Specialty hospital expands award-winning facility

CORE’s best surgical practices yield results

By Julie Maurer

The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital in Phoenix has received recognition for its excellence in patient care as well as its many upgrades and improvements throughout the past year. The hospital has expanded its ability to provide the latest technology and treatment for orthopedic cases in the Valley.

In a typical hospital preop area, an orthopedic patient might be in the bay next to someone coming in for heart surgery or a tonsillectomy. The post-op team is stretched thin as they provide care for patients recovering from a wide variety of procedures.

However, CISH allows patients to receive specialized care from those whose expertise is focused solely on orthopedics and spine. The facility launched in 2017 with five operating rooms, all of which handle only orthopedic and spine patients. This year’s exciting expansion grew their OR capacity, creating more opportunities to seek the specialized treatment at CISH.

“We’re not a surgery center; we’re truly a hospital,” said Rona Curphy, CEO of The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital. “We don’t have an emergency room, so we don’t have new patients coming in throughout the day that might need emergent surgery. This way, we can stay focused on those cases that are scheduled, minimizing the chances of your surgery being delayed.”

The hospital provides more comfort to patients than ever, with 18 patient recovery suites completely remodeled in 2021.

“We are very focused on outstanding patient outcomes utilizing best practices,” Curphy said. This mindset has yielded great results. The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the state, with their rate being much lower than the national average. These infection-prevention methods made The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital the go-to facility for orthopedic and spine surgeries for not only patients in Arizona but from across the country and abroad.

The new expansion also allows for the hospital to expand the latest surgical and orthopedic care technologies to every aspect of the hospital. Specialized and state-of-the art surgical robots as well as infection-fighting technologies are throughout the now expanded operating rooms and treatment areas.

The specialty hospital has a high percentage of same-day patients and these renovations not only increase capacity and efficiencies but provide for an easier transition to mobility after surgery. For some patients, Physical Therapists can now visit them right after surgery and get them up and walking in the recovery room. These efforts will only build upon The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital’s continued success and multiple awards. In Rona Curphy, MBA, BSN, FACHE 2021 and 2022, the facility received the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades and was named to their America’s 100 Best Joint Replacement list. Put simply, the CORE Institute Specialty Hospital is now better than ever. The We’re not a surgery center; we’re truly a hospital,” said Rona Curphy, CEO of The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital. “We don’t have an emergency room, so we don’t have new patients coming in throughout the day that might need emergent surgery. This way, we can stay focused on those cases that are scheduled, minimizing the chances of your surgery being delayed. Rona Curphy, CEO of The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital hospital’s expansion provides more patients within the community with a premier orthopedic experience. Its continuous efforts to push the advancements in orthopedic & spinal surgery and patient recovery have instilled pride among its staff, and confidence in the patients who go there.