News Release

Orthopaedic surgery report provides transparency on patient safety, quality initiatives

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine

At NYU Langone Medical Center the focus on quality, patient safety and patient experience are not just broad stroke initiatives – but measureable, quantifiable and concrete. Patients and health care professionals can learn about this commitment to world-class care and operational transparency in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's recently published "2012 Quality and Outcomes Report," which is now available online as well as in hard copy at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting taking place this week in San Francisco.

"Our commitment to outcomes-driven, quality care has been core to our department since its inception in 1905 – a mission requiring continuous innovation, measurement, introspection and a willingness to adapt," said Joseph Bosco, MD, associate professor and vice chair for clinical affairs, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and director of the outcomes program. "This focus links our whole institution and, by making our Department's results public, we hope to show the impact safety and quality initiatives have on outcomes, clinical and technological innovation and the ability to control health care costs."

This is the Department's second annual analysis of quality and patient satisfaction data for orthopaedic procedures at the hospital, and represents collaborative efforts across the entire medical center to identify, evaluate and enhance the quality of care provided at one of the nation's premiere academic medical centers. The outcomes data is measured against benchmarks established by internal medical center quality teams and the University Health System Consortium (UHC), an alliance of 115 academic medical centers and their affiliated hospitals. Areas of focus include the prevention of venous thromboembolisms (VTE), prophylactic control of MRSA prior to surgery, shortening patient length of stays and decreasing overall readmission rates, among others.

"Hospital performance measures are a greater part of the public domain, so there is an increasing expectation of accountability and transparency – both of which drive us even further to ensure that quality and patient safety are embedded in every facet of our work," said Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. "This report documents the extensive work we have done, led by Dr. Bosco, and establishes a benchmark for others."

The "2011 Quality and Outcomes Report" is available at http://orthosurgery.med.nyu.edu/about-us/publications.

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NYU Langone Medical Center's orthopaedic surgeons provide highly specialized, in-patient orthopaedic surgical care at the Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD), 301 East 17th Street in Manhattan, which is currently ranked among the top 10 orthopaedic programs nationwide by U.S. News and World Report. In addition, the NYU Langone Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center at 333 East 38th Street offers dedicated state-of-the-art facilities for minimally-invasive, outpatient orthopaedic procedures.

About NYU Langone Medical Center

NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center, is one on the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of three hospitals – Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the world's first university-affiliated facility devoted entirely to rehabilitation medicine; and the Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of only five hospitals in the nation dedicated to orthopaedics and rheumatology – plus the NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The medical center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education and research. For more information, go to www.NYULMC.org.


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