Same-day delivery, same-day financing, same-day photo prints – our society is in full support of getting things done right away. One same-day option many may not be aware of, however, is related to total joint replacement. It’s called the Same Day Discharge (SDD) program and Chester County Hospital began offering it in 2021.
With its expansion to CCH, this option is now available at all of Penn Medicine’s hospitals. It
also makes CCH one of the first acute care hospitals in the Chester County area to offer a joint replacement program that discharges patients the same day of surgery.
The CCH Same Day Discharge Program has two primary goals: to relieve patients of joint pain and to get them back to a more active lifestyle quickly, comfortably, and safely. With the SDD program, patients can actually go home the same day of their surgery, providing them with a more familiar atmosphere in which to recover, and a speedier return to normal life.
Penn orthopaedic surgeon Christopher Lyons, MD is one of the CCH providers who performs these same-day total hip and knee joint replacements. Lyons is passionate about his work and taking care of his patients, and he loves that the Same Day Discharge program offers them more options for recovery. Research suggests that it in many cases, discharging patients the same day as their surgery is safe and as effective as inpatient treatment, with the same low risk of rehospitalization.
“For certain patients, they’re just going to be more comfortable in their own home,” Lyons says. With the SDD program, this is a viable option for some Chester County Hospital patients in need of a total joint replacement.
What Is Same Day Discharge for Total Joint Replacement?
Due to technological advancements, surgical techniques, and extensive expertise, the field of total joint surgery has grown rapidly. As a result, patients have benefited from being able to move around and recover more quickly. In fact, over 80 percent of patients who have total joint surgery are actually able to be discharged the day after surgery.
“I would only offer [Same Day Discharge] to patients that I felt were really going to be suitable candidates,” says Lyons. “We have not had problems with the patients that have gone home same day because they are patients who have been preselected against a set of criteria that we know increases their chance of successfully going home on the same day.”
Criteria for the program include access to a strong support system after surgery, an ideal home
layout where one can avoid stairs temporarily, overall good health, and a maintained body mass
index of less than 35.
One key to success for the program is education. Once a date for surgery has been arranged, patients receive a surgical folder that contains everything that has been discussed up to that point, including how to sign up for the Pre-Surgery Joint Replacement Education Class and when the post-operative appointment will be. Patients also receive an information booklet that explains the procedure in detail, including what to expect with – and how to prepare for – recovery.
Additionally, the surgical team will go over everything from how to prepare one’s home for surgery to what to expect on the day of surgery and how to promote a healthy recovery.