Richard A. Berger, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago, has become the first physician in the country to perform 10,000 outpatient minimally invasive joint replacement surgeries.
"In 2001, my first outpatient total hip surgeries were on young, healthy patients," Dr. Berger said. "Things went so well that in 2003 we opened up outpatient procedures to slightly older patients and started doing them for total knee. By 2005, I was able to perform outpatient hip and knee replacements on everyone."
He credits a minimally invasive procedure and alternative pain regimens for patients to return home within 24 hours of surgery.
Dr. Berger earned his medical degree from Tufts University in Middlesex County, Mass., and completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He was fellowship trained in adult reconstruction at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Dr. Berger's undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in Cambridge, Mass., has helped him to design gender-specific implants that fit well and assist active patients in performing better.
As part of his pioneering role in minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Berger has developed specialized instruments and surgery techniques, as well as knee and hip implants.