Private Knee Replacement Surgery Cost

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Private knee replacement in Canada and the USA

With the medical wait times becoming longer and longer, some Canadians choose to seek private surgery. The wait in Canada can be up to 2 years, however, if you are able to go private, we can usually assist you to get your private knee replacement surgery in 3-8 weeks, depending on your particular situation. Usually, if you had a recent X-ray (within the last 6 months) and have your medical records such as radiology report and imaging, it takes less time. If we have to obtain your records, it takes longer, as provinces have up to 30 days to provide us with your medical records after a consent form has been signed and sent in.

How much does it cost?

In general, a knee replacement is about $28,000, in Canadian or US dollars. Of course, because the Canadian dollar is not doing so well right now, the US option becomes more expensive. However, when choosing where to go, you should consider not only the cost but the expertise and reputation of a particular private clinic and surgeon.

Other factors to consider

When it comes to expertise, we usually provide people with a number of surgeries a particular surgeon does a year. Expertise comes with experience, and the more of it is done, the better expert a doctor is, in general terms. Another factor we always point out to our clients is the level of client care and therefore satisfaction that a surgeon and his staff provide. Some of the facilities we work with in the US go way above and beyond – they are available to answer all your questions pretty much at any time, are willing to make a hotel visit if needed after the surgery, and provide help and guidance later during the recovery process.

Private options and medical concierge service

Traveling for medical reasons can be complicated. Health Vantis provides full medical concierge service and case management from the first phone call until the return home for recovery. Our clients select where they go and we take care of all the details and logistics. If you are looking for a private knee replacement and are curious about our service, please give us a call toll-free 877 344 2544 or email us at info@healthvantis.com

 

Preparing for a Private Hip Replacement? 4 Top Things to Do

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If you were told that a hip replacement is in your future, you may be thinking of how to prepare. Those that spend some time to think through preparations and carry out tasks in advance will have a smoother and faster recovery. Some things you may need help with are moving around your home and getting some things done.

Put a support system in place prior to your surgery

Reach out to your friends and family and tell them about your upcoming surgery and what you need help with when you get back home. Make a list of things that you will be unable to do for the first few weeks, such as driving and getting groceries and such. Ideally, you should have one person as a designated communicator to the rest of your support group. This person will provide updates about your recovery and ask for additional help if needed. For all private hip replacements, this person is also your travel companion and will come with you to pick you up from the medical facility, bring you back to the hotel room for recovery and keep an eye on you for the next 24-48 hours in case of any complications.

Rent or purchase all the needed equipment for your recovery prior to your going for surgery

Your doctor or your medical facilitator should be able to give you a list of things to have. Some of them you can rent at a local drug store or Red Cross, and some of them need to be purchased. Here is the list we give to our clients.

  • Cooling machine (cold therapy) if possible
  • Ice pack if the cooling machine is not an option
  • Walker or crutches or both
  • Raised toilet seat
  • Bed assistance rail
  • Bath transfer bench
  • Reacher/grabber with pincher claws
  • Long handle shoe horn and bath sponge

Prepare your home for your arrival before you leave

Get your home de-cluttered and ensure that you have ample walking space. If you have rugs in the hallways remove them till you have recovered. Those can be a hazard to your walking while you are recovering. Stock up on easily prepared foods, such as frozen meals and canned food.

Arrange your physiotherapy sessions with a qualified specialist

Physio is a must when you are in recovery after your private hip replacement. It will start the same day as your surgery when you are feeling better and have woken up after anesthesia. Ideally, it should continue every day for 3-5 days and then your therapist can re-evaluate to see if you are getting the exercises and are able to do them on your own. Then your physiotherapy sessions can take place once or twice a week. Remember that doing exercises after surgery is essential to a successful recovery as exercise strengthens your muscles and gets your hip moving.

If you need assistance planning your medical travel, Health Vantis can help. Contact us toll-free at 877 344 3544 or info@healthvantis.com and we would be happy to assist.

Preparing For a Private Knee Replacement: Dos and Don’ts

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If you were told that a knee replacement is going to happen in the near future, you may be thinking of the best way to prepare yourself, your loved ones, and your home for what is coming after the surgery. Some things can be done in advance and they improve your chances of better outcomes and recovery. Planning early will also help lower your stress level which in turn helps you manage your recovery.

