HSS has transferred a holistic approach of patient care to Hospital Alvorada and its team. This involves not just the process of orthopedic surgery, but every step of a patient’s journey from entering the hospital for the first time to recording patient milestones months after any type of procedure is performed. Excellent patient care, research, and education are woven into the culture of the organization. These strategies have not just affected Alvorada’s orthopedic department, but also all functional areas of the institution.

HSS visits Alvorada once a year to evaluate progress and provide ongoing guidance on the path to orthopedic excellence. Areas of focus include orthopedic surgery, operational excellence, nursing, operating room efficiency, quality and patient safety, rehabilitation, and strategic guidance and leadership. HSS clinical pathways have been adapted to meet the needs of Alvorada’s environment in order to optimize the patient experience and efficiently expand its orthopedic volume. Team members from each area mentioned above have played a key role in the success of this multidisciplinary initiative.

Orthopedic surgeons, administrators, physical therapists, nurses, and other key team members visit HSS to see first-hand how we do what we do. They have the opportunity to have personal mentorship sessions and customized observerships to adapt what they see to Alvorada. Alvorada’s team members have also had ongoing communication and access to HSS mentors while in Brazil, and use digital technology to participate in professional education programs held at HSS.

HSS has created a Quality Fellowship that provided the opportunity for one quality specialist from Alvorada to spend time at HSS to learn about our quality management and patient safety initiatives. Key aspects of these programs were transferred to Alvorada. Since that time, Alvorada’s surgical infection rate has decreased and clinical protocols have been established to maintain this high level of quality.

Additionally, HSS and Alvorada have held an annual professional education program in Sao Paulo focused on orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. Orthopedic professionals from around the region have attended these programs, furthering Alvorada’s reputation as an Orthopedic Center of Excellence. HSS has also assisted Alvorada in the development of a successful orthopedic fellowship program that attracts top trainees from throughout Brazil.

Since 2014, Alvorada has optimized is quality and outcomes both clinically and operationally. Hospital Alvorada has put together a team within its organization to lead these efforts, and over the past two years has begun to collect the right data to make positive changes throughout the organization. Surgical volume and operational efficiency have increased concurrently, significantly improving the financial health of Alvorada. Insurance companies throughout the region have began to work with Alvorada as a result of their organizational advancements.

Alvorada has made significant progress over the past two years, and has been recently designated as an HSS Global Orthopedic Alliance Member, and is well on its way to becoming an HSS Orthopedic Center of Excellence.