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You've performed close to 10,000 outpatient joint
replacements over the last 15 years. What have
you learned?
Everyone thought it couldn't be done. First, I've learned
that it's possible. I've also realized that the large
majority of patients — from young to old, healthy to
sick — can be
done in the outpatient setting. There are very few rea-
sons to keep them overnight.
Did you get pushback
when you first started?
People used to think I forced my patients out of the hospi-
tal. That simply wasn't true. Patients continue to love the
convenience of same-day discharge. Rush University
Medical Center is a wonderful hospital. If patients are sick
and dying, it's the place for them to be. But if they're recov-
ering from joint replacement procedures, they should do it at
home.
What's the oldest joint replacement patient
you've operated on in an outpatient setting?
A 92-year-old man who had his knee replaced.
he Past and Future of Outpatient Joints
Richard Berger, MD
Hip and knee replacement pioneer
T
