Gelenk Klinik - certified Centre for Arthroplasty in Germany

The Orthopaedic Gelenk-Klinik was the first orthopaedic provider to be certified as a Centre for Endoprosthetic Surgery in Baden-Württemberg, Germany according to the strict guidelines (national regulations) of the supervising DGOOC e.V. "EndoprothetikZentrum" (EPZ). This certificate shows:

• Surgical experience of more than 200 successful prosthesis/year
• Excellent surgical quality
• Diagnostic excellence
• Quality of documentation
• Quality of patient counseling and patient support

We congratulate the Senior Doctor Dr. Thomas Schneider and the official coordinator of the auditing process Prof. Dr. Sven Ostermeier for this success on behalf of the team of Orthopaedic Gelenk-Klinik.

The certification of the Orthopaedic Gelenk-Klinik by the German Society for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery (DGOOC e.V.) as a dedicated centre for arthroplasty, reflects the special quality of our medical procedures and the high degree of specialisation of our surgeons.

Why the Certificate as a Centre for Arthroplasty?

Until now there have been only self-proclaimed arthroplasty centres without strict 3rd party quality control.

The DGOOC e.V. as the professional organisation for orthopaedic surgeons in Germany, has set the standard for dedicated arthroplasty centres. This certificate establishes the first assessment in the world, directed specifically at quality, in the field of joint replacement surgery.

For years, treatment errors in artificial joint replacement for knee and hip osteoarthritis, were among the most common reasons for malpractice allegations world wide.

Currently approximately 400,000 prosthetic knee and hip joint surgical procedures are performed each year in Germany alone. Malpractice accusations are high globally, particularly in the field of knee and hip prosthesis.

No more than 2 years post operation, 6.5% of knee replacements and 3.3% of hip prostheses need revision surgery. Globally the rate of revision surgery needing to be performed is even higher.

The main reason for this high rate of revision surgery, is the loosening of the implants. This results mainly from the lack of diagnostic experience, improper planning of the prosthesis and lack of routine in prosthetic surgery amongst many of the health care providers in the field of orthopaedic arthroplasty.

Research has universally established the key role of routine and experience: Surgeons performing less than 50 prosthetic surgery procedures per year, provide most of the uncertain outcomes in arthroplasty. More than 40% of the 1149 hospitals in Germany do not meet the quota of even 50 cases per year.

How to establish excellence in prosthetic surgery?

The certification as "Centre for Arthroplasty" is designed to help patients in the future, to identify an institution with maximum expertise. Treatment centres named as centres for arthroplasty, are expected to continually improve the quality of outcomes in prosthetic hip and knee surgery hip as the leaders in this field.

Criteria required for achieving certification

• Experience of at least 100 prosthetic procedures per surgeon/year
• Surgeons qualified as orthopaedic specialists
• Regular and up to date training for orthopaedic surgeons
• History of successful surgical outcomes without reported quality problems
• Certified procedure of diagnosis and documentation
• Certified level of patient support
• Certified procedures for diagnosis, post surgical care and rehabilitation
• History of ISO 9001 certification documenting medical procedures with particular focus on intraoperative quality covering all the procedures in the operating theatre

Future of quality assessment in Arthroplasty

The Orthopaedic Gelenk-Klinik is proud of it's heritage - exceeding required quality standards consistently since it was founded in 1992. As a recognised provider for orthopaedic health care and orthopaedic surgery, Gelenk-Klinik has been a highly respected provider of arthroplasty services for more than two decades. The preferred approach at the Gelenk-Klinik is still joint preservation rather than joint replacement surgery. However the team at the Orthopaedic Gelenk-Klinik is proud to define excellence in arthroplasty as one of the group of certified arthroplasty centres in Germany.