$250million Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute Set To Open As Demand For Care Grows

© Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel/TNS The operating room is under construction at Orlando Health's Jewett Orthopedic Institute Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

Imagine you are one of the more than 2 million people in the United States who undergo hip or knee replacement surgery each year.

They are recovering in a hospital bed and it is very bright here. You can call a staff member in the room, or if you're at Orlando Health's Jewett Orthopedic facility, you can verbally ask your roommate to close the blinds.

These "smart rooms," a first for Orlando Health, are just the beginning. This spring, patients will have access to a variety of future medical technologies at Orlando Health's new seven-story, 375,000-square-foot Jewett Orthopedic facility, following the acquisition of Jewett Orthopedic Clinic by Orlando Health.

"All the world's successes will be here, and then no one else will have them," said the doctor. Michelle W. Jablonski, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and executive physician at Jewett Orthopedic Institute Health in Orlando.

"Every inch of Choice Hospital was built specifically for orthopedic care and is focused not only on improving patient care, but also on staff and community engagement," said Carlos M. Carrasco, senior vice president and president of Orlando Health. . Jewett Institute. , orthopedics.

“It's not just about how to provide the best patient care. But how can you create good conditions for people who want to come here to work and attract the best employees, Carrasco said.

Smart rooms can reduce the pressure on workers by performing functions such as heating or lighting. Beds may weigh the patient down so that staff do not restrain them.

Orlando Health joins several health systems investing in orthotics.

The health care system is betting that this will cost $250 million.

Already home to nearly 4.4 million seniors, Florida expects its population age 65 and older to grow by nearly 50% over the next two decades, according to the nonprofit Florida Research Institute Tax Hour. With age, bones become brittle, joints loosen and falls occur. Additionally, the warm climate here encourages residents to stay active year-round, leading to more injuries, Baker's Spin Review reported.

As a result, the state is becoming a "major battleground" for the orthopedic industry as companies flock to Florida and compete for customers and workers, according to Becker, an orthopedic trade publication.

The Institute of Orthopedics, the hospital of choice, already has some competitors.

In August, Philadelphia-based Rotman Orthopedics partnered with Advent Health Orlando to open its Florida headquarters in downtown Orlando.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Jute Institute, including an outpatient surgery center with advanced imaging technology, will open in March. The second phase, which will include a 75-bed specialist hospital, a 5,000 square meter therapy center and a training center for future doctors, will open in August.

A building dedicated exclusively to orthopedic and spine surgery is rare in itself, says Carrasco, whose design and wealth of specialized medical technology put this facility at the forefront.

"What makes it unique is that everything is in one place and we're not just sitting around. The whole facility is really a program," Carrasco said.

The building includes one of the few "nano suites" in the country designed to work with a 14.5 meter diameter needle, the size of a pen tip.

The size of the needle can reduce the time of surgery and allow some procedures to be performed under local anesthesia in traditional anesthesia, which avoids the health risks associated with the switch.

Structural MRI is a new and very expensive technology designed to make the scanning process as fast as possible. Processing time varies by patient and injury, but some organs that take 30 to 40 minutes to scan can be scanned in less than two minutes with this machine, Jablonski said.

VR goggles are available to distract patients who need long scans.

More special touches and technological advances can be seen in every corner of the building; Robotic spine surgery, robotic hip replacements tailored to each person's individual anatomy, a demonstration room and family video viewing to reduce patient stress. For example, during doctor-patient meetings.

Jabolonski said the building's design will also benefit research and education.

According to him, the cake for doctors is the seventh floor, which includes a 10-seat mortuary laboratory and a 118-seat auditorium, as well as a science and innovation center.

“Imagine you're a resident or employee on the seventh floor, you teach international classes, you have a 10-station morgue lab. You can actually train and then go out and do it on another floor,” Jalonski said.

Carrasco said he's not cutting costs, but promises that supplements won't cost patients more because the changes will make treatments more effective, allowing doctors to treat more people while recovering costs.

"It's not just about being fashionable," he said.

Catherman@orlandosentinel.com; @Catherman on Twitter

Correction: This article has been updated to indicate that Orlando Health has acquired Jewett Orthopedic Clinic.

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