Orthopaedic Outpatient Surgery Center Earns Blue Distinction for Knee and Hip Replacement

The Orthopaedic Outpatient Surgery Center, a joint venture between DMOS Orthopedic Centers and UnityPoint Health – Des Moines, is pleased to announce its recognition as a Blue Distinction Center of Excellence for Knee and Hip Replacement. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally-designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.

“DMOS is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield for meeting the robust selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. “We have worked hard with the Staff at OOSC and UnityPoint Health to achieve this distinction,” said Nick Honkamp, MD, board president of DMOS. “Blue Distinction exemplifies our commitment to patients and employers in providing avenues of care by which the cost of orthopedic care is managed. “

OOSC is the first ambulatory surgery center (ASC) to receive Blue Distinction in Central Iowa and one of 17 in Iowa to be accepted into this program.

“We value what the Blue Distinction Program brings to Central Iowa,” said Brian Van Brocklin, director of OOSC. “For DMOS Orthopaedic Centers and OOSC it is providing our patients with quality care focusing on reducing cost, improving the patient experience and providing consistent, quality outcomes for our total knees and joint replacements.”

Outpatient total joint procedures are growing rapidly in the United States. Presently, approximately 1 million procedures are being done per year and this number is estimated to grow to four million. Orthopaedic surgeons’ consensus is that 40 percent of all people having total joint surgery would meet the requirements for same-day surgery. In order to meet the future demands of outpatient procedures, surgery teams and centers will need to continue to drive innovation that will advance efficiencies to support this demand while decreasing the costs associated with these procedures.