Total Knee Replacement through the Eyes of an Orthopedic Surgeon

DEERFIELD, Ill., Oct. 13, 2016 -- Dr. Ira Kirschenbaum is a total knee replacement specialist and chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York. He has performed over 3,500 total knee replacements in his career. When he needed a new knee himself, he kept a journal documenting his surgery and recovery, for the first time, as the patient. This unique experience offers a remarkable perspective for both surgeons and patients. Dr. Kirschenbaum is the founder, and an active user, of the SwiftPath Program. SwiftPath has partnered with Surgical Care Affiliates (NASDAQ:SCAI) (SCA), a leader in the outpatient surgery industry, to provide patients with the option to have hip and knee replacements on an outpatient basis. 

Medscape (www.medscape.com) has published his diary in a two-part series. The first part, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/868379 (free with registration), ran as the most popular article on Medscape for several weeks. Part 2 is forthcoming. Dr. Kirschenbaum’s entire journey, complete with video testimonial, is available on his blog, www.mykneeyourknee.com.

Nationally, there is a significant opportunity to improve patient care and substantially reduce healthcare cost by migrating total hip and total knee replacements to an outpatient environment. Dr. Kirschenbaum’s experience provides a first-hand account of this program in action.

The SwiftPath Program includes a proprietary total joint replacement protocol and cloud-based patient engagement platform that is revolutionizing the way outpatient total joint procedures are done. SwiftPath, LLC develops evidence-based, rapid recovery protocols vetted by expert opinion that enable surgeons to transition hip and knee replacements to an outpatient setting. Dr. Kirschenbaum’s own knee replacement surgery was performed by Dr. Craig McAllister, president and chief medical officer of The SwiftPath Program.

“On August 22, 2016 I had my left knee replaced as an outpatient, going home just two hours after the surgery ended,” said Dr. Kirschenbaum. “As a surgeon, and now a patient, I can confirm that this is the optimal way to perform total joint replacement for the correctly selected patient. The results are clinically equal, pain is less, patient satisfaction is higher, and the episode of care is more efficient and cost effective.”

The second part of Dr. Kirschenbaum’s knee replacement, documenting his post-operative recovery and rehabilitation will be available in the coming weeks.

About SwiftPath

SwiftPath develops consensus-based protocols, patient education programs and an array of information technology tools to assure the safety and efficiency of outpatient and early discharge setting joint replacement.  For more information on SwiftPath, visit www.swiftpath.com.

About Surgical Care Affiliates

SCA (NASDAQ:SCAI), a leader in the outpatient surgery industry, strategically partners with health plans, medical groups and health systems across the country to develop and optimize surgical facilities. As of June 30, 2016, SCA operated 201 surgical facilities, including ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals, in partnership with approximately 3,000 physicians. For more information, visit www.scasurgery.com.

Press Contact:
Alison Donnelly
Director, External Communications
Surgical Care Affiliates
(847) 420-3822
[email protected]