Outpatient Joint Replacement

Total hip or knee replacements traditionally require a 3 to 4 day hospital stay. With new advances in surgical techniques, better implants, improved anesthesia, and expedited rehabilitation protocols, patients can now walk out of the surgical center the very same day and recover in the comfort of their own home. (Or, for our many patients who travel to receive our advanced care, they can recoup in the luxury of the Davenport Hotel or Coeur d’Alene Resort.) While not for everyone, our advanced outpatient total hip or total knee replacement experience is a great fit for otherwise healthy patients, and comes with a host of benefits.

These operations are performed at highly-specialized locations set up specifically for this type of treatment. Because these surgical facilities are smaller than hospitals, they can offer many benefits that hospitals cannot. They have a better patient to caregiver ratio, so the care is more individualized and focused exclusively on you. They do not service sick patients and are kept super-clean, leading to lower infection rates. They also offer the doctor greater control over the implant device types, medications, anesthesia, and equipment used–all of which leads to better results.

Here is a typical timeline for how Outpatient Total Knee or Hip Replacements work:

Initial doctor visits, with possible X-rays and other imagery, to diagnose the problem and consider alternative, non-surgical solutions.
If the patient needs a replacement, and is in otherwise good health, they may opt for an outpatient procedure.
The surgery date is scheduled and the patient attends a comprehensive pre-surgery orientation. OSC makes all arrangements for post-surgical care.
On the day of surgery, patients arrive an hour before their surgery is to begin.
After surgery, patients spend 2-3 hours in recovery.
Patients walk out of the surgery center under their own power that same day. They go home, or to a local hotel for out-of-town patients, and are visited that evening by a specialized nurse.
Out-of-town patients can fly home the next day to begin follow-up therapy. For local patients, the visiting nurse makes house calls on days 1 and 2 of recovery. They will also receive a visit from the physical therapist.
This is then followed by 3-6 weeks of outpatient physical therapy.

Patients have been raving about this experience. “It’s like going to the Four Seasons vs. a Motel 8!” Not only are they getting their mobility back, they are having an overall better procedure, with more individualized care, and sleeping in their own bed that very night. If you are in need of a total hip or knee replacement, let us know and we’d be happy to see if our advanced outpatient experience is right for you.