KCH and Shriners Partnership
From the Show: UK HealthCast
Summary:
Air Date: 9/8/20
Duration: 10 Minutes
Dr. Henry Iwinski, an orthopedic surgeon and Chief of Staff for Shriners Medical Center, discusses Kentucky Children’s Hospital and Shriner’s Hospitals for Children partnership to provide care to Kentucky’s kids.
Transcription:
Introduction: Another informational resource from UK Healthcare. This is UK HealthCast, featuring conversations with our physicians and other healthcare providers. Here's Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole: Welcome to UK HealthCast with the University of Kentucky Healthcare. I'm Melanie Cole, and today we're talking about the partnership between Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington. Joining me is Dr. Henry Iwinski. He's an Orthopedic Surgeon and the Chief of Staff for Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington. Dr. Iwinski, it's a pleasure to have you join us today, Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington have partnered to provide care to Kentucky's kids. Explain a little bit about this amazing partnership and how this came about?
Dr. Iwinski: This has been a work in progress for well over a decade. So I joined the Shriner system about 20 years ago. And at the time we had basically two practice sites. There was the University of Kentucky where I'm a professor of orthopedics, but I had a practice there which consisted primarily of fractures and infections and those things that required a rather significant inpatient stays. And then we also had a separate Shriner's Hospital that was primarily elective. And so at that hospital, we took care of things such as scoliosis and hip dysplasia. And what happened over time is that we noticed that our inpatient stays were less and less. And then also that the resources we need to take care of these rather complex problems were primarily at a major medical center. And so having a smaller hospital out three miles away from UK was frankly, not the best situation as far as the optimal outcomes for children.
So, we started our discussions with UK back then to see if there's a way that we could collaborate and really use the benefits of both places to bring the best care to the kids we take care of. And so with that was the Genesis of the Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center, essentially on the campus of UK. So what we do is the big major procedures such as scoliosis fusions, and those are requiring inpatient stays are done at UK with all the resources available, be it MRI, CT, and all the other subspecialties yet in our facility, we see all the clinic patients, we see all the fracture follow-ups, but we also have PT, OT. We have orthotics prosthetics, and we have ambulatory surgery center. We have a motion analysis center. So really it was this just almost ideal collaboration between these two facilities to really take care of those patients and also provide them with the excellent care that both sides can provide.
Host: What a wonderful partnership for the kids that need this type of care. So tell us how you work together because having the two centers working together, tell us how that works, what it looks like?
Dr. Iwinski: Literally, if I look out my window, I look directly across the street at the emergency room of UK and their big tall tower across the street. So we were fortunate when UK approached us and this, again, there was a lot of back work that went along. We both realized that each of us had a particular niche in this in the care of the pediatric orthopedic patient. So I wanted my fracture patients. I wanted my patients that I was seeing at UK to get that special kind of Shriner's touch, which, you know, the Shriner's are awesome. You know, they, they provide transportation. They, they really care for these children, yet I also wanted those resources that the Shriners found were more and more difficult in these smaller hospitals to provide. And they, of course, being a major medical center, we're keeping up with all those advances. So, it just made perfect sense that we would collaborate this way. We would do our inpatient work there and they would do the outpatient work on this side. And I think that way, again, the child is the focus and we can really give the best on both sides of the street.
Host: Dr. Iwinski, this program was recently ranked as one of the top 50 in the US by us news and world report. And congratulations on that. What makes the program so special do you think? Tell us a little bit about the philosophy of care for this partnership?
Dr. Iwinski: Sure. So really there's two parts of that question. The first is the ranking as far as US news and world report. And that requires that not only do you provide excellent pediatric orthopedic care, but you also have those resources available as far as all the other subspecialties, advanced imaging and those sorts of things that UK was able to provide. So it's only through these partnerships that you can get into those rankings. And then on this side of the street, you know, it's a technology that the Shriner's have invested. In, for example, we have an EOS machine, which is a upright digital X-ray machine that reduces radiation to children up to 80%. But those sorts of things that they look at when it comes to those rankings, also the research piece that we were able to bring from Shriner's is something else that goes towards your ranking on US News and World report. The fact that we provide pediatric orthopedic education to four different programs, three orthopedic programs, and one PMNR program also goes towards your rankings.
And then having a cadre of really talented individuals that are supported in their academic adventures and societal adventures, and leadership roles also, again, goes towards that ranking. You can see how having that commitment from both sides has led to this ranking. And we're really proud of it, but the goal wasn't to get to the rankings, it's a consequence of providing excellent care. And then back to your other question, you know, just about the care and the excellent care we provide, you can see how this, all those aspects of care be it research, be it education, lead to the child, benefiting from it because through education we have to maintain ourselves at that cutting edge of pediatric orthopedics, to make sure that next generation of doctor is benefited by the education they receive here. And so that's really how this all came about.
Host: So, I'm glad that you mentioned that and you told us a little bit about that philosophy. And this partnership has a focus that's engaging multidisciplinary teams to best treat these kids. What does that look like for your team? Tell us a little bit about this multidisciplinary approach and why it's so important for children with orthopedic issues.
