Many area residents are aware that Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) is the region’s trauma center. They may also know that ECMC is a regional center for burn care, transplants, behavioral health services, medical oncology, head and neck cancer care, and rehabilitation.
However, ECMC has now been recognized for being among the top 10 percent in the nation for orthopedic services, according to research by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians, and health systems. Each year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance using Medicare data for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions. Healthgrades Specialty Excellence awards recognize hospitals with superior performance in specialty areas of health.
Upon receipt of the award, Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD, ECMC President and CEO said, “This is another affirmation of the quality of care at ECMC and our commitment to our patients. As Western New York’s leader in fracture care and orthopedic trauma, ECMC has achieved Healthgrades’ 2021 Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ and has received their Five-Star Hip Fracture Treatment recognition for 11 years in a row (2011-2021). We could not be more proud of the doctors, nurses and staff who care for our orthopedic patients.”
In its 2021 Report to the Nation, Healthgrades found that patients treated at hospitals that did not receive the Specialty Excellence Award for Orthopedic Surgery from 2017-2019 were about 1.66 times more likely to experience one or more complications than patients at hospitals that did receive the award.
In 2020, nearly one quarter of the 4,337 patients transferred to ECMC’s KeyBank Trauma and Emergency Department from other area hospitals were fracture cases, representing a statistic that has been consistent for the past decade. The KeyBank Trauma and Emergency Department is the region’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center that has a dedicated specialized nursing staff supporting the specialists and surgeons on-site and on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring patients immediate access to orthopedic trauma care.
ECMC’s Center for Orthopaedic Care offers comprehensive orthopedic services to manage disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal (muscle and bone) system. ECMC orthopedic and sports medicine specialists excel in treating patients in a range of circumstances, from planned orthopedic work, to treatment due to major trauma, customizing patient plans depending on what is best for each individual situation. Each of ECMC’s orthopedic experts specializes in a specific area, so whether you need treatment for your hand, foot, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, hip, or spine, you’ll receive the very best care. These services are provided in modern, state-of-the-art facilities, from the Emergency Department to inpatient care on the Russell J. Salvatore Orthopaedic Unit, which opened in 2015, or the outpatient Center for Orthopaedic Care, which opened in 2016.
ECMC’s reputation for high-quality, excellent healthcare services provided by skilled caregivers in modern, state-of-the-art facilities is now reflected in the Healthgrades national recognition of such services available through its Center for Orthopaedic Care. For more information about ECMC orthopedic services, visit www.ecmc.edu or call 716-898-3414.
