OCR and FROC have entered into a corporate strategic partnership effective November 15, 2018.

FROC and OCR physicians have held high admiration for each other’s reputations, training, skills, and patient outcomes for many years.  Due to national, state, and regional trends in health care the medical groups are partnering to share in valuable resources of people, space, and technology.  The new partnership will include areas of clinical integration, sharing of best practices in operations, sharing of best practices in clinical pathways and outcomes, and clinical research.  OCR and FROC will have a collective, collaborative, and unified regional voice with strategic partners on numerous market place topics.

The following current leadership team members with OCR have been named the shared leadership team for both OCR and FROC medical groups effective November 15, 2018:

• Mike Bergerson has been named CEO
• Lisa Augustine has been named CFO

David Demchuk, long term CEO/CFO of FROC, will retire on December 31, 2018.  FROC would like to recognize Dave for his 20+ years of leadership and loyalty.  Dave has led the development of FROC into the strong orthopedic group it is today.

The combined partnership will have 7 orthopedic campus/office locations:

• Fort Collins, CO
• Loveland, CO
• Greeley, CO
• Longmont, CO
• Lafayette, CO
• Westminster, CO
• Frederick, CO

 

The corporate strategic partnership will benefit these communities and the entire Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska region through shared group missions and visions of continuing to lower health costs by providing the highest quality of care and patient outcomes in the lowest cost settings.

Questions can be directed to:

Michael A. Bergerson, MHA, CEO

mbergerson@orthohealth.com

970-419-7115

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Front Range Orthopedics & Spine (FROC) History

In 1970 the founding fathers started what is now called Front Range Orthopedics & Spine. The practice started with 4 orthopedic surgeons and has grown to 10 physicians and 8 physician assistants. In 2001 FROC opened a surgery center called Front Range Orthopedic Surgery Center.

FROC’s four offices are located in Longmont, Lafayette, Westminster and Frederick.

Built in 2017, FROC’s new orthopedic medical office building in Longmont is home to an orthopedic medical clinic, Front Range Orthopedic Surgery Center, digital x-ray rooms, physical and occupational therapy, MRI and a new after-hours Walk In Clinic.

FROC has been the longtime sports medicine providers of St. Vrain Valley School District.  FROC currently provides Athletic Trainers to 8 area high schools.  FROC ATs also staff a “Bumps and Bruises Clinic,” which is a free service to high school athletes Monday and Thursday mornings from 7-8am during the school year.

FROC physicians perform surgical cases at Longmont United Hospital, SCL Health, and St. Anthony’s North, and the Front Range Orthopedic Surgery Center.

Front Range Orthopedics & Spine is honored to be the anchor of orthopedics in the Longmont and the surrounding areas.

Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies (OCR) History

In the early 1960s two separate orthopedic practices were founded in Fort Collins.  In 1961 Dr Doug Murray opened his private practice and in 1962 Dr Chuck Collopy opened his own private practice.  Dr Bob Johnson joined Dr Murray in 1967 and Dr Ben Magsamen joined Dr Collopy in 1969.  In 1969, 49 years ago, OCR, as it is named today, was formed as “Fort Collins Orthopedic Associates” when the two Fort Collins orthopedic groups merged.  The groups merged in1969 to share in the valuable resources of people, space, and technology.

The four doctors were among the first orthopaedic specialists in the region, and helped pioneer the development of the orthopedic specialty in Colorado.  In the 1970s, the physicians pioneered and supported such advances as open-operative and internal-fixative devices for trauma and fracture surgery, clean-air operating rooms with laminar-flow equipment for joint replacement operations at Poudre Valley Hospital, and arthroscopic surgery, using a surgical scope and small incisions to operate on damaged joints, such as the knee and shoulder.

Fort Collins Orthopedic Associates was renamed the “Orthopaedic Center of the Rockies” in 1990, when the practice moved to its current location on East Prospect Road in Fort Collins.  The building included a Therapy Department with pools, imaging suites, and MRI center, and a surgery center.  The surgery center was expanded in 1999 with the addition of a third operating room and a 10-bed recovery center.

