Advertisement 1

Trip to Montana for hip surgery gives Calgarian his way of life back

Article content

Bob Bridger says he’s not a macho guy. But at 69, he didn’t think he should be using a cane to get around.

An active figure on both the hockey ice and the golf course, Bridger started feeling the pain of what he thought was just a groin pull, two years ago. After a month it hurt too much to play sports; after a few more months, he couldn’t make it from the car to the front door of the grocery store.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

It took him a year to get a diagnosis of arthritis. It would take another year before he could even get in to see a surgeon to discuss hip replacement options — “and God knows how long after that to actually get into an operating room,” says Bridger, a retired RCMP officer.

“I said, ‘I can’t live like this, it’s like I lost my leg.’ So I went on the Internet and started looking around.”

Article content

A few months later, Bridger was getting the hip replacement doctors agreed he desperately needed at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Montana. That was last January. By mid-April, he was back on the ice again.

“I’m heading to a hockey tournament next week, and I’m better off than I was two years ago, with no discomfort whatsoever — I wish I had done it sooner,” says Bridger.

Hundreds of Albertans head to Kalispell Regional Medical Center each year for orthopedic procedures, avoiding wait-lists of months or even years.
Hundreds of Albertans head to Kalispell Regional Medical Center each year for orthopedic procedures, avoiding wait-lists of months or even years. Photo by Supplied

Bridger is among hundreds of Albertans who flock to Kalispell Regional Medical Center each year for orthopedic procedures, avoiding waitlists of months or even years. The 343-bed facility is only a five-and-a-half hour drive away from Calgary.

“We see a lot of seniors needing help with hips and knees, who want to enjoy a pain-free retirement or are continuing to work — farmers, ranchers and people who work in the oilfields,” says Mary Strauss, a registered nurse who manages the medical tourism department.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“We’re also seeing a lot of hockey injuries in the younger folks and skiers with sports injuries. Parents will bring in their kids who are on a hockey scholarship or thinking of going pro — if you are out on an ACL injury and can’t train for a year, that can really get in the way of their goals.”

All the major specialties are available at the medical facility, other than organ transplants and major burns. They’re also expanding rapidly in several key areas, including construction of a $12.9 million Digestive Health Institute. The two-storey, 28,000-square-foot building will focus on digestive primary and specialty care and is slated to open by next summer.

In 2016, Kalispell Regional Medical Center also began the construction of a 190,000-square-foot pediatric facility that will offer inpatient and outpatient facilities, including a pediatric floor, an expanded neonatal intensive care unit, and pediatric intensive care unit. The new facility is projected to be operational by the spring of 2019 and will offer Saturday clinic hours to help children and their families prevent missed school and work.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

While procedures require cash payment up front, KRMC works with a patient financing company called Medicard that enables clients to make monthly payments.

“It’s similar to a credit card — they call us to verify the procedure is scheduled and send the payment to us,” says Strauss.

“Alberta Health will also reimburse patients a small percentage for out-of-country health care. Our last patient let me know they got back about seven per cent of the total package price, though they can also write it off on their taxes.”

For Bridger, the $30,000 price tag for his procedure was worth it.

“The service you get is unbelievable, they look after everything. I got my own private suite with a living area, and the care from the nurses was first class.

“If I hadn’t done this when I did, I would have been in big trouble by now. I just needed my life back and would have been willing to do anything for it — use a line of credit, take out a loan…. I’m just so glad I did this.”

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Kalispell Regional Healthcare.

Article content
Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers