Robyn Morrissey
In 2019, Saint Thomas Joint Replacement Institute expanded its program to outpatient surgery centers across Middle Tennessee to make total joint replacements more widely available in an outpatient setting. "This strategy, rooted in service diversification, is a proactive way to anticipate healthcare's shift to outpatient services in a way that dramatically enhances both patient and physician experience," said Robyn Morrissey, vice president of Neurosciences and Orthopedics at Ascension Saint Thomas. "This program expansion complements our existing STJRI program, allowing us to continue providing high-quality affordable care to meet the unique needs of each person we have the privilege of serving."
The Ascension Saint Thomas Joint Replacement Institute now provides joint replacement surgery at The Hospital for Specialty Surgery, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West, all in Nashville. They're also performing outpatient surgeries at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro and Ascension Saint Thomas River Park in McMinnville. The Institute also has launched GetWell Loop, a patient engagement tool that enables direct communication with patient nurse navigators and the patient's surgeon and helps guide joint replacement patients through their journey.
In August, Ascension Saint Thomas broke ground on their new Surgery & Critical Care Tower, along with the health system's new Rehabilitation Hospital, which is being built in partnership with Kindred Healthcare. The new facilities on the campus of Saint Thomas Midtown are the first in a series of investments planned to expand services.
The new surgery and critical care tower will be designed by patients, families and clinicians to create a curated patient journey focused on convenience, ease of access and the experience of a boutique specialty environment. The tower includes 198,000 square feet of space, 18 operating suites, an additional six operating suites planned for future expansion, 36 critical care rooms and 63 post-anesthesia care unit bays for recovery.
In each area of the enhanced campus, patients and visitors will benefit from the "hospital within a hospital" model, offering dedicated parking, valet parking, patient registration and family spaces in a quieter, hotel-style environment. Additionally, construction will incorporate systems to enhance clean air flow and best practices to maintain safety and distancing. "We have the opportunity to build the first hospital that leverages what we've learned from this pandemic, and we will use that knowledge," said Michelle Robertson, COO and CNO for Ascension Saint Thomas at the groundbreaking.
The new 40-bed acute rehabilitation facility, with all private rooms, will serve patients who require rehabilitation following a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or similar medical conditions. The 114,500-square-foot, two-story facility will complement the clinical services the hospital and its affiliated physicians offer patients in the areas of neurological, orthopedic and cardiac care.