Orthopedic ONE to Provide Knee Replacements at No Cost to Patients, December 2-5, as Part of Expanded Operation Walk USA
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) December 02, 2013 -- During the first week of December, surgeons at Orthopedic ONE will provide free knee replacements to four patients from the central Ohio area as part of Operation Walk USA.
Currently in its third year, Operation Walk USA, an independent medical charitable organization, provides all aspects of knee and hip replacement treatment– surgery, hospitalization, and pre-and post-operative care – at no cost to patients who may not qualify for government assistance, have insurance or afford surgery on their own.
While more than one million hip and knee replacements are performed in the U.S. each year, countless men and women continue to live with severe arthritic pain and immobility because they cannot afford joint replacement surgery.
Operation Walk USA is a volunteer effort on behalf of more than 120 volunteer orthopaedic surgeons and 70 participating hospitals in 32 states. This year, the program has been expanded from one day to the entire first week of December, beginning on Monday, December 2, to allow more hospitals, surgeons and patients to participate.
“At the start of the holiday season, this is a meaningful way for our orthopedic community to give patients in need the gift of increased mobility and an overall better quality of life,” says Orthopedic ONE participating surgeon, Michael A. McShane, M.D.
Across the country, an estimated 120 orthopaedic surgeons will treat more than 230 patients, and that is twice the number of patients and orthopaedic surgeons in Operation Walk USA in 2011, the first year of the program. Four Orthopedic ONE surgeons will volunteer their time this year to the program:
• Michael A. McShane, M.D.
• Paul G. Melaragno, M.D.
• Vivek Sahai, M.D.
• Kurt L. Unververth, M.D.
Operation Walk USA began in 2011 following the tremendous success of Operation Walk, an international volunteer medical service organization that provides treatment for patients with arthritis and joint conditions throughout the world. To date, more than 6,000 patients have received new knees and hips through the International Operation Walk, and nearly 300 patients through Operation Walk USA in 2011 and 2012.
Arthritic disease is the most common cause of disability in the U.S., affecting approximately 48 million Americans, or more than 21 percent of the adult population. The debilitating pain of end-stage hip or knee degenerative disease often makes working, or completing even the simplest of daily tasks, excruciatingly painful or impossible. Hip and knee replacement surgeries are the most cost-effective and successful of all orthopedic procedures, eliminating pain and allowing patients to resume active, productive lives.
Device manufacturers Biomet, DePuy, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Total Joint Orthopedics (TJO), Inc. and Zimmer are donating the hip and knee implants for Operation Walk 2013; Quill Medical, Inc., sutures; and Ortech Data, Inc., electronic medical record (EMR) management. Ortech will transfer Operation Walk USA 2013 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant data to the American Joint Replacement Registry, a national center for data collection and research on total hip and knee replacements.
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About Orthopedic ONE
The Cardinal Orthopaedic Institute and Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence have come together as Orthopedic ONE, the largest, physician-owned orthopedic surgery practice in Ohio. We represent a group of more than 50 of the region’s top orthopedic experts with one mission: To make each and every patient our number ONE priority.
The practice provides for the full spectrum of orthopedic needs, while focusing on every aspect of the patient experience. From initial consultation, to advanced diagnostic imaging, to surgery, through complete rehabilitation and beyond, Orthopedic ONE has renowned experts in each field ready to serve each patient’s needs.
The practice also offers many convenient locations throughout central Ohio staffed with more than 50 orthopedic and physical medicine physicians, including: general orthopedists and fellowship trained specialists in neck and spine, hand and upper extremity, foot and ankle, total joint replacement and reconstruction, sports medicine, knee, hand, and shoulder/upper extremity.
Stephanie Rauschenbach, Orthopedic ONE, http://www.orthopedicONE.com, +1 (614) 701-1714, [email protected]
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