Catholic Health has entered a new partnership with nearly twenty local orthopedic surgeons to establish the Catholic Health Orthopedic Management Company (CHOMC), a clinical management model designed to standardize best practices, processes and procedures across the healthcare system.

With the partnership, surgeons and senior leaders are jointly managing care delivery to improve quality, patient safety, convenience, patient satisfaction and cost efficiency within Catholic Health's orthopedic service line. Services that fall under the service line umbrella, include knee and hip replacement, foot and ankle surgery, shoulder surgery, treatment of fractures and dislocations, hand surgery, orthopedic spine surgery, sports medicine, and treatment of other orthopedic related conditions.

"This team-based management model between our hospitals and surgeons is a unique approach to managing orthopedic surgical services across our system and specific aspects of care delivery," said Dr. Andrew Stoeckl, chairman of the board of CHOMC and a surgeon with Excelsior Orthopedics.

CHOMC is managed by a board of directors, with representatives from both Catholic Health and the participating orthopedic surgeons serving on three committees - Operations and Efficiency, Growth and Development, and Quality and Outcomes.

The group spent much of 2019 working closely with a consultant to designing the one-of-kind management model. Collaborating with a diverse set of surgeons from different medical practices, including Excelsior, UBMD Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Trinity Medical, Buffalo Medical Group, and WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC. The group's goals are to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience, while controlling costs.

"Engaging, aligning and integrating with physicians is a high priority in our management model," said Walt Ludwig, president of Kenmore Mercy Hospital and Catholic Health's lead executive for the orthopedic service line, "Having surgeons serving on our board and committees ensures that this is a true partnership."

Catholic Health is already recognized as a premier provider of orthopedic services with orthopedic surgery performed at Kenmore Mercy, Mercy, Mount St. Mary's, Sisters of Charity and its St. Joseph Campus. With the creation of The Catholic Health Orthopedic Management Company, the healthcare system is poised to enhance quality, safety and efficiency even further.