DOs

Pre-hab exercises

We can not say enough about this one. In simple words, the more in shape you are prior to surgery the better off you are after. We also understand that reduced mobility will limit your ways of getting in shape before surgery, but do not just sit there. If you are able to afford a physiotherapist to guide you search YouTube for knee surgery pre-hab exercises and you will find some great ones to do at home.

Quit smoking

Smoking is harmful to your health overall, and specifically increases the risk of heart attack, DVT, and stroke, and will hinder recovery. It decreases the blood flow and thus slows the healing process as well as makes you vulnerable to infection and circulatory problems.

Prepare home for your recovery

You will be home after 5-7 days (travel and recovery at the location of surgery) and you will not be able to drive for about 6 weeks. If you live by yourself, ensure that you cleared your home prior to your departure. We usually advise people to have everything set up on one level of their home so that they do not have to climb stairs. Rent a cooling machine or have ice packs in your freezer, as well as prepared frozen meals to make it easier on yourself.

DON’Ts

Do not have another cortisone injection

Surgeons advise against having a cortisone injection within the 3 months of private knee replacement surgery. Research shows that there is an increased risk of infection if a cortisone shot was done within the 3 months prior to surgery. Talk to your doctor or medical facilitator about this one if you recently had a cortisone shot.

Do not disregard pre-op instructions given to you by the doctor or nurse

You will be given specific pre-op instructions and we advise all of our clients to follow them precisely. If something is not followed, such as having a meal before your surgery or continuing to take certain medications, your surgery will be rescheduled for a different day.

Do not hesitate to ask for help

Knee replacement surgery is a common procedure, but knowing you have support can mean a much easier recovery. Do not wait or hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to your friends, family members, and neighbors and be specific as to what you will need, be it taking care of your groceries or simply wanting company for a couple of hours a day while you can not drive. Most people will be happy to help if they know what is asked of them. If you are completely by yourself and are able to hire a companion, google seniors’ companion services in your area and see if this is something you would want to consider.

If you need assistance planning your medical travel, Health Vantis can help. Contact us toll-free 877 344 3544 or info@healthvantis.com and we would be happy to assist.

Traveling For Private Joint Replacement: Top 3 Considerations

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So, you chose to travel to get your private hip or knee replacement. Now let’s get to planning to ensure your travel is as comfortable as it can be and as smooth as you are able to make it for yourself. Nowadays with all the travel interruptions and staff shortages, chances are you will experience some setbacks such as delays or cancellations. However, you should still be able to prepare yourself for this so that you do not miss your surgery or a pre-op consultation.

Plan to arrive 24 to 48 hours prior to your pre-op consultation

This one used to be not such a big deal, but in the past year or so, we have seen travel delays and cancellations, rescheduling our clients’ flights to the next day. We, therefore, advise booking a flight to arrive at the city of your surgery 24 to 48 hours prior to your pre-op appointment. This way if your flight gets delayed or rescheduled for the next day you will not be stressed out about your appointment.

Avoid leaving too soon

Your surgeon will be able to tell you when you can go home. This is the question to ask during your phone consultation with a doctor before you do all the planning. If you are not feeling well after the surgery, allow yourself to stay an extra day or two. When purchasing your airline tickets go for the fully refundable fare so that you can make changes to your flight without incurring major costs.

Make your trip as comfortable as you can

Pack essentials in your carry-on, such as your medications, blankets, pillows, reading materials, and snacks. On your flight back, choose your seat with as much legroom as your money can afford. Select an aisle seat so that you can get up and move a little bit. Flights over 4h have an increased risk of DVTs, so moving around is essential. It is also wise to have anti-nausea medication with you as many people experience motion sickness especially after being under anesthesia.

If you need assistance planning your medical travel, Health Vantis can help. Contact us toll-free at 877 344 3544 or info@healthvantis.com and we would be happy to assist.

