures and conditions to help patients find the best care possible. Consumers can visit Healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality. For more information on how Healthgrades determines the nation's top hospitals for outpatient orthopedic surgery, see the 2023 Outpatient Specialty Excellence Awards and Ratings Methodology.
To learn more about orthopedic services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, visit www.rwjbh.org/ortho.
*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of SAF data for years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Located in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a nationally accredited, 333-bed regional hospital providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical, behavioral health and rehabilitative services to central New Jersey residents. As a designated teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the hospital maintains a family medicine residency program with 21 residents.
RWJUH Somerset has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence. As the first hospital in New Jersey to offer primary health care services for the LGBTQIA community, RWJUH Somerset has been honored as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign.
The Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJUH Somerset has been designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. RWJBarnabas Health and RWJUH Somerset in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - bring a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
About Healthgrades
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