Sam's Soccer Situation

Sam is an outstanding forward on her soccer team....one of the best teams in the league. Today is the game against their biggest rival and the worst happens. Sam doesn't remember just how it happened, but she does remember the sudden pain. It’s her knee!

She’s on the ground in great pain. It's clear that she needs to leave the field and the game. The certified athletic trainer, provided to the high schools by the hospital, tells Sam's mom that Sam need s to go to the hospital in an ambulance since she is in so much pain. The trainer suspects an internal injury to the knee.

The ambulance arrives and the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) calmly take over. Sam's leg is stabilized and she is carefully placed in the ambulance. The EMTs contact the hospital to inform them of their arrival.

Sam is taken to the Emergency Department (ED), a very busy place in the hospital. At this same time in the ED there are two people who were involved in an auto accident, an elderly man who fell at home, a woman with a serious laceration on her hand, and a crying baby.

People come to the Emergency Department who need immediate medical attention and cannot get it anywhere else.

Sam is admitted and assessed by the Emergency Department physician who orders an MRI. A transport aide wheels Sam to the Imaging Department.

Sam is returned to the ED while the radiologist reads the MRI and confirms the diagnosis of a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of her knee.

The ED nurse tells Sam and her mom about using the brace they have placed on her knee, how to take the pain medication being prescribed and how important ice and elevation will be to control swelling. Sam is given a referral to an orthopedic physician and released from the Emergency Department.

Within a few days Sam sees the orthopedic physician she was referred to and it’s determined that she will need surgery to fix the ACL. It will be an outpatient day surgery since it’s less invasive and will not require a lengthy recovery time.

The date is set for the end of the week.
Sam arrives at the hospital early in the morning; having been very careful to follow the pre-operative instructions she was given. She is admitted as an outpatient.

She changes into a hospital gown and is prepped by the pre-op nurse, the IV nurse and the anesthesiologist. Sam has chosen to have a spinal anesthetic instead of a general one. She will be conscious, but the medication will relax her and block all sensation from her lower body. The surgery is completed successfully.

Sam remains in recovery for a while. After a few hours she is ready to go home. The physical therapist instructs Sam and her mom on directions for using her crutches, some precautions and a few exercises. 

An appointment is set up for her to begin rehabilitation.
On her first visit to the Rehabilitation Department, Sam is asked to complete the admitting process for this department. She will be an outpatient. Appointments are set up with the scheduler in the outpatient orthopedic therapy clinic.

After this, an aide takes Sam to meet the therapist who will supervise her rehabilitation. Sam immediately likes her and feels confident that she understands and appreciates the needs Sam has as an athlete.

The rehabilitation will take 4-6 weeks, with appointments 2 to 3 days each week. Sam works both with the therapist and her athletic trainer. She is finally released for activity with a de-rotation brace to protect her knee during sports.

The athletic trainer works directly with the coach to reinforce the needed use of the brace and to encourage skill development that can replace aggressive uncontrolled play and ultimately prevent future injuries. Athletic trainers are listed in the hospital job descriptions under Exercise Specialists.

Sam is on the soccer field with her team again. They are still top in the league. Case closed? Almost! Sam's experience ends in the Health Information Management Department by finishing up the charting of her services. Coders review the charts to find all items of Sam's treatment.

The charted information from the Health Information Management department is sent to the billing office.  Where it’s put onto appropriate bills and submitted to insurance companies and other responsible parties for payment. Finally, her records are stored.

Take the Tour
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