Dr. Iwinski: So certain orthopedic issues involve a number of subspecialties. So take our cerebral palsy population. Those require not just physicians in physical medicine and rehabilitation and orthopedics but also involve the next tier of care, which is bracing, which involves our motion analysis center, which involves physical therapy onsite. It's that convenience of care because these families are burdened. You can imagine having a child with a significant underlying medical problem and having to go here, there, and everywhere to get their needs fulfilled. But if you have it all localized in one place, and those people are communicating and collaborating together I think the child is best served and not just the child, but the family.
Host: So, Dr. Iwinski, tell us a little bit about who would seek your expertise, what this is like for parents, really, as they start to go through the process, because it can be quite scary and it can be exhausting and stressful on both the parents and the child. Tell us a little bit about what it's like for them. What is the process like?
Dr. Iwinski: So, you know, historically, at least on the Shriner's side of care you had to go through a whole process of getting a Shriner to support your application and so forth. And people have this misconception now that the Shriner's currently are it kind of, that that history kind of sometimes limits people's access to us. But to be honest, we take care of everything. So families it's as simple as a phone call to a doctor's office to get in, and those families with any musculoskeletal problem and their child can access us. And we're also fortunate in that directly across the street is the emergency room. So it's probably the busiest emergency room in the area. So as far as all those bumps and bruises, all the way up to major trauma that occurs in children, we are directly participating in their care. So all those families have access, not only to the extremely great care that they receive at UK through their resources, but also that, as I mentioned before, that special kind of Shriner's touch that they get on this side of the street. So it's as simple as a phone call.
Host: How wonderful. As we wrap up Dr. Iwinski, what would you like the community to know about this partnership between Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center in Lexington and Kentucky Children's Hospital? Tell us what you want them to know about why this partnership is so unique and so important for the community.
Dr. Iwinski: So, you know, as a parent, we all want the best for our child, and I want families and physicians and pediatricians to understand we have all that. And we're benefited by this collaborative effort between UK and Shriner's hospital to provide the best of care for whatever the pediatric orthopedic problem the child may have. They don't have to seek care elsewhere. They don't have to go up to other facilities, that are excellent facilities, but having that here and that convenience of care and having the Shriner available to those families that have resources that are lacking, really is that kind of next level of care that I think really differentiates us from everyone else.
Host: Thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your expertise and telling families what this partnership is really all about. For more information about the partnership between Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington, please visit UKhealthcare.uky.edu/kentuckychildren'shospital. And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast with the University of Kentucky Healthcare. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other University of Kentucky Healthcare podcasts. I'm Melanie Cole.
Introduction: Another informational resource from UK Healthcare. This is UK HealthCast, featuring conversations with our physicians and other healthcare providers. Here's Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole: Welcome to UK HealthCast with the University of Kentucky Healthcare. I'm Melanie Cole, and today we're talking about the partnership between Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington. Joining me is Dr. Henry Iwinski. He's an Orthopedic Surgeon and the Chief of Staff for Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington. Dr. Iwinski, it's a pleasure to have you join us today, Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington have partnered to provide care to Kentucky's kids. Explain a little bit about this amazing partnership and how this came about?
Dr. Iwinski: This has been a work in progress for well over a decade. So I joined the Shriner system about 20 years ago. And at the time we had basically two practice sites. There was the University of Kentucky where I'm a professor of orthopedics, but I had a practice there which consisted primarily of fractures and infections and those things that required a rather significant inpatient stays. And then we also had a separate Shriner's Hospital that was primarily elective. And so at that hospital, we took care of things such as scoliosis and hip dysplasia. And what happened over time is that we noticed that our inpatient stays were less and less. And then also that the resources we need to take care of these rather complex problems were primarily at a major medical center. And so having a smaller hospital out three miles away from UK was frankly, not the best situation as far as the optimal outcomes for children.
So, we started our discussions with UK back then to see if there's a way that we could collaborate and really use the benefits of both places to bring the best care to the kids we take care of. And so with that was the Genesis of the Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center, essentially on the campus of UK. So what we do is the big major procedures such as scoliosis fusions, and those are requiring inpatient stays are done at UK with all the resources available, be it MRI, CT, and all the other subspecialties yet in our facility, we see all the clinic patients, we see all the fracture follow-ups, but we also have PT, OT. We have orthotics prosthetics, and we have ambulatory surgery center. We have a motion analysis center. So really it was this just almost ideal collaboration between these two facilities to really take care of those patients and also provide them with the excellent care that both sides can provide.
Host: What a wonderful partnership for the kids that need this type of care. So tell us how you work together because having the two centers working together, tell us how that works, what it looks like?
