BHS Receives Outpatient Joint Replacement Excellence Award

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) announced that it has been recognized as a 2024 Outpatient Joint Replacement Excellence Award recipient by Healthgrades, the leading resource consumers use to find a hospital or doctor. 
 
According to a press release, this achievement, along with being a 5-Star recipient for Outpatient Total Knee Replacement for 2 consecutive years (2023-2024), reflects the organization's dedication to clinical excellence and distinguishes Berkshire Medical Center as one of the nation's leading hospitals for outpatient joint replacement. BMC is one of 152 hospitals nationwide to receive the Joint Replacement Excellence Award.
 
"Excellence is a hallmark of BMC's orthopedic care," said Darlene Rodowicz, president & CEO of Berkshire Health Systems (BHS). "Our community can count on our team's continuous commitment to providing the highest quality care for our joint replacement patients, so they can get back to being active and enjoying the activities they love without pain."
 
"This national recognition is validation of the team approach to exceptional care that Berkshire Medical Center and Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates commit to for every patient, every encounter, every day," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "Using state-of-the-art technology and with the vast experience and expertise of our clinical team, BHS provides the Berkshire community with access to joint care that is second to none."
 
To identify the top-performing hospitals for outpatient joint replacement, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcomes at short-term acute care facilities nationwide that offer knee and hip replacement in an outpatient environment. Healthgrades' analysis found that patients treated at hospitals that have been recognized for excellence in outpatient joint replacement have a demonstrably better chance at a smooth recovery than those treated at hospitals that were not recognized by Healthgrades. This includes:
 
  • Patients treated at hospitals that received a 2024 Outpatient Joint Replacement Specialty Excellence Award have, on average, approximately 38 percent lower risk of experiencing a complication than if they were treated at non-recipient hospitals.
  • If all hospitals performed similarly to those receiving five stars, over 20,000 complications could have been avoided.

(Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of SAF data for years 2020 through 2022 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. For more information on how Healthgrades identifies the nation’s top hospitals for outpatient joint replacement, see the 2024 Outpatient Specialty Excellence Awards and Ratings Methodology.)

"Our clinical team is committed to attaining the best outcomes for all of our patients needing joint replacement surgery," said Kevin Mitts, MD, Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates. "All of us are proud to be a part of this and work together to ensure the highest standards."
 
"Berkshire Medical Center exemplifies what it means to be a leader in outpatient orthopedics by delivering consistently superior outcomes across key outpatient procedures," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science at Healthgrades. "Patients undergoing outpatient joint replacement at Berkshire Health Systems should feel confident in their decision to seek care from a facility with top marks in their procedure."
 
As outpatient surgical volumes continue to grow, Healthgrades is proud to offer the industry's only outcomes-based outpatient ratings to help patients identify the best care for their needs. Consumers can visit Healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality.
 

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ServiceNet Cuts Ribbon on Vocational Farm to 'Sow Seeds of Hope'

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Lori Carnute plants flowers at the farm and enjoys seeing her friends. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Smiles were all around as farmers, human service workers, and officials cut the ribbon Friday on ServiceNet's new vocational farm on Crane Avenue.

Whether it is planting flowers or growing fresh produce, the program is for "sowing seeds of hope" for those with developmental disabilities.

"What Prospect Meadow Farm is about is changing lives," Vice President of Vocational Services Shawn Robinson said.

"Giving people something meaningful to do, a community to belong to, a place to go every day and to make a paycheck, and again, I am seeing that every day from our first 17 farmhands the smiles on their faces. They're glad to be here. They're glad to be making money."

Prospect Meadow Farm Berkshires held a launch event on Friday with tours, music, snacks, and a ribbon cutting in front of its tomato greenhouse. The nonprofit human service agency closed on the former Jodi's Seasonal on Crane Avenue earlier this year.  

It is an expansion of ServiceNet's first farm in Hatfield that has provided meaningful agricultural work, fair wages, and personal and professional growth to hundreds of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since opening in 2011.

Eventually, the farm will employ 50 individuals with developmental disabilities year-round and another 20 to 25 local folks supporting their work.

The pay is a great aspect for Billy Baker, who is learning valuable skills for future employment doing various tasks around the farm. He has known some of the ServiceNet community for over a decade.

"I just go wherever they need me to help," he said. "I'm more of a hands-on person."

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