The Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute (MMI) began in 1977 as Dr. Frank Nisenfeld’s solo general orthopaedics practice in Frederick, Maryland. After 9 years on his own, Nisenfeld decided to grow the practice with the addition of Dr. Mark Chilton.

10 years later, the pair decided to hire two more doctors and the practice has been growing ever since.  The MMI division currently has 13 physicians, 6 PA-C’s and a thriving physical therapy practice with 11 physical therapists and 4 occupational therapists, at locations in Frederick, Hagerstown and Urbana.

Growth of the practice required several moves over the years, and eventually the construction of their own 15,000 square foot facility in 2005. At this time, the MMI division encompasses that main facility and three additional offices on the same block in Frederick, as well as offices in Hagerstown and Urbana.  An additional 40,000 square feet is anticipated with the construction of an additional facility in Frederick, planned to break ground within the next 2 years.   Growth with this new facility will enable the division to expand their physical therapy, rheumatology and physiatry practices.

As they grew, Dr. Nisenfeld and Dr. Chilton focused on acquiring physicians with different specialties to round out their offerings. With this strategy, they were soon able to provide a wide variety of services including joint replacement, pediatric orthopaedics, sports medicine, hand surgery, foot & ankle care, and a complete Spine Institute. The Spine Institute was envisioned as a one-stop shop for back problems, and offers physiatrists, physical therapists and a chiropractor alongside two orthopaedic surgeons.   They are also the only CAO division to have rheumatology as a specialty, helping them round out their “one stop shop” for everything involving muscle, bone and joint.

In May of 2013, the division launched a new initiative – the “Save the Bone” program, spearheaded by Dr. Nisenfeld in partnership with Frederick Primary Care Associates. The program enhances the standard screening protocol for their patients at risk for fragility fractures, identifying low bone density through Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) screenings and recommending treatments or therapy to prevent factures and other injuries from Osteoporosis or Osteopenia.

The doctors realized they needed to join forces with other practices in order to preserve the private-practice autonomy and standard of patient care after several discussions with a local hospital about a potential buy-out. Now, as a division of The Centers, they are looking forward to building a more robust referral network so patients can receive excellent care and stay within the network. 

Back to Newsletter