Hartford HealthCare Celebrates Opening of New Bone & Joint Institute

The $200-million Hartford HealthCare Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital showcased the future of orthopedic care when the facility opened its doors to patients in January 2017.

The region’s first and only dedicated orthopedic hospital, the Bone & Joint Institute includes everything patients need from preventive care to the latest treatments, rehabilitation, education and much more – all in one convenient and modern location.

“The Bone & Joint Institute is dedicated to improving quality of life and returning people to the joys of living,” said Elliot Joseph, Hartford HealthCare Chief Executive Officer, who added that the project has proven to be an economic driver, creating more than 1,100 jobs during the construction phase and helping to highlight healthcare’s ongoing role in revitalizing Hartford and the entire state.

The institute was designed with patients’ diverse needs in mind — from those who need emergency or complex orthopedic surgeries that can’t be performed elsewhere to baby boomers seeking quality of life, to seasoned athletes looking for an added advantage and weekend warriors wanting relief from nagging injuries.

The facility, with orthopedic design themes inside and out, has two distinct parts. The 130,000-square-foot hospital features an inpatient building with 48 private inpatients rooms, with capacity to expand to 60; eight operating rooms, with capacity to expand to ten; outpatient rehabilitation and wellness areas; and easy access to diagnostic and other services.

The main hospital is connected to a 75,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center and medical facility via a skywalk. The outpatient building boasts three outpatient surgery rooms, with capacity to expand to five; offices for orthopedics, rheumatology and musculoskeletal specialty care; and an auditorium for conferences that can double as a classroom with live surgical procedures and learning opportunities for staff.

Besides providing traditional, emergency and complex surgeries, the institute offers osteoporosis screenings, a fracture prevention clinic, healthy cooking demonstrations and integrative medicine services such as reiki and massage that help decrease anxiety, reduce pain and accelerate healing.

The center has highly specialized equipment rarely found in one facility, aimed at detecting issues, preventing injuries and speeding recovery. This includes a zero-gravity treadmill allowing patients to begin rehab sooner, even when they cannot bear weight on joints; and a sophisticated motion analysis lab allowing specialists to detect even the smallest of irregularities with movement, preventing problems from worsening. The lab also uses computer-guided analytics to provide balance assessment; and, for athletes, analyses of golf swings, running gait and efficiency, basketball jumping ability or baseball pitching mechanics.