Private hip or knee replacement in 4 to 6 weeks. Not 12 months.

IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW

“If you know, you know.”

A worn out knee. A worn out hip. Severe osteoarthritis. The pain really never stops. You can try to resist it, ignore it, push it into the background. But at night, when the mind comes to rest, the pain comes to the fore. Sleep is interrupted, stolen. A vicious cycle.

You did not give in. You modified your activity. You tried the brace, the physio, the cortisone shots, maybe hyaluronic acid. You know by now that anti-inflammatories are not a long-term answer, and that you have to stay away from narcotics.

At some point, it clicks. You know it is time. The orthopaedic surgeon agrees: a joint replacement holds the promise of meaningful, long-lasting improvement. You are ready.

And then reality hits.

Yes, we can do this for you. Maybe in a year. Maybe a little longer.

You have been managing this pain all this time. You are done.

THE COST OF WAITING

Meanwhile, your joint is getting worse. Not staying the same. Worse. According to the BMJ Bone & Joint Journal (2024), patients who wait more than 6 months for joint replacement experience clinically measurable, permanent losses in quality of life and mobility.

You already know you need surgery. You have known for a while. And every time: “You’re progressing up the list.”

Here is what another 12 months actually costs you:

  • Your hip or knee keeps deteriorating, making the eventual surgery harder and the recovery longer.
  • You wake up 3, 4, 5 times a night. You have started sleeping in the recliner.
  • Your partner watches you suffer and feels helpless.
  • You have stopped doing the things that define you. Hiking. Farming. Working. Being an athlete.
  • You have spent CAD $3,000 to $8,000 on physio, cortisone, braces and imaging. And you are worse than when you started.

You are not waiting because you want to. You are waiting because nobody has given you a clear reason to stop.

This is that reason.

THE GRAND SLAM OFFER

The Smit Same-Day Hip & Knee Program

Performed personally by Dr. Arno Smit, FRCSC. Canada’s longest-running same-day joint replacement program, since 2016.

Your

includes:

  •  Surgery performed personally by Dr. Arno Smit. Not a partner, not a fellow, not a backup.
  • Personal pre-surgery phone consultation with Dr. Smit himself ($1,500 value)
  • Your partner watches you suffer and feels helpless.
  • Post-operative nursing care included ($3,000 to $4,500 value)
  • Pre-op concierge coordination — logistics, paperwork, fasting prep ($750 value)
  • Five follow-up phone calls from Dr. Smit at days 3, 7, 14, 30, and 90 ($2,500 value)
  • Personalised written recovery protocol ($500 value)
  • Out-of-province travel coordination — flight suggestions, partner hotel rates, ground transport to and from the airport ($1,000+ value)
  • Pre-arranged prescription pickup at a local pharmacy ($250 value)
  • The Smit Five-Layer Guarantee

Total bundle value: $49,500+ for $40,000.

Because Dr. Smit personally consults every patient and personally operates on every case, the program is limited to a small number of new patients each month.

Free phone consultation. No flight needed. Dr. Smit calls you personally.

THE SMIT FIVE-LAYER GUARANTEE

Dr. Smit is your surgeon on the day. Period.

No deposit. No obligation.

You don’t leave until you can safely move.

We only recommend surgery when it’s truly right for you.

No improvement by 90 days? We cover your physiotherapy.

FROM FIRST CONTACT TO FULL RECOVERY, STEP BY STEP

It starts with a call or an online enquiry. We talk through your situation, and if you are a candidate, we begin coordinating your surgery. Our aim is 4 to 6 weeks from first contact.

We review your history and imaging. If any preparation is needed, such as an internal medicine assessment, we initiate and coordinate it for you. Dr. Smit speaks with you personally before surgery. Not an assistant. Not a coordinator.

You travel to White Rock, BC. Dr. Smit performs your hip or knee replacement himself, using his minimal-to-no narcotics protocol. Same-day discharge: you arrive in the morning, you are home the same evening.

A dedicated nurse takes you to your place of stay, settles you in, and follows your recovery over the first 3 to 5 days. You have the direct phone number of both the nurse and the surgeon. This care is included.

Five follow-up calls from Dr. Smit at days 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90, plus engaged care through the first year, no different from BC patients. You can always reach out for additional contact.

WHY THE WAIT EXISTS, AND WHY MOST PRIVATE CLINICS AREN’T THE ANSWER EITHER

You have tried everything the public system offers. The limitations are clear.

