Summa Health opens new Joint Replacement Center of Excellence

Posted March 21, 2022 by Kiel J Pfefferle, MD

Summa Health is pleased to bring to Barberton and the greater Akron community a brand new, state-of-the-art Joint Replacement Center of Excellence. The new center is dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive care, all the while enhancing the patient experience throughout every phase of treatment.

Patients can expect a high concentration of expertise and resources centered on providing exceptional orthopedic care for hip and knee replacement. Summa Health is proud to offer the latest in robotic surgery and innovative procedures to help its patients achieve better outcomes 

In addition, the center will offer concierge care delivery in a hotel healthcare setting, boasting eight private patient suites, valet parking and post-surgery take-home necessities.

Delivering comprehensive care

The Summa Health Joint Replacement Center of Excellence will deliver comprehensive surgical care to total joint replacement patients with a mission to help eliminate pain and restore function to joints.

Patients can expect advanced pain control to reduce the need for narcotic pain medications, minimally invasive approaches, including anterior hip replacement, and digital hip navigation designed to assist surgeons with accuracy and precision. Plus, patients who qualify may even be offered same-day discharge.

Patients can take comfort knowing our orthopedic surgeons diagnose using nonsurgical and surgical approaches, and perform non-surgical treatments first before moving to joint replacement surgery to ensure patients get the right treatment to relieve symptoms and improve mobility.

Enhancing patient experience

What’s more, the Summa Health Joint Replacement Center of Excellence is enhancing the patient experience through every phase of care.

The new center is patient-centric, meaning patients are heard, recognized and valued as a core member of the care team. Patients can expect a personalized team approach where services are tailored to their specific needs. Physicians will work intimately with each patient to identify and diagnose the problem and then develop a customized treatment plan.

In addition, patients will receive an Orthopedic Nurse Navigator to seamlessly guide them through each phase of care, from scheduling surgery and pre-admission testing through the operation, discharge and follow-up visits.

The center also offers patients its Joint Effort Academy class, a comprehensive preoperative education program to improve patients’ understanding and outcomes. The class offers a robust surgical overview, tips for preventing complications and what equipment patients might need after surgery, physical and occupational therapy goals, and much more. The center’s goal is for patients to feel comfortable, safe and knowledgeable about all aspects of the plan of care for joint replacement surgery.

Are you a candidate for total joint replacement surgery?

Many patients wait too long before consulting with an orthopedic specialist. The earlier you seek treatment, the more noninvasive options will be available to you and the faster recovery can occur.

It’s time to consider total joint replacement if:

• You have tried noninvasive treatments to minimize symptoms, including injections, medication or physical therapy, but haven’t seen improvement.
• Pain is uncontrolled with non-operative measures.
• You’ve had to give up on activities of daily living and hobbies that you enjoy.
• It’s affecting your overall quality of life.
• Your knee pain is intolerable when walking up or down stairs.
• The joint is unstable and you have a fear of falling.

You can expect your joint replacement to last for many years, providing you with a better quality of life that includes less pain, improved motion and strength that would not have been possible otherwise.

Summa Health’s Joint Replacement Center of Excellence is here to help patients everywhere regain their freedom and participate in the activities they once most enjoyed.