Located near the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Grandview Hospital is a 22-bed hospital that is a hub for orthopedic surgical excellence. The Joint Commission has certified Grandview Hospital as the only hospital in southern Colorado accredited for total hip and knee replacements as a designated Center of Excellence (COE).
The hospital also has a 24/7 emergency room, an intensive care unit and surgical suites equipped with advanced technology to help people get back to living their extraordinary lives.
Easy access, beautiful accommodations
Grandview offers a modern-day health care experience. Patients in hospital suites on the west side of the hospital have spectacular views of Pikes Peak and patients on the east side can view the rocky outcropping known as Pulpit Rock, complete with specialty made-to-order dining options and well-appointed suites to attend to, and support a healing environment.
“One of the huge advantages at Grandview is accessibility. Patients can exit the interstate and be here within minutes. The hospital is designed so patients have easy access to the clinical excellence of UCHealth and the comfort of a five-star healing environment in one convenient location,’’ said Andy Ritchie, Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President of Operations for UCHealth Grandview.
The culinary scene at Grandview Hospital is a true benefit to patients. The chef enjoys creating fresh, farm-to-table meals that aid in healing and elevate the experience for patients. “Nutrition is central to one’s recovery, and our goal is to create an experience for our patients that will comfort, encourage and inspire recovery,” said Taylor Harper, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at UCHealth.
According to Ritchie, “Most of the patients we care for come to us as healthy people. They’re having a knee or hip replacement to improve their lives and get back to the activities that they love to do. Our chef is a believer in fresh, seasonal foods. If someone is really craving a delicious steak or a fresh salmon salad, it’s our privilege to make that happen.’’
Grandview’s team of physicians and orthopedic surgeons represent some of the most respected names in southern Colorado medicine. Dr. Matt Kluk is one great example.
As a young cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, defensive end Kluk once had 20 tackles in a single game, an accomplishment that inked his name into the record books of the prestigious military school.
Because of his curiosity about practicing medicine, every time a player was injured, Kluk took a particular interest. Off the field, Kluk often accompanied the doctor into the surgical suite and watched the surgeon fix orthopedic injuries. The experience fueled Kluk’s interest in becoming a surgeon.
Today, after years of schooling and a residency at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he helped care for soldiers who suffered severe orthopedic and blast injuries in combat, Kluk is serving southern Colorado through excellent orthopedic surgical outcomes, specifically total and partial knee replacements; and hip replacements.
“I feel like orthopedics provided the opportunity to make the best impact on a person’s life in terms of returning them to function,’’ Kluk said. “It’s what orthopedics is all about, getting people back to doing hiking, biking, all of those types of things that they love.”
These days, his teammates are other orthopedic surgeons who work at Grandview, which has outpatient imaging and laboratory services conveniently located on the campus. The new Grandview Medical Center is open nearby, complementing services at the hospital.
Focused on orthopedics
As a hospital principally focused on orthopedics and the only accredited and designated Center of Excellence for joint replacement surgery in Colorado, UCHealth Grandview offers total joint replacement surgeries for knees and hips, foot and ankle, comprehensive hand, forearms, elbows, and shoulder surgeries. Traumatic orthopedic injuries are cared for nearby at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central – southern Colorado’s only Level I Trauma Center.
Grandview has recently begun using a Mako Robot to aide Dr. Kluk, Dr. Jim Duffey, Dr. Jordan Schaeffer, and Dr. Tyler Bron in precision robotically-assisted total and partial knee, and hip replacement surgeries.
“The robot is beneficial to patients because it allows a surgeon the ability to position components with precision,’’ Kluk said. “The added benefit of the robot, and the short-term data in the partial knee applications, shows that there is better survivorship and better component positioning.”
“For patients, that means less pain, less soft tissue irritation and theoretically, better long-term outcomes,’’ Kluk said. The robot was funded in part, by a generous gift from donors who attended the Memorial Hospital Foundation Gala in May of 2019.
Motion is lotion
Patients who need joint replacements usually arrive at Grandview in the morning, spend one hour in surgery, wake up, and go to their room in the hospital. They have physical therapy the same day or the next day, spend two to three days in the hospital and go home. Getting patients up and out of their beds the same day of surgery is a best practice.
“It’s better for your heart and lungs, so it improves your pulmonary status, respiratory status and also prevents blood clots. It helps with overall well-being and physical therapy,” explained Kluk.
After patients leave the hospital, a nurse navigator calls to make sure the individual has an appointment scheduled with their primary care physician and their orthopedic surgeon.
“We are there to answer any questions patients may have,’’ said Ritchie. “By providing that continuity of care, we can avoid unnecessary readmissions to the hospital, which helps keep the costs of health care down. If a patient does need to seek emergency care, they have a point of contact who can advise them,’’ Ritchie said.
Emergency Room
Grandview has CT, x-ray and ultrasound capabilities in the hospital, enabling prompt diagnosis and treatment.
“The wait time in the emergency department is typically very short. Most of the time, you walk in and can be seen immediately, Ritchie said. “The emergency room physicians who work at Grandview are the same ER doctors who cover Memorial Central and Memorial North, so they have vast experience and knowledge.”
Grandview Medical Center
The Grandview Medical Center – a 65,000-square-foot medical office building — houses a new orthopedic clinic, a primary care practice with a focus on sports medicine, advanced orthopedic imaging services and an expansive physical therapy clinic and gym.
The Grandview campus is southern Colorado’s first full-service health campus with a focus on sports medicine and orthopedic care. As an integrated partner with the CU School of Medicine and Department of Orthopedics, patients benefit from innovative care, clinical trials, and the most advanced orthopedic treatments through this seamless linkage when needed.
“We are excited about our relationship with both the UCHealth Medical Group Orthopedics Practice and CU Orthopedics,’’ said Joel Yuhas, president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial. “Our ability to collaborate together enable UCHealth to be uniquely positioned to offer our community more sophisticated care, closer to home.”
For Dr. Kluk, the former Virginia Military Institute cadet who found his love for orthopedic surgery in an odd place – the sidelines of a football field – the Grandview campus is a wonderful place to practice medicine and a place to improve lives of patients.
“My goal with joint replacements is to get people back to doing what they love,’’ he said. “My whole goal is to get people to forget that they’ve had a knee or hip replacement. They’ve returned to function and years from now, they’re not thinking about their joint or their surgery. They’ve moved on.’’