Holy Family Establishes Regional Center for Orthopedic Care

Monday, February 08, 2010

Joint Replacement, Spine Surgeries Receive National “Blue Distinction Center®” Award

February 8, 2010 – Methuen, Mass. – Holy Family Hospital is proud to announce the formation of the Regional Center for Orthopedic Care at Holy Family Hospital. Rated number one in the Merrimack Valley for orthopedic care for the past three years, patients are covered from head to toe with access to the latest in diagnostics, conservative treatment, pain management, surgery, and rehabilitation.

The comprehensive Center serves inpatients and outpatients, and opens as a national Blue Distinction Center, having recently earned this prestigious designation from the BlueCross and BlueShield of Massachusetts To date, Holy Family is the only hospital in the Merrimack Valley and in the New Hampshire and Vermont regions to receive this distinction in two orthopedic categories: Knee and Hip Replacement and Spine Surgery.

The Regional Center for Orthopedic Care will house three major sub-specialties: the Bone and Joint Team, Spine Surgery, and Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation. With more than two dozen board-certified and board-eligible physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, Holy Family Hospital offers the most comprehensive orthopedic services, ensuring that patients receive world class care, close to home. The Hospital also recently announced the acquisition of the Andover Surgery Center, a freestanding surgery facility, where a variety of minor orthopedic outpatient surgeries are performed.

“The formation of the Regional Center for Orthopedic Care gives a formal title to the range of quality care we provide for all of our patients across the broad spectrum of orthopedic and spine services,” said Lester Schindel, President and CEO of Holy Family Hospital. “Our goal is for every patient to have convenient access to a complete, seamless continuum of care, regardless of his or her orthopedic diagnosis.”

Award-winning Care at the Regional Orthopedic Center
Patients can be assured that they are receiving the very best orthopedic care in the Merrimack Valley as the BlueCross and BlueShield of Massachusetts recently designated Holy Family Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center. The hospital was awarded recognition in two areas – Knee and Hip Replacement and Spine Surgery. To acquire this designation, Holy Family is measured against its peers in several criteria including patient outcomes, procedure volume, breadth of services, and process. The goal of the Blue Distinction program is to help consumers find healthcare facilities that have demonstrated better overall outcomes (e.g., fewer medical complications, fewer readmissions and higher survival rates) in the delivery of specialty care. Holy Family Hospital’s advanced training programs and specialty-based patient care teams, as well as its commitment to evidence-based practice and quality improvement, were key factors in earning the Blue Distinction.

“The Blue Distinction recognition speaks to the level of surgical expertise at Holy Family and our ability to consistently achieve outstanding outcomes for our patients,” said Steven Andriola, MD, Chief of Surgery at Holy Family Hospital. “We are proud and honored to be the only hospital in the Merrimack Valley recognized for delivering quality orthopedic care. Our collaborative approach involving the entire care team of talented medical professionals – from anesthesia to nursing to rehabilitation – is what makes our program so successful.”

About Holy Family Hospital
Holy Family Hospital is a 254-bed, not-for-profit Catholic hospital serving some 450,000 people in 20 communities throughout the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire, including Methuen, Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill and Salem, NH. Holy Family is fully accredited and has proudly received the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission, the world leader in evaluating the quality and safety of patient care. For more information about the hospital's programs and services visit www.CaritasHolyFamily.org.

Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities’ overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians’ and leading professional organizations’ recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan.

Media Contact:
Danielle Perry
Director, Marketing and PR
978-687-0156 x2720
danielle.perry@caritaschristi.org