FREE SEMINAR: Help for Hand, Hip and Knee Pain

DOUSMAN – Fort HealthCare is hosting a free seminar about joint health and related conditions on Tuesday, June 4, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Three Pillars Senior Living Community. Three Pillars is located at 36225 Sunset Drive in Dousman, Wis. The seminar is educational, and free for anyone to attend.

Presenters are James Bruno, MD, orthopedic surgeon with Fort HealthCare Orthopaedic Associates and Center for Hand Care, Beth Schmitz, RN, Fort HealthCare Center for Joint Replacement Care Coordinator, and Kelly Brunson, OTR, Certified Hand Therapist with Fort HealthCare Center for Hand Care. Topics discussed will include common causes and treatments for joint pain of the hands, wrists, hips and knees – including an overview of arthritic conditions, joint anatomy, hand therapy and information about surgical and non-surgical treatments for pain.

Dr. Bruno has over 20 years of experience performing orthopedic surgery. His training at Upstate Medical Center in New York allowed him access to some of the finest hand surgeons in the country. He has dedicated his practice to recommending the best surgical and non-surgical treatment plans for his patients. Through pre-operative counseling, healthy lifestyle recommendations and careful post-operative follow-up, he strives to minimize the difficulties faced by his patients. Dr. Bruno provides fracture care, sports medicine care and joint replacement surgery, with a special interest in wrist, hand, foot and ankle reconstructive surgery.

As the Center for Joint Replacement Care Coordinator, Beth Schmitz, RN, has been facilitating the joint replacement program at Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson since it began in August 2010. The Center is a “Destination Center” program, which is a patient-centric care model designed to create a complete care delivery system beginning with community education, continuing through physician interactions and extending through streamlined pre- and post-operative treatment pathways. The program is the only one like it in the region.

The Fort HealthCare Center for Joint Replacement was recently recognized by Marshall Steele & Associates (MS&A), a healthcare consulting and management company, for achieving exceptional results in the treatment of patients receiving hip and knee replacements. During the 21 month period July 2011 through March 2013, a zero percent complication rate occurred among the 403 hip and knee replacement patients treated during their hospital stay.

Other quality of care indicators suggests excellent outcomes for Center for Joint Replacement patients, including a 2.14 average length of stay in the hospital, which includes the day of surgery. Additionally, 93 percent of patients were able to go directly home after their short hospital stay. Rapid recovery by Center for Joint Replacement patients is enhanced by the surgical techniques used by the surgeons at Fort HealthCare Orthopaedic Associates. Hip replacement surgery is performed using the anterior (front) approach, an alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery. All procedures report exceptional patient satisfaction scores.

Kelly Brunson, OTR, Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) is one of three CHTs that help patients return to their daily activities at the Fort HealthCare Center for Hand Care. The CHTs have achieved the highest level of certification a therapist can obtain in the treatment of hand and upper extremity conditions.  The certification process involves extra years of practice in hand and upper extremity rehab, as well as successfully passing a comprehensive test of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper arm, shoulder and hand rehabilitation.

The Fort HealthCare Center for Hand Care provides comprehensive care from diagnosis to
rehabilitation for surgical and non-surgical treatments for individuals managing pain or injury of the finger, hand, wrist, and arm. The Center brings a team of experienced and expert surgeons together with a number of specially-trained hand therapists, Occupational Therapists, nurses,  and an industrial case manager. The goal of the program is to provide seamless, efficient, and coordinated care that restores injured hands to the highest possible level of function. The collaborative approach to the evaluation and treatment of hand and upper extremity conditions offers innovative treatment techniques, proactive, patient-centered care, all in one location.

Typical conditions treated at the Center for Hand Care include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, wrist and hand pain, sprains, upper extremity numbness,tendonitis, arthritis, joint dislocations and fractures, as well as tendon and ligament injuries. Many of these conditions can develop over time or are due to injury. In the workplace, many of these ailments can occur as a result of repetitive motion, lifting, moving, or a worksite accident.

The Fort HealthCare Center for Joint Replacement and the Fort HealthCare Center for Hand Care are services of Fort HealthCare Orthopaedic Associates, an expert team of board certified surgeons includes Thomas Nordland, MD, Isidoro Zambrano, MD, and James Bruno, MD. The surgeons work to prevent or correct injuries to the skeletal system and joints, seeing patients by appointment with or without a referral in Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Cambridge, and Fort Atkinson. Therapy is coordinated to keep appointments as close to home for patients as possible. To learn more, visit FortHealthCare.com/JOINT and FortHealthCare.com/HANDCARE.

Fort HealthCare is an integrated hospital and health system that attracts patients from throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Fort Memorial Hospital is a modern, fully accredited, acute care facility with 82 licensed beds. More than 100 physicians are on staff. Fort Medical Group clinics offering primary and specialty surgical care are located in Fort Atkinson, Cambridge, Johnson Creek, Jefferson, Lake Mills and Whitewater. Fort HealthCare is a partner in the University of Wisconsin Cancer Center at Johnson Creek and in the Advanced Pain Management Fort Atkinson ambulatory surgery center. Most major health insurance products are accepted. For more information, please go to FortHealthCare.com.

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