A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 7 5
They see it all
OSMS's surgeons see an
average of 100 orthope-
dic trauma cases per
month, everything from
minor sprains and strains
to acute compound frac-
tures. If the surgeons
can't treat an injury on
the spot, they do their
best to connect patients
with a specialist who can
see them that day. The
detached finger carried in
by a patient? He (and his
finger) were sent to the
local emergency room.
"We try to take care of
everyone," says Ms.
Fragale, "but that's one
that should have been in
the ER to begin with."
Treating urgent care
patients ultimately
bumps up case volumes
in OSMS's surgery center
(see "Recruiting
Patients for Surgery").
The patients who have their acute injuries treated
at orthopedic walk-in clinics might someday return
for surgery, whether it's to repair the injury that
brought them to the clinic or to return to a familiar
group of surgeons for future care. That's a big rea-
son OA Centers for Orthopaedics, which opened a
walk-in clinic earlier this year in Portland, Maine.
"It's a good business model to build access to new
patients," says Alison Lee, DO, a primary care
sports medicine physician at OA.
Sandy Fragale, CPA, the administrator of
Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists of
Green Bay (Wis.), says her group's acute injury clin-
ic gives them "access to patients we might not oth-
erwise see." — Daniel Cook
• FIRST IMPRESSION Urgent care clinics provide surgeons like James Grace, MD,
of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists, with access to new patients.
Orthopedic
and
Sports
Medicine
Specialists
NEW BUSINESS
Recruiting Patients for Surgery
