One-stop Care for All Seasons, cont.
Growing up in the community
“I believe a great deal of our practice’s growth has been tied in with the positive experience our patients have when they come to our practice,” Dr. Holte says. “If we find a patient having to wait too long to see a physician or having difficulty getting into the clinic of their choice, we add service.”
The divisions that make up Twin Cities Orthopedic have been in practice for almost 70 years. TCO was established 10 years ago when two existing orthopedic practices, Northwest Orthopedic Surgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons, Ltd., merged and within a few years three other practices: Orthopaedic Consultants, Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery and Orthopaedic Partners, joined the group. At the inception of TCO there were 15 surgeons. Since then, the number of physicians has more than quadrupled; and new locations, equipment and facilities have been added.
While striving to be on the leading-edge, the practice also has deep roots in the community. “Some of our divisions have been practicing for almost 70 years,” says David Gesensway, M.D., hand surgeon and TCO board member. “We’ve had generations of families that have grown up with us. Patients may have first come to us when they were in their adolescent years; now they may be coming in for a hip replacement, and their children or grandchildren are coming in for sprained ankles and broken arms.”
Known locally and nationally for its leadership in sports medicine education and research, Twin Cities Orthopedics has one of the few sports medicine fellowships in the United States. “Medical students come from around the country to get sub-specialty training here,” says TCO sports medicine physician, J. P. Smith, M.D. “The reputation we have makes it easy to attract the top candidates to our sports medicine fellowship program.”
TCO offers some of the most advanced orthopedic technology and techniques in the area, including computer-assisted surgery, treatment of spinal surgery and disorders, minimally invasive surgery, and arthroscopic surgery. They also offer, Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, an alternative to total hip replacement.
All of the physicians at TCO are board certified/eligible and must maintain their certifications. Our physicians are constantly going to conferences to learn the newest techniques and procedures,” Dr. Holte says. The physicians are also among the leading experts in the field, traveling nationally and even internationally, to give talks at symposiums and train other physicians in emerging techniques.
Convenient appointments
Twin Cities Orthopedics recently launched
AccessORTHO, a program that allows
patients to avoid the emergency room for
non-emergency orthopedic problems while
still being treated for their urgent musculoskeletal
needs. The program offers sameday
or next-day appointments for problems
such as sprains, strains and simple fractures.
Patients are seen by a board certified/eligible
physician rather than a resident or physician
assistant, as at other orthopedic practices,
and the program is available at all 30
of their clinics on weekdays from 8 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. “If a patient has a serious injury
or obvious fracture, go to the emergency
room,” says Jonathan Asp, M.D., orthopedic
surgeon. “But if they were at football
practice last night and hurt their leg,
get some ice on it, and we’ll get you in first
thing in the morning.”