Robert B. Hartman, M.D.

Practicing Total Joint Replacements

Minnesota Valley Surgery Center offers Comprehensive Orthopaedic Care

Glass doors open quietly into a high-celinged lobby filled with art and light. The atmosphere is friendly, efficient and relaxed. Welcome to a visionary outpatient approach to orthopaedic care practiced by few centers in the nation.

Minnesota Valley Surgery Center (MVSC) is a multispecialty ambulatory surgical center designed to offer all-inclusive outpatient care for muscular skeletal problems. Here, patients can be evaluated, undergo MRI scan or X-ray evaluation as necessary and/or receive therapeutic or surgical treatment under one roof. Comprehensive site services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, fitting for braces and orthotics, limited prescription fulfillment and a range of surgeries encompassing shoulder replacements, reverse shoulder replacements, knee and partial-knee replacements, resurfacing, total elbows, hip resurfacing and hip replacement. Center specialists practice in total-joint replacement, sports medicine, hand surgery, foot surgery, ophthalmology and pain treatment.

photo by David Ginsberg

Robert Hartman, M.D.

Offering Convenience in Burnsville, Minnesota

“We’ve had a presence in the Burnsville area for a long time,” explains Robert B. Hartman, M.D., a founding partner and orthopaedic surgeon at MVSC. “Our present location is familiar to our patients. We are imbedded in the community, yet we are close to the hospital. If there was ever an event that required an immediate transfer, we’d easily be able to transfer someone from our surgical center to the hospital.”

Total Joint Replacement by Popular Demand

MVSC specialties include orthopaedics, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, pain management, podiatry and general surgery. MVSC introduced total joint replacement surgery services in response to patient demand. Their inclusive care model enables them to control implant costs, supply costs, operating room time and other overhead items. This translates into lower costs to insurance carriers and fewer out-of-pocket costs. Offering outpatient surgery was also a response to the apprehension patients expressed about going to a hospital, and the desire of many to get back to work more quickly. Many patients expressed a strong preference to recover in their home environment. They wanted their family and their pets around them.

“We are able to achieve some economies that a hospital can’t,” notes Dr. Hartman. “We evaluated and standardized our protocols, our implants and our instruments. We don’t have all kinds of vendors bringing in all kinds of products. We also minimize patient travel and waiting time for evaluation, diagnosis and surgery. Patients can get prescriptions filled right here. This minimizes errors and confusion in the operating room and minimizes confusion with patient care. We can control costs efficiently. This benefits insurance carriers and is advantageous to patients. I think that is what has made us successful.”