Dr. Iwinski: Literally, if I look out my window, I look directly across the street at the emergency room of UK and their big tall tower across the street. So we were fortunate when UK approached us and this, again, there was a lot of back work that went along. We both realized that each of us had a particular niche in this in the care of the pediatric orthopedic patient. So I wanted my fracture patients. I wanted my patients that I was seeing at UK to get that special kind of Shriner's touch, which, you know, the Shriner's are awesome. You know, they, they provide transportation. They, they really care for these children, yet I also wanted those resources that the Shriners found were more and more difficult in these smaller hospitals to provide. And they, of course, being a major medical center, we're keeping up with all those advances. So, it just made perfect sense that we would collaborate this way. We would do our inpatient work there and they would do the outpatient work on this side. And I think that way, again, the child is the focus and we can really give the best on both sides of the street.
Host: Dr. Iwinski, this program was recently ranked as one of the top 50 in the US by us news and world report. And congratulations on that. What makes the program so special do you think? Tell us a little bit about the philosophy of care for this partnership?
Dr. Iwinski: Sure. So really there's two parts of that question. The first is the ranking as far as US news and world report. And that requires that not only do you provide excellent pediatric orthopedic care, but you also have those resources available as far as all the other subspecialties, advanced imaging and those sorts of things that UK was able to provide. So it's only through these partnerships that you can get into those rankings. And then on this side of the street, you know, it's a technology that the Shriner's have invested. In, for example, we have an EOS machine, which is a upright digital X-ray machine that reduces radiation to children up to 80%. But those sorts of things that they look at when it comes to those rankings, also the research piece that we were able to bring from Shriner's is something else that goes towards your ranking on US News and World report. The fact that we provide pediatric orthopedic education to four different programs, three orthopedic programs, and one PMNR program also goes towards your rankings.
And then having a cadre of really talented individuals that are supported in their academic adventures and societal adventures, and leadership roles also, again, goes towards that ranking. You can see how having that commitment from both sides has led to this ranking. And we're really proud of it, but the goal wasn't to get to the rankings, it's a consequence of providing excellent care. And then back to your other question, you know, just about the care and the excellent care we provide, you can see how this, all those aspects of care be it research, be it education, lead to the child, benefiting from it because through education we have to maintain ourselves at that cutting edge of pediatric orthopedics, to make sure that next generation of doctor is benefited by the education they receive here. And so that's really how this all came about.
Host: So, I'm glad that you mentioned that and you told us a little bit about that philosophy. And this partnership has a focus that's engaging multidisciplinary teams to best treat these kids. What does that look like for your team? Tell us a little bit about this multidisciplinary approach and why it's so important for children with orthopedic issues.
Dr. Iwinski: So certain orthopedic issues involve a number of subspecialties. So take our cerebral palsy population. Those require not just physicians in physical medicine and rehabilitation and orthopedics but also involve the next tier of care, which is bracing, which involves our motion analysis center, which involves physical therapy onsite. It's that convenience of care because these families are burdened. You can imagine having a child with a significant underlying medical problem and having to go here, there, and everywhere to get their needs fulfilled. But if you have it all localized in one place, and those people are communicating and collaborating together I think the child is best served and not just the child, but the family.
Host: So, Dr. Iwinski, tell us a little bit about who would seek your expertise, what this is like for parents, really, as they start to go through the process, because it can be quite scary and it can be exhausting and stressful on both the parents and the child. Tell us a little bit about what it's like for them. What is the process like?
Dr. Iwinski: So, you know, historically, at least on the Shriner's side of care you had to go through a whole process of getting a Shriner to support your application and so forth. And people have this misconception now that the Shriner's currently are it kind of, that that history kind of sometimes limits people's access to us. But to be honest, we take care of everything. So families it's as simple as a phone call to a doctor's office to get in, and those families with any musculoskeletal problem and their child can access us. And we're also fortunate in that directly across the street is the emergency room. So it's probably the busiest emergency room in the area. So as far as all those bumps and bruises, all the way up to major trauma that occurs in children, we are directly participating in their care. So all those families have access, not only to the extremely great care that they receive at UK through their resources, but also that, as I mentioned before, that special kind of Shriner's touch that they get on this side of the street. So it's as simple as a phone call.
Host: How wonderful. As we wrap up Dr. Iwinski, what would you like the community to know about this partnership between Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center in Lexington and Kentucky Children's Hospital? Tell us what you want them to know about why this partnership is so unique and so important for the community.
Dr. Iwinski: So, you know, as a parent, we all want the best for our child, and I want families and physicians and pediatricians to understand we have all that. And we're benefited by this collaborative effort between UK and Shriner's hospital to provide the best of care for whatever the pediatric orthopedic problem the child may have. They don't have to seek care elsewhere. They don't have to go up to other facilities, that are excellent facilities, but having that here and that convenience of care and having the Shriner available to those families that have resources that are lacking, really is that kind of next level of care that I think really differentiates us from everyone else.
Host: Thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your expertise and telling families what this partnership is really all about. For more information about the partnership between Kentucky Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington, please visit UKhealthcare.uky.edu/kentuckychildren'shospital. And that wraps up another episode of UK HealthCast with the University of Kentucky Healthcare. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other University of Kentucky Healthcare podcasts. I'm Melanie Cole.
