Virginia Mason is the first health system in Seattle, and among the first in the United States, to offer a surgical warranty for hip and knee replacement.
The warranty is part of a bundled-care contract available to employers and insurance companies. It protects patients, their insurance companies or employers from incurring additional costs for treatment of avoidable, surgery-related complications. The warranty does not cover complications caused by failure of the surgical implant.
"Under the current reimbursement system in our country, hospitals are often paid more for surgery that does not go well than for surgery that is completely successful. We find this unacceptable and contrary to the needs of patients, employers and insurers paying the bill."
The warranty expands the opportunity for businesses to access the high-quality care that is the foundation of Virginia Mason’s inclusion in the national Employers Centers of Excellence Network. Members of the exclusive network provide predictable-cost knee and hip replacements for employees of several large companies, including Walmart and Lowe’s.
Learn more about the surgical warranty by contacting the Virginia Mason Office of Contracting and Business Development at (206) 341-0239.
Located in the Floyd & Delores Jones Pavilion, the joint replacement program includes a 24-bed (all private rooms) unit with accommodations for overnight visitors.
Our orthopedic surgeons are certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
Patients participate in pre-operative joint replacement classes and online programs and receive “Journey” books outlining the joint replacement process from admission for surgery through discharge.
"Through our application of Virginia Mason Production System principles, we've been able to design consistently high-quality care pathways for orthopedics and other services."
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced with a prosthetic implant. It is typically performed to relieve arthritis-related pain or treat joint damage following a hip fracture.
Knee replacement is a surgery to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint and relieve pain or disability caused by osteoarthritis, or to relieve discomfort caused by rheumatoid arthritis.