Becker's ASC Review

Executive Briefing: 76 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING 3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Similarly, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush has expanded the use of Polar Care Wave to its PT locations. "Patients in the PT setting like compression ice therapy so much that we have Wave available for them to purchase," Mr. Johnson said. "We've seen significant sales of the device." Patients appreciate cold and compression therapy devices designed for usability Before cold and compression therapy was widely available, orthopedic practices offered patients other pain management solutions postoperatively, such as gravity-based compression devices. Mr. Johnson has worked at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush since 2017 and has been the manager of the cast room and DME services for about a year. "When I first came into this role, we were using gravity-based compression devices," he said. "These weren't very user-friendly for many of our patients, especially Baby Boomers. Gravity-based compression machines have to be lifted and placed on a higher level in order for gravity to work. After knee surgery, that's difficult — especially for people who live alone." One of Mr. Johnson's first tasks as manager of the cast room and DME services was to evaluate MOR's ice and cold therapy program. "I took a leap of faith with Polar Care Wave and we've seen usage expand significantly. The doctors all use it frequently and it's done very well for us overall," he said. Thus far, patient feedback about the Polar Care Wave device has been very good. As Mr. Johnson explained, "There are only two buttons to activate the unit. There are two levels of cold and two levels of compression. Patients can run them both at the same time or separately with the two buttons." In addition, patients appreciate that Polar Care Wave offers attachments designed for specific body parts. "We do a lot of knees, hips and shoulders," Mr. Johnson said. "The hip attachment, for example, goes all the way down to the mid- portion of the knee, but it also wraps around the patient's waist, so there is complete coverage around the entire joint. The same approach is used for knees and shoulders. The attachment wraps entirely around the knee and the shoulder attachment covers the entire first portion of the arm. Some patients have come back and purchased additional attachments for the unit." Based on the positive feedback that Dr. Guttman has received about cold and compression therapy, he has asked patients to record testimonials about their experiences. "Most people don't have elective surgery more than once or twice in their lifetimes, so many patients are fairly anxious," he said. "Testimonials from people who have used Wave give prospective patients greater confidence that options exist to reduce their postoperative pain." Conclusion Motorized cold therapy with active compression enables patients to benefit from two therapies in the comfort of their homes. "At its price point, nothing rivals Polar Care Wave in terms of effectiveness," Mr. Johnson said. "Patients can maximize their recovery by applying compression and ice on the joint whenever they need it." Dr. Guttmann also underscored the value of a pain management protocol that reduces the need for opioids and other drugs. "It's hard to see a patient in pain and not have an answer for them," he said. "Anything we can do to minimize the use of narcotics is better for the patient, better for their outcomes and better for our culture. The goal of surgery is to provide people with a better quality of life. I've seen several hundred patients now with cold and compression therapy and I feel it's almost an essential adjunct to any postoperative or perioperative treatment." n SPONSORED BY

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