1. To Sell or Not to Sell: A Guide for Orthopedic Practices Eyeing Deals With Hospitals. Some orthopedic surgeons interviewed say they are satisfied with deals they struck with their local hospitals and would do so again if given a chance. There are others who prefer to remain independent. But all agree that such deals are not get-rich-quick schemes, nor do they come without significant compromises and complications. That means surgeons should think long and hard about what they want to gain from aligning with a hospital before making the leap. They should also engage legal and financial experts to help make the most of the relationship, say those who have been through the process.
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2. Texas’ North American Spine Partners With University General Hospital. Physicians at North American Spine will train University General Hospital physicians in the AccuraScope procedure, designed to diagnose and treat lumbar back pain. North American Spine specialists will have a presence at University General Hospital and plan on expanding to worldwide markets, including New York and California, later this year.
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3. Pennsylvania’s Orthopedic and Spine Specialists Open $22M Hospital. The 68,000-square-foot hospital includes four operating rooms, 30 private rooms and electronic medical records. Hospital physicians will perform joint replacement, spine and podiatry surgery. The hospital employs 330 nurses, technicians and patient-care workers.
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4. Weiss Memorial Hospital Physicians Join to Create Chicago Center for Orthopedics. The Chicago Center for Orthopedics will cover all specialties in orthopedics and includes fellowship and residency opportunities for training physicians. The orthopedic floor provides patient access to private rooms overlooking Lake Michigan and a concierge-like service during hospital stays.
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5. Cincinatti’s The Christ Hospital Acquires Orthopedic Practices. The practice will officially be known as The Christ Orthopaedic Associates as of today. Dr. Funk is affiliated with The Christ Hospital and has an expertise in rotator cuff repairs, total knee replacement, torn ligaments and tendons and arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
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6. 7 Healthcare Reform Changes Affecting Orthopedic Surgeons. Healthcare reform eliminated the “whole hospital” ownership exception under the Stark self-referral restrictions, prohibiting doctors from owning future constructed hospitals to which they refer. However, orthopedists who currently own specialty surgical hospitals will be grandfathered in despite the new law. Unfortunately, the law stops existing doctor-owned facilities from adding investors and limits future growth.
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7. Olympia Medical Center Neurosurgeon Performs First Spine Surgery Using PureGen Stem Cell Technology. Carl Lauryssen, MD, a neurosurgeon and director of research and education at Olympia Medical Center Los Angeles, completed the first procedure using Alphatec Spine’s PureGen, a highly concentrated, pure population of adult stem cells originating from bone marrow.
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8. Denver’s Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children Opens Youth Sports Medicine Institute. The facility focuses on treatment and prevention for injuries such as ACL tears and concussion management through the REAP (Reduce/Educate/Accommodate and Pace) program. The program partners physicians with teachers, coaches and school nurses to identify the side effects of concussions.
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9. New York’s Saratoga Hospital Upgrades Orthopedic Center. The new 20-bed facility includes a conference room for patient education and onsite physical therapy and rehabilitation services. All rooms are semi-private and include private showers and space for family members to stay overnight.
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10. Stanford Health Merges With Orthopaedic Associates in North Dakota. The merger combines Sanford surgeons with the Orthopaedic Associates eight-surgeon team, leaving Sanford with control of the area’s orthopedic medicine market. However, physicians at Orthopaedic Associates will maintain the ability to offer referrals to outside specialists, though the merger will most likely mean a decline of over 10 percent in the number of independent physicians in the area.
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