Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital

"Welcoming, immaculate, a palace," is how Mary Vollmar describes a recent stay away from home.

But she wasn’t describing an exclusive resort.

Vollmar was undergoing full knee replacement surgery at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin.

"I almost didn’t want to go home because I loved being there," she jokes. "It was such a treat."

Vollmar, like more and more patients in need of orthopedic surgery, are turning to specialty, boutique hospitals like Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin (an affiliate of Columbia St. Mary’s) and the Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (a division of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare).

Both focus on orthopedic surgeries, including knee, hip and spine replacements. And this vested interest in solely orthopedics is often a selling point.

"When you’re focused on one thing (orthopedics), you can really hardwire that process," explains Dan Mattes, president of Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital. "From an outpatient surgery to a total knee replacement, we know exactly what type of patient it is. The physicians play a huge role in the patient’s experience, from the time he or she walks in the front door to the time he or she leaves."

With just six operating rooms at Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital and 10 at Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, there is a unique commitment to each patient’s individual care. Plus, the hospitals’ absence of trauma or terminally ill patients keep infection rates low.

"The general hospitals, in all honesty, don’t have the ability to focus on one service line over another because of their responsibility to treat all problems," says Dr. Rory Wright, medical staff president of Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin. "All of our resources, staff and physicians have one common goal — providing the highest quality of orthopedic care available." According to the American Journal of Infection, both hospitals’ infection rates are less than 1 percent, while the national average can be as high as 2.4 percent.

Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin

Above all, patient satisfaction is of utmost importance and a vital component of each hospital’s business model. In 2011, six Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital surgeons received the prestigious Patient’s Choice Award. Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin won the Press Ganey Summit Award in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital also won the award in 2012. Winners must rank in the 95th percentile in the Press Ganey patient satisfaction database for a minimum of three consecutive years.

"We focus on the most important part of our business — our patients," adds Brian Cramer, CEO of Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin. "They are the reason we exist, and they are the reason we are successful."

For more information on either hospital, please visit www.ohow.com or www.mymosh.com.