Patients enrolled in MyHealth Bundles at Vanderbilt Health typically choose a support person to accompany them during their treatment or procedure. This is typically a family member or friend who helps with travel to appointments and at-home care while serving as an ongoing source of encouragement.
For Sam Kallaos, being a support person for his wife Bridget as she underwent a knee replacement provided a first-hand view of the advantages of the MyOrthoHealth Bundle.
“It’s a well-oiled machine,” he said. “You just need trust the process because it's very well-thought-out.”
Bridget is an award-winning English Language Learner teacher at Ruby Major Elementary in Hermitage, Tennessee, helping students who speak more than 20 different languages learn to master English.
But severe knee pain started to slow her down. She had trouble walking, driving and sleeping. She stopped spending weekends on the family boat. She tried managing the pain through injections, but that offered only temporary relief.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was an episode with her knee at school,” said Sam, who teaches music at Ruby Major Elementary. “She was in a rolling chair and couldn't get out.”
A Unique, Comprehensive Employee Benefit
Because she is a Metro Nashville Public Schools employee, Bridget had access to MyOrthoHealth, which offers a coordinated knee replacement procedure, including hospital stay, durable medical equipment and post-operative rehab. It also includes concierge support from a patient navigator and predictable costs.
According to Sam, Bridget tends to worry about details. She even had a binder full of questions for the surgeon. But right from the first meeting, Sam was impressed by the way the doctors, staff and her patient navigator answered every one of her questions thoroughly.
“We couldn't have left feeling more comfortable,” he said. “We knew exactly what was going to happen and what she needed to do to prepare. There was no stone left unturned.”
Communication continued during the procedure. “She was in surgery maybe two hours, and I got four updates during that time,” he said. “We had a human for every question, and every question was answered.”
'There’s No Reason to Live With Pain'
Just three weeks after Bridget’s knee replacement in June 2026, she was already feeling better than she had in 10 years, Sam said. Today, she’s walking and driving again, and she’s excited about plans for the future, including traveling and beach trips.
Sam was even impressed with her post-surgery scar, or lack of one. “I've seen people who have had knee surgery, and it looks like their knee got bitten by an alligator,” he laughed. “With her, you can hardly tell it's there, and that's pretty amazing.”
Sam found being a support person offered at least one surprising perk. “I brought her meals. We normally try to watch what we eat, but we didn't for those three or four weeks after surgery,” he said. “It was kind of nice just to spoil her a little bit.”
Sam says he’d recommend MyOrthoHealth to anyone. “There's no reason to live with the pain when the solution is right there.”