Strong culture often leads to improvements across the board of orthopedic practices and organizations, according to these leaders.
From improved patient care to enhanced efficiency to organizational growth, culture has an organizationwide impact.
These three CEOs recently connected with Becker’s to share the importance of culture within orthopedics and spine.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Why is culture important for orthopedic organizations and practices?
Brian Bizub. CEO of Raleigh (N.C.) Orthopaedic Clinic: Culture shapes how we care for our patients, how we collaborate as a team and how we adapt to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape. At the core of our organization is a strong, patient-centered culture that fosters trust, enhances communication and ensures high-quality care and patient safety. Without a healthy culture, we would struggle to retain staff, providers and patients, ultimately compromising the standard of care. A positive culture, in any discipline of medicine, is essential. It boosts patient satisfaction, strengthens brand and reputation and drives sustainable growth.
Allison Farmer. CEO of EmergeOrtho (Durham, N.C.): At EmergeOrtho, our culture is the cornerstone of our success. As a unified statewide practice with over 2,400 employees and 192 physicians across 65 offices, we honor the individuality of our regional teams while operating as one cohesive family. This sense of belonging empowers us to innovate, adapt, and deliver musculoskeletal care that is both high-quality and cost-effective. Large enough to lead, yet local enough to care. We prioritize patient access, streamlined care pathways, and employee engagement — ensuring that every team member plays a vital role in our mission. Our culture extends beyond clinical excellence to community impact, exemplified by the EmergeOrtho Charitable Fund. This month marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, a moment that underscored the strength of our work family. In the face of adversity, our teams came together with resilience and compassion, reaffirming that we can emerge stronger, healthier, and better.
Lori Pagan. CEO of Orthopaedics NorthEast (Fort Wayne, Ind.): Culture really is the backbone of everything we do. In orthopedics and spine, teamwork and trust are essential — from the OR to the clinic. A strong culture keeps everyone aligned around a shared purpose, supports recruitment and retention and ensures patients feel that same consistency and commitment no matter where they enter the system. When the culture is healthy, everything else — quality, growth, patient experience — gets stronger.
