Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals announced the opening of Providence Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute, a hospital-within-a-hospital that will revolutionize the way orthopaedic and spine care is delivered in SC.

The Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute, located on the campus of Providence Hospital Northeast, is the first of its kind in the state. The Institute is unique in that it represents a collaboration between Providence and leading orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who specialize in the treatment of orthopaedic and spine conditions and injuries.

"While patients can currently receive medical care for orthopaedic and spine disorders in a variety of places, until now there has been no single hospital-based facility in SC that is structured to take a comprehensive approach to the needs of patients with orthopaedic and spine conditions and injuries," said Stephen A. Purves, president and chief executive officer of Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals.

"Providence Ortho-paedic & NeuroSpine Institute is designed to do just that. We are assembling a first-class group of physicians and empowering these physicians with the latest technology and an extraordinary support staff of nurses, therapists, and other health care professionals to provide the most specialized care available in our state.

"We've discovered a need in the community for a special service of this nature, and it's consistent with our mission to meet that need," Purves said.

The Institute represents a creative use of physical space, according to Debbie Johnston, administrator and vice president for Providence Hospital Northeast and Providence Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute. "Through thoughtful planning and reconfiguring of the Providence Northeast footprint, we've been able to open a new innovative service without adding a single bed or constructing a single new building," she said.

The Institute has been in the planning stages for about 18 months and is expected to serve a diverse patient base, both medically and geographically. Significantly, the physicians who comprise the Institute medical staff have historically attracted surgical patients from throughout SC and, in several cases, from throughout the southeastern and Atlantic coast states.

The Institute provides medical and surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of the bones, joints, and spine. Included are total joint replacement, hip resurfacing and repair surgeries, rotator cuff (shoulder) surgeries, and a wide variety of back surgeries. Rehabilitative services such as physical therapy and occupational therapy are also available within the Institute.

In addition, the Institute includes occupational health services targeted to employers and a sports health division that assists individual athletes, scholastic sports teams, and other community athletic organizations. Athletic trainers provide supplemental coverage to various sporting events at partner schools and within the community.

A distinctive feature of the Institute is the comprehensive approach it takes to patient care. With an emphasis on pre and post education, the Institute coordinates the entire patient care experience so that needs are met from the point of diagnosis until patients complete their follow-up treatment after being discharged.

"With both orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons working under the same roof, the Institute is able to offer a full-service approach to patients with a broad array of orthopaedic and spine problems," said Dr. Earl B. McFadden, chairman of the Institute's advisory board and medical director of orthopaedics.

"This new team approach allows us to offer patients a comprehensive continuum of care, from diagnosis through treatment planning, from surgery to hospital discharge, and from rehabilitation to the patient's safe return to work, home and activity. That not only means greater convenience for patients, their families, and their family physicians, but it also has significant potential for reducing the cost of treatment," said Dr. McFadden.

The surgeons who comprise the Institute's advisory board, in addition to Dr. McFadden, are Dr. Scott B. Boyd, chairman of the Institute's business operations subcommittee and medical director of simple spine surgery; Dr. Thomas H. Holbrook Jr., chairman of the Institute's quality and outcome measures subcommittee and medical director of neurosurgery; Dr. S. Wendell Holmes Jr., medical director of sports health; and Dr. Bradley P. Presnal, medical director of adult reconstruction.

Drs. McFadden, Holmes and Presnal are orthopaedic surgeons with the Moore Clinic, and Drs. Boyd and Holbrook are neurosurgeons with Columbia Neurosurgical Associates.

Physicians will participate with Providence in identifying and monitoring protocols and quality standards.

"With the help of our medical staff, we're evaluating the entire patient care experience, from diagnosis to the return home to daily activities," said Dr. Robert L. Mobley, senior vice president for medical affairs at Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals. "We're identifying quality measures throughout this process that will distinguish the Institute experience and provide patients with a superior outcome."

Providence Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute is the newest of four entities that comprise Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals, a not-for-profit 322-bed organization sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine (CSA) Health System. Other members of the Providence family include Providence Hospital, Providence Hospital Northeast, and Providence Heart Institute. Providence Hospital, located on the downtown campus in Columbia, SC, is best known for the expertise in cardiac care it provides through Providence Heart Institute, which serves as a regionally recognized referral center for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

For more information about Providence Ortho-paedic & NeuroSpine Institute, please call (803) 865-4970 or visit www.ProvidenceHospitals.com.

www.ProvidenceHospitals.com