Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center ("Fort Sanders Regional") traces its beginnings to May 1919, when a group of physicians received a charter from the State of Tennessee for a new hospital to be built on the site of the Civil War Battle of Fort Sanders. Fort Sanders Regional has grown throughout its 100-year history to include 517 acute care beds serving 45 specialties, including the 73-bed Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, and 24 beds in the Fort Sanders Transitional Care Unit. SERVICEThe hospital is known for excellence in stroke care, neurosciences, cardiology, surgery, oncology, orthopedics, obstetrics, bariatrics, and rehabilitation medicine. In 2022, Fort Sanders Regional received an "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction celebrates Fort Sanders Regional's achievements in patient safety. Additionally, Fort Sanders Transitional Care Unit received a 5-star overall rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.Fort Sanders Regional served 216,515 patients in 2022. Of these, 198,165 were outpatients and 18,350 were inpatients, with an average length-of-stay of 5.50 days.PUTTING PATIENTS FIRSTAs a neuroscience and rehabilitation center of excellence, Fort Sanders Regional has made a commitment to providing the latest advancements for neurological care, including stereotactic neurosurgery and neuro-interventional radiology. When coupled with its comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation center, the neuroscience and rehabilitation program provides programs to optimize clinical and functional patient outcomes.Neurologic technology at the hospital includes an innovative 3D-imaging system that uses global positioning technology to give physicians real-time views inside the body, without radiation, and facilitates less invasive and more precise surgeries. Fort Sanders Regional also offers diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.Fort Sanders Regional continued to invest in technology and services to care for the people of East Tennessee. In 2022, the hospital announced the addition of a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform for minimally invasive lung biopsies. This technology is first of its kind in East Tennessee and allows specially trained Fort Sanders Regional physicians to obtain tissue samples in deep regions of the lung, where many early-stage tumors are found.Fort Sanders Regional is designated by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke and Rehabilitation Center of Excellence specializing in the acute management of strokes, including advanced treatment and research. Fort Sanders Regional is the hub of Covenant Health's stroke hospital network, which links Covenant Health's member hospitals in providing access to collaborative, rapid, advanced stroke care throughout our region. Fort Sanders Regional is also home to the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center ("PNRC"), an award-winning rehabilitation center which serves more than 600 inpatients annually. PNRC is East Tennessee's recognized leader in helping stroke, spinal cord, brain injury, and orthopedic patients rebuild their lives through rehabilitation services. Opened in 1978, PNRC offers a comprehensive team-approach to care. Physical, occupational, recreational, behavioral medicine and speech language therapists work with rehabilitation nurses and physiatrists (doctors whose specialty is physical medicine and rehabilitation) to develop individual care plans to help patients reach their recovery potential as quickly as possible. PNRC holds 10 separate accreditations from the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and provides an array of inpatient and outpatient services that would otherwise be unavailable in the community. In 2020, Covenant Health announced a joint venture with Encompass Health to own and operate Covenant Health's Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. Plans include building a new 51-bed, freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital on Covenant Health's Fort Sanders West campus in Knoxville, while renovating the existing Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center to a 22-bed hospital-in-hospital structure. Both construction projects are underway. In 2022, Fort Sanders Regional earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. It is the first hospital in the state to receive the accreditation.Fort Sanders Regional's award-winning Heart Center offers comprehensive cardiovascular services that span the continuum of heart care, from testing and advanced diagnostics to interventional technologies, cardiovascular surgeries, clinical trials and cardiac rehabilitation. Fort Sanders Regional is also recognized for excellence in surgery. The bariatric surgery program, which helps people who are morbidly obese reverse or eliminate medical risks associated with obesity through surgical treatment, is accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. Fort Sanders Regional has received the Blue Cross BlueShield Blue Distinction designation for bariatrics, spine surgery, knee and hip surgery, and maternity care. In 2022, a total of 10,967 patients underwent surgery at Fort Sanders Regional in specialty areas, including:- Cardiothoracic Surgery- Cardiovascular Surgery- Colon/Rectal Surgery- Neurosurgery- Orthopedic Surgery- Plastic Surgery- Sinus Surgery and other Ear, Nose, and Throat Procedures- Surgical Oncology- Thoracic Surgery- Vascular SurgeryFort Sanders Regional also offers surgical oncology, the surgical management of cancer. Surgical oncologists may specialize in thoracic or gynecological procedures, along with other sub-specialties to help cancer patients. IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY'S QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH BETTER HEALTHFort Sanders Regional is committed to building a healthy community through these and other initiatives: - The Innovative Recreation Cooperative offers new and creative ways for individuals recovering from disabling illnesses or injuries to participate in adaptive sports and recreational activities.- Fort Sanders Regional's bariatric surgery seminars and support groups provide vital information to patients considering bariatric surgery, and offer pre- and post-surgical support. - The Fort Sanders Regional Joint Center offers joint replacement education opportunities prior to surgery.- The Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury and Amputee support groups at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center help patients and families heal by bringing together those with common experiences who can provide group members with comfort, encouragement and advice. - Fort Sanders Regional's Teddy Bear University classes provide information and support for new parents, siblings and grandparents as they welcome a new baby. Class topics include pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding and more. Fort Sanders Regional is recognized as a Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital by Cribs for Kids for providing education and vital tools about safe sleep to the parents of newborns.COVENANT HEALTH Fort Sanders Regional is a member of Covenant Health. Covenant Health is a comprehensive, community-owned health system dedicated to improving the health of the people it serves. Established in 1996 by the consolidation of Fort Sanders Health System, Knoxville, Tennessee, and MMC HealthCare System in Oak Ridge, Covenant Health is governed by a voluntary board of directors comprised of community leaders and medical professionals. With more than 11,000 employees, affiliated physicians and volunteers, Covenant Health is the Knoxville area's largest employer and has been named a Best Employer by Forbes. Covenant Health includes nine acute care hospitals in East Tennessee: Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City, LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Claiborne Medical Center in Tazewell and Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville. It also includes Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, a behavioral health hospital in Blount County, Tennessee. The health system also includes Covenant Medical Group, which includes more than 200 physicians and advanced practice clinicians in office locations throughout East Tennessee.