Hip Replacement: Alice's Story
November 27, 2019
Alice Raiford was one of the first patients to have surgery at the new Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. “My family and I had a really good experience. I’m glad this hospital is close to my home.”
Expert Surgery Close to Home
“When I told my doctor that October would be the best time for me to have my hip replacement surgery because of my work schedule, he was thrilled,” says Alice Raiford.
“I was excited because I knew Holy Cross Germantown Hospital would be open starting October 1, 2014 and that we could offer her state-of-the-art care, close to her home,” says Douglas Murphy, MD, orthopedic surgeon and president of the medical staff at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.
The new hospital provides expert care across a wide range of surgical specialties and our surgeons are highly skilled in the latest minimally invasive procedures. For patient safety and peace of mind, surgical services at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital include a spacious pre-operative area for patients and families and a Post-Anesthesia Care Unit staffed with critical care nurses.
Alice, who had a total hip replacement, says having a private room really made a difference to her.
Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is the only hospital in the area with all private rooms—each room includes a private bathroom, cable television and wireless Internet access.
“The room was very spacious,” Alice says. “There were comfortable chairs and a sofa for my husband and two daughters to hang out with me and just relax. And, with the hospital’s 24/7 visiting hours, they could visit any time.” For added comfort and convenience, patients at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital are able to control their own room temperature and lighting.
Alice was only in the hospital for two days for hip replacement surgery.
“That’s not unusual,” says Dr. Murphy. “Many surgeries today are done as Alice’s was—as a minimally invasive procedure through a smaller incision, which promotes faster healing. In addition, our expert pain control allows patients to get out of bed sooner, recover more quickly and return home.”
That was certainly true for Alice. She was walking the day after her surgery. “I didn’t ache or hurt at all,” she says. “I kept asking the nurse, ‘When will the pain start?’”
The caring and dedicated nursing staff at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital also impressed Alice. At each shift change, her nurse gave her a phone number to call that would ring to a wireless phone the nurse carried at all times. “It made me feel safe and secure to know that I could pick up the phone and talk directly to my nurse whenever I wanted,” Alice says.