Rationing exists to control government expenditure. That is the fundamental reason for the wait. A non-hospital surgical facility in BC is actually held to a higher standard than the hospital system, accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. (See the FAQ for how that accreditation works.)

And if you have looked outside the public system, you have run into the real fear: How do I know I am choosing the right surgeon? I only get one shot at this joint.

That fear is legitimate. Corporate clinics shuttle patients between provinces and assign you a surgeon you never meet. That is not what happens at White Rock Orthopaedic Surgery Centre.

WHAT MAKES WROSC STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT

Not an assistant. Not a coordinator. You need to know the surgeon who is operating on your joint before you are on the table.

At corporate chains, surgeons are assigned. At WROSC, you choose your surgeon, and he shows up.

Most surgeons send patients home with oxycodone. Dr. Smit’s program typically uses no narcotics at all. None during the case. None after. Recovery often happens with no pain at all. (How this works is in the FAQ.)

Valued between CAD $3,000 and $4,500. A dedicated nurse follows your recovery at your place of stay. This is the number one complaint in every negative review of private surgery in Canada. Not here.

You go in in the morning. You are home the same evening. A nurse is always available to respond immediately. The surgeon is available without delay. No walk-in. No emergency department.

SOCIAL PROOF

TRANSFORMATION

Before

Waking at 3am

Sleeping in the recliner

Wife tying your boots

Watching yourself deteriorate and not being able to stop it

AFtER

Home the same evening

Sleeping through the night

Walking to the end of the driveway

Being the person who solves problems again

A TEAM WHERE NO ROLE WORKS WITHOUT THE OTHERS

STOP WAITING

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Rationing is in place to help control government expenditure. That is the fundamental reason you are confronted with a wait time. Surgery is expensive, standards must be maintained, quality of care must be assured. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC enforces an accreditation program with standards well above those applied in the BC hospital setting. Simply put: a non-hospital surgical facility in BC is held to a higher standard than the hospital system.

Most surgeons spend little effort on post-operative pain management. Typically a small amount of local anaesthetic is injected at the end of the case, and patients are sent home with oxycodone or similar. Dr. Smit’s program is built on typically using no narcotics at all. None during the case, no exposure from anaesthesia, none after, because he understands what opioids have done to families across the nation. During surgery, time is spent administering local anaesthetic at strategic locations and nerve blocks within the operative field. This leads to recovery often with no pain at all. This is not a marketing claim. It is Dr. Smit’s universal clinical standard, in hospital or out. Tylenol #3 or Tramacet are added postoperatively only when absolutely needed, which is rare. Dr. Smit presented this approach to the Canadian Arthroplasty Society in 2019. Many patients have told him afterwards that the pain they feared never came.

Once you have recovered in the post-anaesthesia care unit, you are discharged. Discharge after surgery is a stressful event, and we have the experience to make it smooth. Our nurse takes you to your place of stay, settles you in, organises the medications, sets up the icing machine, and makes sure your sleeping and bathroom arrangements work. You leave with the phone number of both the nurse and the surgeon. In our many years of experience it has never been necessary to return the same evening. There may be some texting or telephone back and forth. The nurse returns the next morning to organise the day, stays in touch during the day, and visits again if needed. Usually after 3 days the patient indicates no further home visits are required. At times there is a later visit to check the dressing. The arrangement is open-ended and the patient is free to call. You are not left alone. Neither is your spouse or companion. Whatever nursing care is required is included in the package.

Surgery performed personally by Dr. Smit, a personal pre-surgery phone consultation with him, post-operative nursing care, pre-op concierge coordination, five follow-up phone calls from Dr. Smit at days 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90, a personalised written recovery protocol, out-of-province travel coordination, pre-arranged prescription pickup, and the Smit Five-Layer Guarantee. Total bundle value is $49,500 or more.

Canadian patients can travel out of province to White Rock, BC, for hip or knee replacement surgery completely within the Canada Health Act. Medical travel poses some challenges to continuity of care, and these are managed with attention, due diligence and good communication. We coordinate flight suggestions, partner hotel rates, and ground transport to and from the airport. Your free consultation is by phone. No flight is needed to get started.

We tell you. We do not take patients who should not have surgery. The honesty assessment is part of the Five-Layer Guarantee.

We take pride in being able to book a hip or knee replacement within 4 to 6 weeks from initial contact, if all parameters are a go. If preparation is needed, through an internal medicine assessment or otherwise, it is initiated and coordinated.