Summit Orthopedics Recognized by The Joint Commission

Summit Orthopedics’ Eagan Surgery Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Certificate of Distinction for the Management of Spinal Fusion, becoming the first surgery center in the nation to receive this certificate of excellence.

The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care, developed the Certificate of Distinction for the Management of Spinal Fusion in an effort to compel medical facilities to adhere to processes, protocols, and standards that lead to better spinal fusion outcomes for patients. To earn the certification, medical facilities must meet a robust and challenging list of requirements in areas including program management, clinic care, patient self-management, clinical information management, and performance measurement. In the two and a half years since the spinal fusion certification was introduced, just 12 other facilities have earned it—all of them hospitals.

“We’re incredibly proud that our Eagan facility is the first surgery center in the nation to receive the Certificate of Distinction for the Management of Spinal Fusion from The Joint Commission,” said Nicholas Wills, MD, spine surgeon at Summit Orthopedics. “Our team in Eagan is dedicated to delivering exceptional patient care in the safest of environments to ensure positive patient outcomes. This recognition validates those efforts and the impact we’re having on spinal fusion patients.”

Wills added that while Summit’s Eagan facility earned its Certificate of Distinction for spinal fusions, the surgery center focuses first and foremost on conservative, nonsurgical treatments for its patients, pursuing surgery only when all other treatment options fail. He noted that just 15 percent of Summit’s spine patients are treated with surgery.

David Strothman, MD, also a spine surgeon at Summit Orthopedics, added, “For those patients who do undergo spinal fusion surgery at Summit, we have a standardized approach to every aspect of their care, and our entire staff adheres to that protocol. In this way, we minimize the risks associated with the complexity of spinal fusions. Based on our outcomes, I would say that our approach is working and working very, very well.”

According to Strothman, who developed Summit’s spinal fusion protocols, since opening in March of 2017, of the greater than 150 spinal fusions performed at Summit’s Eagan Surgery Center, the incidence of infection was zero.

Summit Orthopedics’ Eagan location is a one-stop, state-of-the-art center offering patients comprehensive orthopedic treatment that includes physician consultations, advanced imaging, therapy, bracing, orthotics, and a seven-day-a-week walk-in clinic. The Eagan Surgery Center is located within the facility and offers surgical care and overnight recovery in specialized care suites adjacent to the surgical facility for those undergoing advanced spine procedures and total joint replacements. In a concept still new to Minnesota and launched at Summit’s Vadnais Heights facility, the care suites offer personalized services, such as catered meals from local restaurants and one-on-one education and physical therapy, as well as hotel-level amenities, including Wi-Fi, lounge seating, and concierge services. In addition, the suites boast Secure Tracks, a post-surgery accelerated walking system exclusive to Summit Orthopedics that gets patients up and walking within hours of surgery.

Summit’s Vadnais Heights Surgery Center, which mirrors the Eagan facility in treatment offerings and amenities, received The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement in 2017.