Risks of Waiting for Your Hip Replacement

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Risks of Waiting for Your Hip Replacement

Wait times have went up drastically over the years for hip replacements.  This has left thousands of Canadians at sea on their own as they wait to get a surgery date. This can create major consequences if you experience long delays.  Let’s look at some reasons how waiting can make things worse:

  1. Mental health

    – Let’s face it, winter months in Canada can be long.  Seasonal affect disorder (SAD) is a real thing and very well known to many.  If you have an ailment that causes stress or continued pain, it can create and/or exacerbate SAD making you have low energy, poor mood and cause you to sleep too much.  Worse yet, it can turn into a full blown depression. Feeling discouraged, hopeless or in constant pain affects your focus, ability to function and can hamper your social interactions with people.  Not being able to play with your children or grandchildren, staying home from parties, or not being able to work can all create more stress on your mental health. When your mental health decreases, your whole body reacts to the stress.  This can make your pain unbearable, therefore, too difficult to maintain a healthy physical health.

  2. Physical health

    – Regular exercise is important to maintain strong bones, muscle strength, better sleep and more energy. It improves your mood and overall good health.  Obesity can put limitations on whether or not they can do surgery on you.  It’s a double edge sword.  You are in so much pain that you cannot do regular exercise, therefore, you put weight on.  However, if your BMI is too high, you may not qualify for private hip surgery.  As your weight increases into an unhealthy range, you could also develop high blood pressure or diabetes, which further complicates a surgery.  If you are not mobile due to excessive pain, there are still ways to get exercise in without exacerbating your issue or creating more pain.  For instance, if it is too painful to walk due to your hip, try swimming or doing sitting exercises with light weights.  *Always talk to your doctor or physiotherapist first though on what is the safest for you.  If you keep your physical fitness up, your recovery will go much smoother and quicker.  If you are not physically fit, be prepared for a much longer road to recovery.

  3. More risk to further injury

    – Waiting a couple months to have an already known injury that needs surgery is probably not going to hamper your situation in the grand scheme of things.  Having to wait several months, a year, and in some cases 2 years, can.  As we indicated above, physical health is crucial to having a safe and successful surgery.  The longer you wait, the harder it is to exercise to your full potential.  Inactivity will lead to muscle loss and increased stiffness to your joint.  This in turn will make it harder and harder to walk putting more stress on the joint by not having the muscles surrounding it to support things.  This can create even more issues such as making a joint deformity worse or cause injuries to other joints and/or body parts as they over compensate for the weight you can no longer support.

Like most things, this is not an end all.  You do have options.  The quickest way to get your hip surgery is to go the private manner.  Health Vantis works with many facilities that can offer you a private hip replacement without waiting months on end to get a surgery date that might be even another year down the road.  Contact us at info@healthvantis.com or 877-344-3544 for more details to how we can help you.

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Risks of Waiting for Your Knee Replacement

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Risks of Waiting for Your Knee Replacement

Wait times have went up drastically over the years for knee replacements.  This has left thousands of Canadians at sea on their own as they wait to get a surgery date. This can create major consequences if you experience long delays.  Let’s look at some reasons how waiting can make things worse:

  1. Mental health

    – Let’s face it, winter months in Canada can be long.  Seasonal affect disorder (SAD) is a real thing and very well known to many.  If you have an ailment that causes stress or continued pain, it can create and/or exacerbate SAD making you have low energy, poor mood and cause you to sleep too much.  Worse yet, it can turn into a full blown depression. Feeling discouraged, hopeless or in constant pain affects your focus, ability to function and can hamper your social interactions with people.  Not being able to play with your children or grandchildren, staying home from parties, or not being able to work can all create more stress on your mental health. When your mental health decreases, your whole body reacts to the stress.  This can make your pain unbearable, therefore, too difficult to maintain a healthy physical health.

  2. Physical health

    – Regular exercise is important to maintain strong bones, muscle strength, better sleep and more energy. It improves your mood and overall good health.  Obesity can put limitations on whether or not they can do surgery on you.  It’s a double edge sword.  You are in so much pain that you cannot do regular exercise, therefore, you put weight on.  However, if your BMI is too high, you may not qualify for private knee surgery.  As your weight increases into an unhealthy range, you could also develop high blood pressure or diabetes, which further complicates a surgery.  If you are not mobile due to excessive pain, there are still ways to get exercise in without exacerbating your issue or creating more pain.  For instance, if it is too painful to walk due to your hip, try swimming or doing sitting exercises with light weights.  *Always talk to your doctor or physiotherapist first though on what is the safest for you.  If you keep your physical fitness up, your recovery will go much smoother and quicker.  If you are not physically fit, be prepared for a much longer road to recovery.

