Rocking the Joint: A Conversation about Joint Replacement with Newberry Hospital Interim CEO Craig Cudworth

MidlandsLife:
Many of my friends and colleagues are having hip and knee joint replacement surgeries. Are we just getting old or is something else causing this?

Craig Cudworth:
We’re all getting older and that’s a big part of it. We aging Baby Boomers don’t want to stop what we’re doing just because our joints are getting creaky. We want to keep working and playing pain free and if a hip or knee joint replacement will allow us to keep golfing, hiking, running, dancing or working in a physical field, why not have surgery and fix it? There are a lot of us Baby Boomers so that means lots of hips and knees to replace.

MidlandsLife:
I read that the number of knee replacements tripled between 1993 and 2009. That can’t just be Baby Boomers.

Craig Cudworth:
This might surprise you—another factor driving demand for knee joint replacement surgery is rising obesity rates. Excessive body weight is very damaging to knee joints, more so than hip joints. A study published in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery attributes the 95 percent increase in demand for knee replacement to weight problems. Many of these are younger adults whose mobility is compromised and need knee joint replacement to function normally.

MidlandsLife:
Newberry Hospital is ranked among the top 10 percent in the country for hip and knee joint replacement surgery, the third year in a row you’ve achieved this ranking. You’re rocking joints! How does a small community hospital do this?

Craig Cudworth:
Like so many parts of life, size doesn’t matter; attitude and approach do. We decided we were going to excel at joint replacement surgery, developed a plan, got our physicians and staff behind it, and then executed. It sounds easy when I say it, but it’s taken a tremendous amount of work by everyone at Newberry Hospital to achieve “best in the nation” status for our Orthopedic Center of Excellence and a five-star rating from Healthgrades. People are noticing, too; we attract patients from throughout the Midlands to Newberry for joint replacement surgery.

MidlandsLife:
What’s the ranking based on?

Craig Cudworth:
The rankings are based on how well patients do after joint replacement surgery. According to Healthgrades, which compiles the rankings, patients treated at a five-star rated hospital experience a 73 percent lower risk of mortality and a 63 percent lower risk of complications compared to one-star rated hospitals. We work really hard to avoid complications and it shows.

MidlandsLife:
What is Newberry Hospital doing that other hospitals aren’t?

Craig Cudworth:
I can’t speak for other hospitals, but here are several things that make our joint replacement program successful. First, the orthopedic surgeons of Palmetto Bone & Joint (Dr. Phil Milner, Dr. James Loging, Dr. John Hibbitts) are very talented surgeons, use the most advanced surgical techniques, and are very respectful of their patients. Second, we do more than surgery. Patients and their partners are encouraged to attend our Back on Track program, where they learn what to expect before, during and after surgery. Patient education is key! Third, we’ve recently renovated our third floor so everything these patients need, including physical therapy, is in one place. The rooms have been modernized with wider doors and walk-in showers to make it easier for patients. Finally, and this may sound obvious, but we truly care about each patient and want the best for them.

MidlandsLife:
With all of the changes we’re seeing in health care, how does a smaller hospital compete with the mega health systems?

Craig Cudworth:
I truly believe there’s a place at the table for all of us. People who want a more intimate hospital environment, more hands-on attention from their surgeons, nurses and therapists; and who want their surgery performed at a nationally ranked hospital with a proven record of quality patient outcomes should look closely at Newberry Hospital and our joint replacement program. We are rocking it!

Craig Cudworth is the interim CEO of Newberry County Memorial Hospital and has 28 years of experience in health care administration.