OCR opened an office in Loveland office in 1985 and later expanded to a new larger building on Ginnala Drive in 1997.  OCR built and opened the current Loveland campus at 3470 East 15th Street in December 2009.  This campus is currently under expansion with the addition of a 6 operating room surgery center and a 10 bed recovery center.

In November 2009 OCR updated the company to “Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies,” to emphasize the practice’s services for patients with back and neck conditions and injuries.

OCR opened a clinic in Greeley in May 2016 to help serve the growing Northern Colorado region.

As the region’s population and the demand for orthopaedic services have grown since the early 1960s, the number of OCR physicians has increased from the 4 founders to the 31 sub specialized physicians currently on OCR’s medical staff.

In addition to the four founding surgeons, physicians who have built and retired from OCR are:  Drs. Jack Harvey, Dale Kaiser, Lee Grant, Roger Sobel, and Ken Duncan.  Of special note is Jim Horstman, MD, a partner who passed away in 2007 from cancer.  Dr. Charles Collopy, an OCR founder, passed away in 2016.

 

David Hammond, Purchasing Manager of Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, talks about the value of the OrthoForum Purchasing Alliance.

Keith Clark, CEO of Slocum Orthopedics, discusses the Physician Recruiting initiative at the 2018 OrthoForum Annual Meeting.

Michael Behr, MD, OrthoAtlanta’s medical director, completed his eighth medical mission trip to Haiti.

Here are four takeaways:

1. During his annual medical mission trips, Dr. Behr provides Haitians with general orthopedic care and surgical procedures. The people of Haiti travel for many miles, and camp outside for days, awaiting the chance to see the doctors.

2. Orthopedic surgeons from several different physician practices in Atlanta come together to participate in the weeklong medical mission, including two to three orthopedic surgeons and other medical professionals. The first few days are spent examining patients, providing immediate treatment and identifying those who need surgery.

3.Dr. Behr and the other orthopedic surgeons participating in the program perform surgeries toward the end of the week. Once he and the other medical professionals from Atlanta leave the island, physicians at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti conduct follow-up appointments.

4. OrthoAtlanta is the second largest physician-owned orthopedic practice in Atlanta with 39 physicians serving 13 offices.

Source: https://www.beckersspine.com/orthopedic-spine-practices-improving-profits/item/39888-orthoatlanta-medical-director-completes-8th-medical-mission-trip-to-haiti-4-takeaways.html

Why the direct anterior approach for THA is the future

Orthopaedic surgeons consider several factors before performing total hip replacement, including which approach to use. Traditional hip replacements typically involve operating from the lateral or posterior of the hip, which often results in significant joint and connective tissue agitation.

The direct anterior approach is a minimally invasive total hip replacement surgery option. With this technique there is also less muscle trauma, smaller incisions, less pain, as well as a faster recovery post operation.

Thomas Ellis, MD, of Columbus, Ohio-based Orthopedic One; Coleman Fowble, MD, of Columbia, S.C.-based Midlands Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery; and John Masonis, MD, of Charlotte, N.C.-based of OrthoCarolina, all members of The OrthoForum, discuss why they have adopted the direct anterior approach for THA and the benefits they’ve seen.

The three agree that the direct anterior approach has provided successful outcomes and faster recovery time for patients over previous, traditional methods.

 

To read the full article and interview, visit http://www.beckersspine.com/.

In a recent article featured on Healio.com, Anthony A. Romeo, MD, references The OrthoForum;

The business of orthopedic care is managed by the health system, and at its discretion, information is shared to the department leadership. However, this information is often processed in a way that does not accurately provide a clear understanding of the balance sheet, usually focusing on the expense side but not the revenue side.

 

National physician specialty organizations, such as The OrthoForum whose membership includes the largest privately owned orthopedic practices in the United States, will de-identify and share data among the membership… With this information, it is then possible to recognize expenses that can be managed and reduced, such as moving outpatient surgical cases from the hospital setting to the ambulatory surgery center setting.

Romeo stresses that now more than ever is an opportune time to come together to define priorities and work towards representing the best interest of all practicing orthopedic surgeons. These efforts can provide care in the most appropriate environments, and at the highest value for patients.

Read the full article.