The First Time Around
It was ten years ago that Michael Morrissey first crossed paths with Dr. Michael Crovetti of Crovetti Orthopaedics – a time when Morrissey realized he finally had to address his problem knee. From the comments and advice he had received from his friends and colleagues, it appeared that all the right roads pointed straight to this particular physician. At any rate, it definitely turned out to be the right choice for Morrissey, because the knee replacement surgery that that Dr. Crovetti performed in 2009 has worked out great. So great, in fact, that when it was time to take care of his other knee problem ten years later, Michael Morrissey knew just where to go.
“I was 62 when Dr. Crovetti performed my first knee replacement,” recalls Michael Morrissey, “and that first surgery had been a long time coming. I was a serious cyclist – to the point that one year, a group of us went to ride the Tour de France route before the race. I’d been having pain for some time and had developed a noticeable limp in the years before that, but for that trip – when I had to get a steroid shot to get through it – I knew that wasn’t a long-term solution.
“So, I began asking people I knew for their recommendations, and Dr. Crovetti’s name kept coming up over and over. I didn’t know him, but I had heard a lot about his surgical suites — and that was of great interest to me. I was aware how often people in hospitals get infections just from being in that environment, and it was very important to me that the surgical suites were a small facility, and people were there for joint surgeries – not pneumonia or other illnesses. That’s why I really felt having my surgery there would minimize my risk of infection.”
Because of that reduced risk – and all the excellent recommendations he’d received – Morrissey made an appointment to go see Dr. Crovetti. And when all was said and done, it turns out that all those friends knew what they were talking about.
“Dr.
Crovetti has a great way about him,” continued Morrissey. “I felt very
comfortable with his manner, his experience, and his way of communicating. The
x-ray facilities are right at his office, so we were able to move quickly into
a diagnosis and on to planning the surgery. Plus, even from the first meeting
and seeing his facilities, it was clear to me he had put a lot of thought into
the overall customer experience.
“In fact, the entire arrangement – excellent staff, x-rays, surgical and recovery suites downstairs, and physical therapy right on-site – just made the whole experience seamless. The surgical center turned out to be everything I was hoping for – private, very clean, with modern equipment. And the recovery suites were a great setting for the patients, too, since we were all there for similar surgeries.”
Recovering from knee surgery is no joke, Morrissey confirmed. “It’s hard work to recover, but it’s better when you’re around others who have had the same surgery because we could all commiserate together and be encouraging. Having Tim Soder and his physical therapy team there really helped me get a jump-start on my recovery. They’re just great people.
Another thing that was a very big deal for Mike Morrissey was knowing that Dr. Crovetti’s office was just upstairs. As Morrissey explains, “It brought me a lot of peace of mind to know that he was right there and if any problems arose, he was available to solve them. I was very happy that I didn’t need his extra attention for that – but it was very reassuring to know that if I did, he was there.”
Ten Years After
That first surgical experience took place over 10 years ago, shortly after Dr. Crovetti had opened up the Surgical & Recovery Suites. Some might have wondered if the facility and practice had stood the test of time, but when Morrissey had pain with his other knee and knew it was time for action, he had no reservations about returning. In fact, as he discovered, things had only improved since then.
“In January of 2019, I had a double dilemma,” he explains. “My right knee was still working perfectly from my first surgery. But my left knee had reached the point where I knew I had to have it replaced, too. The only problem for me was the timing.
“I had planned a 10-day trip to Italy with my entire family, and in the process discovered that my daughter would be receiving a proposal on the trip – I didn’t want to miss that! Plus, I have a son with Down Syndrome and I knew it would take a lot of activity on my part to travel with him, as well. I visited Dr. Crovetti in January of 2019 and asked if he thought we could do the surgery and I could recover in time for my July trip. His response was that if we did it right away, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
In fact, Dr. Crovetti was able to do the surgery within two weeks. That in itself was amazing to Morrissey, as he knew that most doctors would have had to deal with hospital and staff schedules – and more than likely wouldn’t even be able to do the surgery for 5-6 months. But because of the on-site surgical and recovery suites, Dr. Crovetti has more latitude with his scheduling, which was a big help to Morrissey. Actually, the only problem Morrissey ran into was that they were able to do the surgery faster than he could get pre-approval from his insurance company.
“That part was a bit of a paperwork snafu, but his office was a huge help to me with getting it resolved. I was really happy to see a lot of the same people there who were present for my first surgery ten years ago, too – and glad to see that the appearance, cleanliness, and quality of the surgical suites was just as impressive as the last time I was there.”
“The second surgery went perfectly, and my recovery went according to plan. Which meant that I was able to go on our family trip to Italy. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us all and I can say for a fact that it wouldn’t have happened without Dr. Crovetti’s help.”
Comparing the Experiences
In summing up his overall experience at Crovetti Orthopaedics, Michael Morrissey said he recommends Dr. Crovetti to anyone he knows who has joint problems.
“At Crovetti Ortho, it’s not only the big things that matter – like the surgery and recovery suites, the staff, and especially Dr. Crovetti’s expertise. It’s also the attention to detail for so many little things from beginning to end. You can tell that comfort and convenience for the patients is extremely important to everyone. There’s no fear of infection, and everyone you need to work with is close at hand. It even cheered me to run into Dr. Crovetti working out at physical therapy when I was there – because it showed me how much trust he has in the people he’s surrounded himself with.”
In the long run, Michael Morrissey confirms that Dr. Crovetti’s slogan, “Getting you back in your game” – is absolutely right, because that’s exactly what he does. “I’ve been extremely happy about both of my experiences at Crovetti Ortho. I’d never go anywhere else.”
In one final question, when asked if there was anything that struck him as different in the years between his two surgeries, Morrissey replied, “I can say that Dr. Crovetti has a little less hair now,” he laughed. “But he’s definitely stayed in great shape!”