UK St. Claire and Marshall Health Hold Orthopaedic Quality Conference

UK St. Claire (SCH) and Marshall Health recently held an Orthopaedic Quality Conference to pave the way for SCH to receive advanced certification from the Joint Commission for both total hip and total knee replacement surgeries.

Through this advanced certification program, St. Claire will be able to develop consistent communication and collaboration among all healthcare providers involved in the care of the patient — from the pre-surgical orthopaedic consultation with their surgeon to the rehabilitation activities and post-surgery follow-up visit with the surgeon.

“UK St. Claire is an incredibly high-performing institution with the most dedicated physicians and staff,” said Ali Oliashirazi, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and an orthopaedic surgeon at Marshall Health. “Both of which make this journey towards obtaining advanced certification incredibly meaningful.”

SCH’s orthopaedic surgeons, Eric Dennis, MD, and Charles Pesson, MD; along with Charles Crouse, MD, from Bluegrass Orthopaedics, offer both total hip and total knee joint replacements to decrease their patients’ pain. Through these procedures, they have been able to drastically improve many patients’ overall quality of life and get them back to the activities they love.

Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Knee Replacement (THKR) elevates traditional healthcare services with evidence-based proof of clinical quality that is sought by patients. It is the only certification offered in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR).

“Achieving the Joint Commission disease-specific certification requires dedication and hard work from everyone who interacts with the patient. St. Claire employees have always had that kind of dedication to those we serve and will work diligently to reach this goal,” said Mark Rhodes, Vice President, St. Claire Medical Group.

In July, SCH Orthopaedics signed a strategic partnership agreement with Marshall Health in Huntington, West Virginia, dedicated to improving access and enhancing quality. With the help of Marshall Heath, SCH Orthopaedics is becoming a state-of-the-art environment for clinical and surgical orthopaedic care in Morehead, Kentucky.