Orthopaedics Past, Present and Future

As we turn the page on the  first chapter of our growth and begin embarking on a new path as a unified orthopaedic group, I’m reminded of the time, over 24 years ago, when I started my own private practice straight out of Howard University Medical School. Much like today, I was driven by an innate entrepreneurial spirit to forge my own path with the freedom to treat my patients the way I felt was in their best interest, without outside interference. With some trepidation, but mostly sheer excitement, I opened the doors to my office. I actually rented the space by the hour with my children’s trusted babysitter as my office manager and sole employee. Although the surroundings were humble, I was filled with as much pride in my practice and the personalized medical care we delivered back then as I am today in our current medical facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and some of the finest Orthopaedic colleagues one could hope for. Why, you might ask? Because the mission was the same – empowering the private practice model to deliver the most comprehensive and compassionate orthopaedic care. As with any startup, there were struggles and challenges – both anticipated and unforeseen – but the hard work was well worth the final product. I see many parallels to the founding of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. Of course, as with any great endeavor there have been obstacles, but through dogged perseverance, powered by our shared vision of preserving the private practice model, we have been able to successfully move forward as an organization and the opportunities that lie ahead for this group are tremendous.

Looking towards the future, I’m incredibly passionate about what The Centers can mean to our patients, and the impact we can have on healthcare and the delivery of medicine. While it can be easy for all of us to continue with the mindset we had with our smaller practices, now is the time to think big as there is an ocean of potential in front of us. We are now the largest orthopaedic practice in the region, and can truly be a shining example to our medical peers of how the private practice can not only survive, but thrive. As we continue to expand our footprint and attract new doctors, we will see more and more the efficiencies that come from being part of a large group, and the ability to share best practices to deliver a premier patient experience. I strongly believe we are the Four Seasons of orthopaedic care, the best in class from division to division. When a patient visits a division of The Centers, whether it be any of our over 45 locations spanning five states, they have come to expect the highest level of personalized Orthopaedic care. With the prominence that comes through strength in numbers, we can not only compete with the big medical systems, we can outshine them as we have something they never will – independent doctors committed to the private practice model for delivering the best patient care.