Orthopaedics

2010 Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and Knee and Hip Replacements

Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia designated AMH as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery^SM and as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement^SM. Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery   and Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement  are part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's expansion of its Blue Distinction^® designation.

"This designation is a tribute to more than a decade of hard work by our nurses, doctors, physical therapists and support staff, virtually everyone involved in our program, who have focused on developing the most advanced musculoskeletal program for our patients," said Andrew M. Star, M.D., chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Abington Memorial Hospital and director of the Human Motion Institute.

Performing more than 1,000 joints last year, the Human Motion Institute was the first teaching hospital in Pennsylvania to have received the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval and Disease Specific Certification from the Joint Commission for the hip and knee replacement program. The center offers the most advanced techniques in joint replacement including the new anterior approach, which spares muscles and ligaments, enabling quicker rehabilitation and return to work.

AMH spine surgeons – orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons – performed over 800 spine procedures last year, using minimally invasive techniques and the latest devices. An AMH orthopaedist recently performed the first Superion clinical trial in Pennsylvania for advanced spinal stenosis patients.

2010 Joint Commission Gold Seal for Hip and Knee Replacement

AMH's commitment to excellence in hip and knee replacement was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval and Disease-Specific Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Abington's joint replacement program, the Orthopaedic and Spine Institute (formerly, the Human Motion Institute) , is the second in Pennsylvania and one of 22 hospitals nationwide to receive this prestigious accreditation.

To earn a Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission, a health care organization must meet or exceed the following criteria: compliance with consensus-based national standards; an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities; and the effective use of established clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care. Originally certified by the Joint Commission in 2007, Hip and Knee Replacement received Gold Seal recertification in 2008 and 2010. The Certification is valid for two years.