Kansas City’s Only Orthopedic Hospital Named Center of Excellence, Achieves Full AAHHS Accreditation
Leawood, Kan. – June 7, 2016 – Optum®, a leading information and technology-enabled health services company and the Health Services platform of UnitedHealth Group, has designated Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute as a Center of Excellence (COE) for its patients seeking joint replacement surgery.
Each year, Optum conducts a rigorous evaluation of medical centers across the country, selecting the most experienced and statistically successful healthcare providers to be part of its COE networks. Through Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute’s COE designation, Optum’s COE members now have the option of selecting the region’s only dedicated orthopedic hospital for total joint replacement, including total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgery. These services are fully covered or offered at a reduced rate, depending on the patient’s plan.
“We’re honored to be a part of the Center of Excellence program,” said Paul Kerens, Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute Senior Executive Officer. “This recognition is a testament to our hospital’s commitment to excellence and orthopedic care.”
According to Optum, members and employees who choose an Optum COE network medical center are more likely to receive:
- More accurate diagnoses
- Planned, coordinated care provided by a team of experts
- Appropriate therapy
- Fewer complications
- Shorter length of stay
“We commend Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute for providing an extraordinary level of quality care for the patients it serves,” said Dr. Jon R. Friedman, who oversees Optum’s COE program.
In addition, Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute recently achieved full accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Hospitals/Health Systems (AAHHS). This prestigious recognition reflects the hospital’s steadfast dedication to high quality standards and continuous improvement.
Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a physician-owned specialty hospital focused on orthopedics. The hospital has a well-established record of excellent outcomes in joint replacement, as well as all other types of orthopedic surgery. Since 2000, the hospital has provided comprehensive orthopedic care, including inpatient and outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and MRI, pain management, and inpatient and outpatient physical therapy. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a joint venture with Saint Luke’s Health System and the only hospital in Kansas City dedicated exclusively to orthopedics, drawing patients from the Kansas City metro area and throughout the United States.
About Optum’s Center of Excellence Program
The COE program providers and medical centers are independent contractors who render care and treatment to health plan members. The COE program does not provide direct healthcare services or practice medicine, and the COE providers and medical centers are solely responsible for medical judgments and related treatments. The COE program is not liable for any act or omission, including negligence, committed by any independent contracted healthcare professional or medical center. © 2016 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved.
Media Contacts:
For Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, contact:
Sam Carlson
Dobies Healthcare Group
scarlson@dobies.com
(816) 595-6731
For Optum, contact:
Lauren Mihajlov
Optum
(952) 205-6312
Lauren.mihjalov@optum.com