  3. More risk to further injury

    – Waiting a couple months to have an already known injury that needs surgery is probably not going to hamper your situation in the grand scheme of things.  Having to wait several months, a year, and in some cases 2 years, can.  As we indicated above, physical health is crucial to having a safe and successful surgery.  The longer you wait, the harder it is to exercise to your full potential.  Inactivity will lead to muscle loss and increased stiffness to your joint.  This in turn will make it harder and harder to walk putting more stress on the joint by not having the muscles surrounding it to support things.  This can create even more issues such as making a joint deformity worse or cause injuries to other joints and/or body parts as they over compensate for the weight you can no longer support.

Like most things, this is not an end all.  You do have options.  The quickest way to get your knee surgery is to go the private manner.  Health Vantis works with many facilities that can offer you a private knee replacement without waiting months on end to get a surgery date that might be even another year down the road.  Contact us at info@healthvantis.com or 877-344-3544 for more details to how we can help you.

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.ca

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com

Private Hip Replacement or Waiting for Your Turn

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Canadians are all too familiar with medical wait times and the frustration and pain it can bring to a person and their family. Physical pain or great discomfort, inability to enjoy things you did before and monetary losses are present when waiting for your turn to get surgery or medical treatment. Contributing to universal health care through our taxes should ensure that all Canadians have equal access to timely and quality healthcare. Unfortunately, our healthcare is not even close to providing us with timely medical care.

According to the latest report from the Fraser Institute, orthopedic surgery wait times continue to increase. Orthopedic surgeries are surgeries that are considered “elective” or scheduled. The two most common orthopedic elective surgeries are hip and knee replacements. These two joint replacement procedures are mostly needed by those over 60-65 years old. So even more unfair to Canadians that have paid into the healthcare system all their working lives and are now facing such long delays. In 2022 the median wait from GP referral to see an orthopedic specialist was 16 weeks and to get surgery after seeing the specialist was 32.4 weeks in Canada. The total median wait time adds up to 48.4 weeks. That is an overall increase of 14.3 weeks from 2021.

Of course, these wait times differ from province to province, with Manitoba having the longest wait in 2022, a total of 104.9 weeks median wait time, and Ontario having the shortest median wait time of 29.9 weeks.

If you were put on a long medical wait list and would like to explore your private options Health Vantis can help. We will connect you to a reputable and safe medical facility and provide you with full medical concierge service from the first phone call till you are back home and are recovering. There are no wait times. We can get someone to surgery 3-4 weeks after we submit their medical records for review. To find out more information about our services please contact us toll-free at 877 344 3544 or by email info@healthvantis.com

Private Custom Implant Knee Replacement

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Many people may be familiar with custom knee replacement, but it still can be confusing what it means. Below we highlight some common terms as they relate to the actual implant for your new knee.

Traditional Knee Implant

In a traditional knee implant, the implant designs are based on a set of pre-determined measurements. The doctor will determine which one is the closest fit for each patient. The flaw that can occur is that there are 2 joints in each knee and they can be different heights, which can result in an imperfect fit. It can also create more cutting of the bone depending on the surgeons’ technical abilities.

There are other types of knee replacements that are sometimes referred to as custom. Implant manufacturers make different types of implants that will fit different genders or suit someone who is very physically active better, or make 90 different sizes of implants based on the past patient’s anatomy. This does not mean that the implant is custom-made for your knee. The surgeon will pick the best based on their knowledge and expertise.

True Custom Implant – Conformis

A Conformis knee replacement is a custom implant specific to the patient’s anatomy. A 3D image of the patient’s knee will be done prior to the surgery through CT Scan. The image is used to design an implant that will fit their anatomy as well as design cutting guides for the surgeon to follow as in a custom knee replacement. It prevents the surgeon from removing bone and can correct alignment issues more reliably within the knee. Another bonus is that the implant itself is thinner in size, which allows for less healthy tissue and bone removal. The less bone removed, the less trauma the knee endures and the less soft tissue disruption.

