The Orthopaedic Institute plans to provide almost 12,000 days of in-home care in its first year to support the growing demand for joint replacements.
The model will focus on the rapid recovery of clinically appropriate patients so they can return home sooner after surgery, contributing to the sustainability of the healthcare system.
Located on a dedicated floor of Macquarie University Hospital, the facility has four state-of-the-art theatres with robotic technology and 29 beds supporting a model that delivers patient care in the optimal setting.
The Orthopaedic Institute is accessible to all patients regardless of their private health insurance fund or if they are self-funded, with access to surgeons who participate in arrangements that may remove out-of-pocket costs.
David Miles, a 73-year-old from Little Wobby on the New South Wales Central Coast, will be one of the first patients to visit the new facility when he has foot surgery with Professor Munjed Al Muderis, one of the surgeons behind The Orthopaedic Institute.
It will be Mr Miles’ third surgery under this model of care at Macquarie University Hospital, after both his hips were repaired in 2023.
“The whole process was built to my advantage,” said Mr Miles.
“The facility is competing on a world stage with a model built around individual needs and wants, instead of grouping people by surgical procedure and putting them into the same treatment plan.
“I’ve been fully supported to recover at home with a genuine attempt to understand my lifestyle and get me back into it with as little disruption as possible.”
From left, Professor Munjed Al Muderis; Member for Bennelong, Mr Jerome Laxale MP; Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Medicine and Health) Professor Patrick McNeil; and MQ Health Chief Executive Walter Kmet, celebrate the opening of The Orthopaedic Institute.
The model of care has been offered at Macquarie University Hospital since 2021. Its success spurred the creation of The Orthopaedic Institute, increasing capacity and improving the patient journey through a purpose-built facility with cutting-edge technology in a contemporary setting.
The Orthopaedic Institute’s model combines pre-assessment and pre-habilitation to enhance patient recovery, helping them return home sooner where they receive care in the comfort of their own environment supported by visiting health professionals.
Its launch is expected to help meet demand for joint replacements in Australia, which has doubled in the past decade. By 2030, the most common replacements – total knee and hip – will rise by 276 and 208 per cent respectively.
Professor Al Muderis said The Orthopaedic Institute aimed to support the sustainability of the broader health system by providing an expected 11,666 days of in-home care in its first 12 months, in most cases negating the need for in-patient rehabilitation. According to a BMC Health Services study published in December 2023, in-patient rehabilitation contributes to extended hospitalisation with negligible value after uncomplicated procedures.
“The older we get the more maintenance we need and while many orthopaedic surgeries like joint replacements aren’t lifesaving, they are life-changing and enable people to keep active and remain in their own homes longer,” said Professor Al Muderis, MQ Health Discipline Head of Orthopaedics.
“Understandably, the public system can’t afford to give every Australian who’d benefit from joint replacement a new knee, but for the more than 13 million Australians who are privately insured, we can remove some of the barriers like some out-of-pocket costs in many instances.
“Having witnessed the benefits of this model first-hand, we’ve launched this first-of-its-kind facility so we can offer more patients a rapid recovery model which I believe will become the gold standard in Australia.”
The Orthopaedic Institute is a joint venture between a group of orthopaedic surgeons and Medibank’s Amplar Health, with floor space contributed by MQ Health, operating as an integrated part of Macquarie University Hospital.
MQ Health Chief Executive Walter Kmet said Macquarie University Hospital was proud to have partnered with Amplar Health and the consortium of surgeons to bring the innovative facility to life.
“We are committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients, and it is particularly important that we are prepared to meet the increasing demand for joint replacement over coming years,” he said.
“We have invested strategically in state-of-the-art robotic systems to ensure we are providing the best precision surgery available in orthopaedics and other specialty areas.”
The Institute offers a comprehensive range of services, from hip and knee replacements to upper and lower limb reconstructions, with a choice of post-operative pathways for suitable patients.
The facility took its first patients on 29 January 2024 and was officially opened today by Member for Bennelong, Mr Jerome Laxale MP, Amplar Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr Janette Randall, Professor Al Muderis and Mr Kmet.
