Medical Minute: OhioHealth Kidney Stone Pathways Program
OhioHealth's new Kidney Stone Pathways program is introducing a new approach to address the severe disruption caused by kidney stones. OhioHealth urologists, Michael Yu, MD and George Ho, MD shed light on this new protocol aimed at providing fast relief and quality care to patients.
"When it [kidney stone] gets stuck, it can cause a lot of pain, causing people to miss work, end up in the hospital, sometimes even get sick,” Dr. Yu explained. Kidney stone treatment often involves waiting weeks before receiving specialized care. The new program at OhioHealth is working to transform this process completely, getting patients in front of a doctor within 12 hours.
"The facilitator program is at the emergency room as well as all healthcare centers,” said Dr. Ho. “We could have instant access to our office where we actually reach out to the patients proactively.”
This approach ensures that patients receive timely follow ups and attention, reducing waiting times. “So, rather than to be hanging out there wondering when the pain is going to come back and when you're going to be able to see the person that can get rid of your stone, we have a facilitator process that we proactively reach out to the patients to say, ‘Hey, let's close the gap here, and let’s get rid of your stone."
The procedure itself has also seen exceptional advancements, particularly at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. "We can actually break the stones up into essentially dust that can then pass with almost no pain,” said Dr. Yu, highlighting the use of new high-power laser technology.
"Once that is done, we actually have also an additional program, which is to try to prevent stones,” shared Dr. Ho. The new protocol not only focuses on quick relief but preventive measures beyond immediate treatment.
With OhioHealth’s Kidney Stone Pathways program and advanced treatment options, patients can take back control of their lives in just a matter of days.
To find an OhioHealth urologist near you, click here.