The surgery itself is much quicker.  You don’t have to try and fit the implants with off-the-shelf options or utilize stabilizing rods. It provides a more natural fit, less pain, swelling, and faster recovery time. There will be fewer difficulties within the knee down the road and longer life of the implant.

Our facilities are equipped to do both forms of knee replacement. If you are on the waitlist and want to explore your options, please contact us toll-free 877 344 3544 or email info@healthvantis.com and we’d be happy to help!

Top 3 Things to Remember When Considering a Private Hip Replacement

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If you are researching and considering a private hip replacement, we have some information. We helped many people plan and go through their medical travel journey.  The below 3 things often come on the top of considerations.

You will have to travel outside your home province.

Residents of Ontario can not get a private hip replacement in Ontario, residents of Alberta can not get a private hip replacement in Alberta, and so on. That is how the Canadian publicly funded health care system works. You can not pay for surgery in your home province if that surgery or procedure is covered by your provincial health care. However, a resident of Alberta can travel to Ontario and get a private hip replacement. It

Some provinces do not have much in terms of private medical facilities. For example, it is not possible to get a private hip replacement in Nova Scotia, PEI or New Brunswick.

Costs are important but do not go for the cheapest.

In Canada, we pay for our health care through our taxes. If you want private surgery, you have to cover the cost in addition to paying taxes. We absolutely agree that it is not fair. However, it is a way to get it done without a lengthy delay.  Do your homework, and base your decision on your surgeon’s expertise and how far you have to travel from home, not on price alone. Hip replacements are only slightly cheaper in India, but you will be flying across the globe and exposing yourself to many unnecessary risks.

Recovery times are to be considered – be realistic.

We always tell our clients that surgery is only halfway to getting rid of hip pain. The second half is on you and how you set up your recovery process. Physiotherapy, much-needed rest, and moving around only in the way that is beneficial to your post-surgery body all come after your doctor does their job. The more fit you are prior to surgery the faster the recovery. Quit smoking and try to lose excessive weight.

 

If you want to learn more about private hip replacements in the USA or Canada, please reach out by toll-free 877 344 3544 or email info@healthvantis.com

Tips For a Faster Joint Replacement Recovery

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Tips For a Faster Joint Replacement Recovery

Joint replacements used to leave people in agonizing pain taking weeks, sometimes months to recover.  It was not uncommon to be hospitalized 3 to 7 days.  Now, newer techniques allow for the patient to be up and walking right after surgery and to be released from the hospital on the same day.  The goal in getting someone up and moving right away benefits the patient in a huge way.  They are less likely to develop blood clots, experience increased pain and lose muscle mass.

Do not mistake this for an easy ride though.  There is still a lot of work that goes in before, during, and after the surgery. The surgeon just fixes the issue. The real work comes after the surgery. The more prepared you are, the better your outcome will be.  Keeping everyone involved, ie. support person, facilitator, surgeon, nursing staff and anesthesiologist, all on the same page will only benefit you.  Here are some things you can do to make your recovery go faster:

  • Set realistic expectations on your recovery BEFORE you even have the surgery.  Go in to it knowing it will take time for you to heal.  Research shows that even though you feel great and are able to get around fairly easy, the muscle tissues and bone still take a full 6 weeks to heal properly.  For some, it can be even more than 6 weeks.  Keeping that in mind will prepare you mentally to accept that you will not be running a marathon within a month’s time after your joint replacement.  
  • Eat a healthy diet, stop smoking and continue a strengthening exercise routine before the big day.  Doing this will have you fit and healthy for surgery.  By continuing the exercise or physiotherapy prior to the surgery, you will be that much more ahead of the game when you start the routine back up.
  • Prepare your home ahead of time before the surgery.  Making some meals you can keep in the freezer will make eating time less stressful and easier.  Get your sleeping area set up.   For example, if your bedroom is in an upstairs area, it might make more sense to set something up downstairs for a couple of days until you feel like you can safely climb stairs.  Clear away any unnecessary items on the floor to prevent the chance of tripping over them.
  • Most importantly, always do what your doctor has instructed and follow through with any preparation required or limitations they have set for you. 

If you are looking for a private hip replacement or knee replacement, contact Health Vantis at 877-344-3544 or Info@healthvantis.com.

Health Vantis

www.healthvantis.com

877-344-3544

info@healthvantis.com