Monthly Archives: April 2016

Posted in Doctor Information

New Nationwide Ratings of Surgeons Based on Patient Outcomes

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Nonprofit Consumer Group??Releases??First???Ever??and??Only??Nationwide Ratings??of??Surgeons??for??Patient??Outcomes,?? Based??on??Government??Data??Previously??Kept??from??the??Public

New??Website??Shows??that??Similar??Patients??Have??Three??Times??the??Risk??of??Death??or other Bad Outcomes with Some Surgeons Compared to Other Surgeons.

www.surgeonratings.org

WASHINGTON???Preventable??medical??errors??of??various??kinds??kill??at??least??200,000??Americans??each??year,
making??this??the??third??leading??cause??of??death??in??the??United??States,??six??times??as??many??deaths??as??from??auto
accidents.??One??way??to??reduce??such??errors??is??for??consumers??to??choose??the??best??surgeons.??For??the??first
time??ever,??consumers??across??the??U.S.??today??have??access??to??ratings??of??individual??surgeons??based??on
outcomes???how??often??their??patients??die??in??hospital??or??within??90??days??of??hospital??discharge,??have??serious
complications??in??hospital,??or??need??to??be??readmitted??to??a??hospital??within??90??days??of??discharge.

The??ratings??were??

… Read the Rest
Posted in Patient Stories

Gary Arner’s Double Knee Replacement at Lehigh Valley 2015

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Read Complete Article Here

Gary Arner used to squat more than 800 pounds and dead lift more than 700. But by mid-summer, his knees were so shot that the former competitive powerlifter couldn’t get around without the aid of a walker.

“It’s terrible. It’s depressing,” the 55-year-old Allentown resident said of his loss of mobility and independence. “It wears on you.”

“I’m not going to lie,” Gary Arner of Allentown told The Morning Call after a double knee replacement last summer. “That first week was tough. It hurts.”

But less than two months later he was back to pumping iron in his garage ??? though only upper-body work because he wanted his new knees to last as long as possible. He said his knees were pain-free, although his back and hips were a bit achy because, after years of stooping to accommodate knees that wouldn’t lock, he was again standing … Read the Rest

Posted in Total Knee Rep

New Medicare rules for hip, knee replacements take effect in Collier FL

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Read Complete Article Here

…After a year of wrangling between the federal government and hospital leaders nationwide, a new rule took effect April 1 that retools Medicare payments for hip and knee replacements…

…Collier County is one of 67 regions nationwide where the new rule applies…

…Patients with medical conditions ??? heart disease, obesity, diabetes, lung ailments and the like ??? might be hard pressed to find an orthopedic surgeon willing to perform the joint replacement because hospitals face financial incentives to avoid patients with high risks of complications, according to physician leaders with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons…

…The rule aims to control costs on the $7 billion Medicare spends for hospital care alone for the 400,000 beneficiaries who receive hip or knee replacements each year, according to CMS.… Read the Rest