Patient Selection

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Generally, a patient that might reasonably benefit from a hip replacement has the following characteristics:

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1. Less than 2 mm of joint space remaining on x-rays.

2. Symptoms requiring regular use of over-the-counter medications and significant limitations in activities for greater than 1 year.

3. Will have not received any significant benefit from a 3-month trial of a physical therapy with supervised exercise that might either defer joint replacement or optimize fitness for joint replacement.

 

Operating Room Selection

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Dr. Tower operates at Alaska Regional Hospital (ARH), Creekside Surgery Center (CSC), and at Providence Alaska Medical Center (PAMC). All three have excellent operating rooms and most often the choice of facility will depend on which one offers the lowest out-of-pocket expense to the patient, usually dictated by the patient’s insurance company and several other factors:

 

• Creekside Surgery Center patients cannot be primarily covered by Medicare or Medicaid and need to have their medical condition approved prior to being scheduled.

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• Dr. Tower's medical assistant will work directly with you to schedule surgery at the facility that most meets your needs for a specific date, while finding the facility that allows for the maximum reimbursement according to your insurance requirements.

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*  This is not medical advice.  Your treatment protocol will be determined by your provider in an individualized plan based on your surgical need and diagnosis.