Firelands praised for joint replacement

SANDUSKY — Firelands Regional Medical Center recently became an Advanced Joint Replacement with Distinction Center by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. "This accreditation affirms that the Firelands' orthopedic total joint care team provides high-quality services," according to a local health care organizational statement. The commission verifies organizations with these distinctions after each goes through an extensive evaluation. Here's a look at the process as explained by Firelands: • "The accreditation looks at the entire care process for elective joint replacement patients from start to finish." • "One major focus is on the patient's self-evaluation of their functional ability following the operation." • "This accreditation differentiates the orthopedic joint replacement services at Firelands because they can handle cases at a higher level, including more complex cases for inpatients and outpatients." • "Also more education hours are required for this higher level, and Firelands also exceeded that expectation." "Overall, strong process and structure were in place to support optimal patient care," said Sheri Johnson, Firelands' senior director of quality and patient satisfaction. "The level of engagement from the perioperative staff and the program medical director was evident to the surveyors." Firelands Regional Medical Center represents the first health care organization in the area — specifically Erie, Huron and Ottawa counties — to achieve this accreditation. "Many people in our medical center and offices have worked to make this happen, and they all deserve many thanks," said Dr. Robert Carlisle II, an orthopedic surgeon of Sandusky Orthopedics, which is overseen by Firelands Health. "We can offer top-of-the-line joint replacement surgery so patients don't need to go east or west to a bigger health system," Carlisle said. "We have a team at Firelands Health that has gone through extra training, stays up to date with the research and is willing to go the extra mile to help their patients."