Hartford Hospital to Create Transformative Bone & Joint Institute

October 21, 2014 By Hartford HealthCare

Orthopedic Hospital to Become Destination for Coordinated, Specialized Care

Hartford Hospital has begun construction of its $150-million Bone and Joint Institute and ambulatory surgical center to create a world-class orthopedic center. The Institute will integrate all elements of orthopedics and musculoskeletal treatment, including specialty care, diagnostics, rehabilitation, rheumatology, neurology, neurosurgery and pain management.

The Institute will be constructed on vacant land on Seymour Street and connect directly to Hartford Hospital’s main building. The Institute will consist of five floors of 130,000 square feet with ten inpatient and outpatient operating rooms; 48 to 52 inpatient beds with the capability of expanding to nearly 80 beds; diagnostic services; orthopedic urgent care; and public space. The ambulatory and medical space will consist of three floors of 35,000 square feet with offices for orthopedics, rheumatology and neurosciences; and five ambulatory surgery rooms. The building opens in January 2017.

“The Bone and Joint Institute is a game-changer for patients, and for our state. It is about delivering the triple aim: a better patient experience at the most affordable cost with the highest quality of care,” said Jeffrey Flaks, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hartford HealthCare. “This continues our vision of providing one high standard of care, enhances care coordination, improves efficiency. By increasing our volume, we can help us make health care more affordable and we can reinvest in our communities.”

“This will be the first-of-its-kind, fully integrated institute staffed with top-ranked specialists. It will clearly differentiate Hartford Hospital as the destination for orthopedic care in New England,” said Stuart Markowitz, MD, president of Hartford Hospital. “This is a movement to completely redesign the way in which Hartford Hospital provides musculoskeletal care. All relevant sub-specialties will be under one roof. There will be a seamless path for patients to provide convenient access to the very best care.”

This institute, which will become a laboratory for innovation in clinical care, will be the first patient building to be built on the Hartford Hospital campus in decades.

Hartford Hospital is joining the ranks of an elite group — a handful of hospitals across the United States that have created a separate musculoskeletal facility fully staffed with the necessary sub-specialists to provide comprehensive care.

“This is an important investment in our patients and in the future,” said Flaks. “Despite very real financial pressures, Hartford Hospital is determined to invest in its vision — to build a better system that provides well-coordinated and consistently great care to more people.”

The new facility will also allow the renovation of existing older spaces in Hartford Hospital, creating more single-patient rooms and to further improving the patient experience. The institute will enhance Hartford Hospital’s and Hartford HealthCare’s ability to recruit top physicians to the state, and add to Hartford Hospital’s capacity as an economic engine for the city and the entire region, enhancing the health care reputation of both the city and the State of Connecticut.

Hartford Hospital will partner with Orthopedic Associates of Hartford to develop the Institute. Orthopedic Associates, with 30 fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons, is the largest orthopedic group in the state and shares our vision of developing a premier, nationally recognized orthopedic institute.

The Institute will be led by Dr. Courtland Lewis, a nationally recognized leader in orthopedic medicine and former director of Research and Quality with the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute (CJRI). Dr. Lewis also will serve as chairman of the Department of Orthopedics.

“This expansion will allow Hartford Hospital to meet a new era in health care,” said Dr. Lewis. “Every professional in the Institute from anesthesiologists to radiologists will be exclusively trained in musculoskeletal care where they can share best practices centered on the patient. The end result is improving access to quality care, while reducing costs and keeping patients healthy.”

In his current role, Dr. Lewis performs more than 300 joint replacement surgeries per year. He also serves as clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

The Institute will be fully integrated with the Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI) and will be committed to education and research to cultivate the development of new technology at a national level, giving medical practitioners and students access to state-of-the-art training and providing patients with greater access to the most innovative care.

Hartford Hospital has been a leader in providing advanced musculoskeletal medicine to our region and state for more than a century. Hartford Hospital’s first orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Henry Otis, joined the hospital in 1888. His successor, Dr. Ansel Cook, made special orthopedic shoes for President-elect William Howard Taft in 1908.

“Development of the Bone and Joint Institute is another major step toward Hartford Hospital’s vision of being ‘the regional destination provider of innovative and complex care,’” Dr. Markowitz said.

About Hartford Hospital.
Hartford Hospital, founded in 1854, is one of the largest teaching hospitals and tertiary care centers in New England with one of the region's busiest surgery practices. It is annually ranked among America's Best Hospitals by US News & World Report and has been recognized nationally for the quality of many of its programs, including cardiology, cancer, stroke and joint and spine care. The 867-bed regional referral center provides high-quality care in all clinical disciplines. Among its divisions is The Institute of Living, a 114-bed mental health facility with a national and international reputation of excellence. Jefferson House, a 104-bed longterm care facility, is also a special division of Hartford Hospital. The hospital’s major centers of clinical excellence include cardiology, oncology, emergency services and trauma, mental health, women’s health, orthopedics, bloodless surgery and advanced organ transplantation. Hartford Hospital owns and operates the state’s only air ambulance system, LIFE STAR.

About Orthopedic Associates
Orthopedic Associates of Hartford, P.C. (OAH) was established in 1970. Our physicians specialize in orthopedic surgery, including the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of the bones, muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments in adults and children. All of our physicians are fellowship trained in one or more orthopedic subspecialties, providing the most comprehensive level of orthopedic and musculoskeletal healthcare for our patients. In addition, many of our physicians lecture locally, nationally, and internationally about an array of orthopedic conditions.