total joints in the outpatient setting, suggests Mr. Uba. Are they willing
to consider different payment methodologies, including bundled pay-
ments? Do they have analytical capabilities for assessing the cost of
an episode of care and evaluating whether what you're proposing to
them is going to save them money, improve outcomes and increase
patient satisfaction?
1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6
Excelsior Orthopedics in
Amherst, N.Y., schedules joint
replacements for first thing
Monday morning. Patients are
ready for discharge around
noon. That's when the fun
begins — well, as much fun as
you can have recovering from a
major operation.
Patients are sent to a nearby high-end condo that Excelsior leases and remain in the lap of
luxury until Wednesday surrounded by amenities usually reserved for a boutique hotel. Patients
fill out a survey before their procedures, sharing everything from their favorite snacks to their
preferred music. They walk into the condo after surgery as their favorite Pandora station plays
on a flat screen television. The kitchen is filled with their favorite food and snacks. They have
access to Netflix and Apple TV, and are welcome to order movies on the practice's corporate
credit card. Patients order food from local restaurants that have partnered with the surgery
center. Pull-out beds let family members spend the night as their loved ones recover. One sur-
geon recalls walking into what looked like a family reunion when he stopped by the condo to
check on a patient after surgery.
"It's like a vacation," jokes Mark Wolbert, director of business development and marketing
at Excelsior. "It's hard to get rid of them sometimes." — Daniel Cook
Joint Replacement Patients Recover in Style
• THE SUITE LIFE Patients are discharged to a high-end condo, where their recovery is closely monitored.
