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WELCOME
Marcus Torgenson,M.D.
Edward deTar,M.D.
Michael May,M.D.
Standing Out
K O O T E N A I H E A L T H R E C E I V E D T H E B L U E
D I S T I N C T I O N F O R K N E E A N D H I P R E P L A C E M E N T S
By Andrea Kalas-Nagel
BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD RECENTLY
named Kootenai Health a Blue Distinction Center
for knee and hip replacements. This is a designation
awarded to medical facilities that
have demonstrated expertise in
delivering quality health care.
“This award relates to howwe
care for our patients and what
makes Kootenai stand out from
other care facilities,” said Sue
Johnson, manager of Kootenai
Health’s orthopedic unit. “I think
one way we really stand out is
the way we run pain manage-
ment and the attention we give
to patients.”
A L L F O R T H E P A T I E N T
Johnson said Kootenai recently
started a new program to help patients who have
had total joint replacement better manage their pain.
The system is multimodal, meaning patients receive
multiple types of pain medication rather than a larger
dosage of just one medication.
“This model offers better pain control for our pa-
tients,” Johnson said. “We’ve had patients who have
gone through this process before at other locations come
in and tell us, ‘This is so much better than last time.’”
Another reason Johnson believes Kootenai stands
out among other facilities is that patients don’t stay
in the hospital as long.
“We make sure patients are out of bed quickly,” she
said. “We have many post-op patients up and out of
bed the same day as their surgery. The earlier they’re
up and moving, the quicker they recover.”
Johnson said it’s been great working with the re-
habilitation team, as well.
“The rehab team is so proactive,” she said. “They
really help get our patients back to a normal routine
quickly.”
A T E A M W O R K
A P P R O A C H
Johnson credits Kootenai’s award
to the teamwork among the de-
partment staff.
“We have a team conference ev-
ery day,” she said. “By the end of
that meeting, every single person
knows what’s going on with each
patient and where they’re going.
“But the people I need to credit
most are the nurses,” Johnson
said, adding that her nursing staff
does a great job of looking out for
patients’ needs.
“The nurses here really advocate for our patients,”
she said. “They make sure each patient is comfortable
and receives the care that he or she needs. Our nurses
adhere to a standard, which creates a high level of
safety and allows them to react to out-of-the-ordinary
situations if they need to.”
E V E R - I M P R O V I N G C A R E
Since Kootenai’s ortho/neuro staff received the Blue
Distinction, Johnson said, even more improvements
and additions have beenmade. One of these additions
is a nurse navigator to help patients throughout each
step of their medical process.
“Having a nurse navigator helps a lot , ”
Johnson said. “It is nice to have one person com-
mitted to a specific patient group. With everything
we are working on, we really see ourselves
continuously improving.”
ORTH PEDIC SURGERY
20
Sue Johnson is proud of Kootenai Health’s
Blue Distinction for hip and knee surgery. This
is a unique designation awarded to medical
facilities that demonstrate expertise in
specific fields.