CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Surgery Center To Offer First In The Area Total Joint Replacement

Correction: The title has been edited with a correction and we regret our errors and any confusion or misunderstanding they may have caused.

New Braunfels, Texas – CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center – New Braunfels and San Marcos announced Wednesday, Feb. 26, that it is the first in the area to perform total joint procedures in the ambulatory surgery center space at their New Braunfels location. 

This move follows a growing national trend in health care, which is not only seeing an increase in total joint replacement overall especially with our maturing population but also a shift toward performing total joint procedures in a true outpatient setting and not in the hospital.

The number of outpatient total joint replacement surgeries is expected to skyrocket – with the number of hip and knee joint replacement procedures spiking 73% by the year 2026.

One big reason for the increase: affordability.

According to an Ambulatory Surgery Center Association study, the migration of surgical procedures from an inpatient hospital setting to an outpatient setting saves patients and commercial payers $38 billion.

The benefits seen in the trend toward ambulatory surgeries are not only merely economic in nature as there are several benefits impacting patients’ recovery and overall satisfaction.

“Doing total joint procedures at our ambulatory surgery center is made possible with improved technology and technique, and is an evolution for us starting with knees then adding other areas such as hips and shoulders.  Total joint procedures are great for patients because they allow for a much quicker recovery period for the patient,” explains David Starch, MD, orthopedic surgeon with New Braunfels Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine. “Another key benefit for the patient is that we can better manage their pain with even less likelihood of infection. In addition, patients are able to avoid often unnecessary lengthy hospital stays post-surgery. Patients are able to recover quicker, in the comfortable setting of their homes, which of course boosts their overall satisfaction.”

Physicians who have performed total joint procedures at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center – New Braunfels say that medically appropriate patient selection plays a major role in the process.

“Our focus is to give our patients the best outcome and support to get back to their active life. Patient selection is a key contributing factor to the successes we’ve seen with these procedures,” says Dr. Michael Vrana of the Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute of New Braunfels. “The best candidates for these procedures will be patients who are relatively healthy with minimal underlying medical conditions, and those who will have a strong support system once they leave us to continue their recovery.”

“Our Total Joint Replacement Program continues our mission with our physician partners to offer patients another option to receive surgical care right here in the community we serve,” say Ray Afaisen, Administrator for CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center – New Braunfels and San Marcos.