Bone & Joint Institute Expands During First Year

The Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital celebrated the culmination of its inaugural year in 2018. The Bone & Joint Institute’s first year was filled with many notable successes, including a 48 percent year-over-year growth in joint replacement surgeries.

Quality measures were also up during the first year, with a nearly 30-point improvement in patient experience scores since the grand opening. The improvement in quality is also reflected in the lower rates of surgical site infection and blood clots at the Institute, along with a greater percentage of patients discharged to home healthcare.

Spaces at the Institute left open for future development were needed early due to the high demand for exemplary care. In mid-2018, two new operating rooms and 11 new patient rooms were opened to serve even more patients, bringing the total to 10 operating rooms and 59 inpatient beds.

The Bone & Joint Institute welcomed its second physician-in-chief, Dr. Theodore A. Blaine, in July 2018. Dr. Blaine is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in orthopedics. He has a broad range of experience in academic, clinical, research and administrative roles at leading academic institutions.

Dr. Blaine’s clinical expertise is in shoulder replacements, with an excellent reputation for quality outcomes in these surgeries. He has received numerous postgraduate honors and teaching awards and has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America.

The Institute’s first physician-in-chief, Dr. Courtland Lewis, retired in 2018. Dr. Lewis joined the medical staff at Hartford Hospital in 1990 and assumed a leadership position in 2013. Dr. Lewis was instrumental in the development of the Institute and the move to its new state-of-the-art hospital.