By Karin Fleming and Debbie Ritenour, Vitals contributors
Sutter Health’s orthopedic service line has helped countless patients throughout Northern California lead active, healthy lives, from a teen athlete hoping to keep her sports dream alive to a pickleball player looking to get back on the court. In 2023 alone, Sutter’s orthopedic surgeons and specialists addressed over half a million orthopedic concerns and performed more than 9,000 joint replacements, including knee, hip, shoulder and ankle joint replacement procedures.
In November, Becker’s Hospital Review recognized the service line’s excellence by naming Sutter to its 2024 list of 100 hospitals and health systems with great orthopedic programs. This recognition underscores the service line’s commitment to comprehensive and coordinated orthopedic services, from preventive care to complex surgical interventions.
“Bone, joint and muscle issues can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life,” says Dr. Akira Yamamoto, a Sutter orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group who practices in Mountain View, Calif. “Our orthopedic care teams consistently deliver exceptional care that maximizes our patients’ health and well-being so they can return to the activities they love.”
Cutting-edge Technologies and Techniques
Sutter is a national leader in the adoption of advanced orthopedic surgical technologies, including robotic total knee arthroplasty and hip navigation systems. These technologies provide surgeons with unparalleled precision, resulting in better alignment, fewer complications and shorter recovery times for patients. Robotic knee replacement at Sutter, for example, is associated with a 51% decrease in hospital length of stay compared to conventional surgery, meaning patients recover more quickly and return home sooner.
Sutter’s orthopedic service line also offers innovative techniques such as platelet-rich plasma injections and minimally invasive orthopedic procedures. These practices, combined with the expertise of more than 350 orthopedic specialists, ensure Sutter offers elite care for a full range of orthopedic issues and conditions, from back pain and sports injuries to osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis.
To further enhance patient outcomes, Sutter developed a Total Joint Replacement Toolkit, a comprehensive resource full of best practices used by hospitals and ASCs across the system. Sutter is also developing a Surgical Site Infection playbook to help reduce infection rates following orthopedic surgeries.
In collaboration with the systemwide Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) team and orthopedic physician leaders, Sutter has begun developing multidisciplinary, standardized order sets based on evidence-based best practices. These order sets ensure every patient receives consistent care across all Sutter facilities, improving outcomes and streamlining the recovery process.
The system recently integrated Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) into its electronic health record system, which allows patients to easily report their symptoms, functional recovery and responses to treatment. PROMs data are seamlessly communicated with the physician and integrated into patients’ medical records, helping ensure each patient’s recovery is closely monitored.
Sutter also launched a digital physical therapy platform that allows patients to engage in physical therapy at home through digital home exercise videos. About 60,000 virtual exercise programs have been created, with 75% of patients engaging with their therapist-prescribed program.
A History of Excellence
The recognition from Becker’s is just the latest in a series of accolades. Sutter facilities have received national recognitions and awards for their orthopedic care, including:
- Gold Seal recognitions for advanced hip and knee replacement from The Joint Commission
- Advanced Orthopedic Certification from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care
- Outpatient orthopedic honors from Healthgrades
- Blue Distinction® Specialty Care for hip and knee replacement from BlueCross/BlueShield
- Blue Distinction® Specialty Care for spine surgery from BlueCross/BlueShield
- National recognitions for top-quality orthopedic care and physical
- Rehabilitation from Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report
- Specialized acute rehabilitation Recognition from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
To learn more about Sutter’s orthopedic services, visit Sutter Health’s website.
