Orthopedics

Spectrum Health Ranked as Fourth Largest Provider of Hip and Knee Replacements in the Country

Continued Strength and Quality Care Moves Spectrum Health Higher on Ranking

Orthopedic Network News has ranked Spectrum Health Grand Rapids as the nation’s fourth largest provider of hip and knee replacements.

A recent issue of Orthopedic Network News (ONN) states that the Top 10 joint replacement hospitals are ranked based on volume as determined by Aspen Healthcare Metrics using 2010 data which allows for comparisons among joint replacement programs across the country.

Clinical research suggests that the more a surgical team does the same procedure together and the higher volume of patients, the better the clinical results. More than 100 studies have demonstrated better results at high-volume hospitals.

“Our ranking demonstrates quality patient care and outstanding clinical outcomes,” said Kevin Splaine, president, Spectrum Health Grand Rapids. “Patients and referring physicians continue to trust Spectrum Health and its orthopedic specialists for joint replacement.”

Spectrum Health also ranks above the national average number in terms of number of revision surgeries performed. The number of revision procedures is important because a higher number indicates that a hospital has “become a referral center for revisions that cannot be treated elsewhere, and most often represents the expertise of the physicians and the institution,” according to ONN.

Orthopedic Network News is a quarterly publication and on-line information service covering orthopedic cost and quality issues. Visit orthopedicnetworknews.com for more information.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 190 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 625,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with more than 18,000 employees. The organization provided $176.5 million in community benefit during its 2011 fiscal year. In 2011 and 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.