02.15.2011– February 15, 2011 – WILMINGTON, NC - Patients with traumatic musculoskeletal injuries taken by paramedics to NHRMC’s Level II Trauma Center now have access to the region’s only fellowship-trained orthopedic trauma specialist. Neil R. MacIntyre, MD an orthopedic traumatologist recently joined the team of eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic specialists at Atlantic Orthopedics, PA. Dr. MacIntyre specializes in traumatic and post-traumatic musculoskeletal injuries that are caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls or other high energy traumatic injuries. He also specializes in the treatment of complex fractures, dislocations and injuries to ligaments, muscles, tendons and cartilage. Dr. MacIntyre will work with the team of specialists at Atlantic Orthopedics, area orthopedists and hospital leaders to develop the region’s first and only orthopedic trauma division at NHRMC. He has been named the Director of the Orthopedic Trauma Division at NHRMC.
Increased Growth in Musculoskeletal Trauma Cases
Over the last several years, Atlantic Orthopedics physicians and the orthopedic service line at NHRMC have experienced a growth in skeletal trauma patients transferred to NHRMC’s Level II Trauma Center from over a 100-mile radius. Historically, trauma patients admitted to NHRMC have been stabilized and if the injury is outside of the expertise of the local orthopedist on-call, the patient is then referred to an orthopedic traumatologist at a tertiary trauma center by ambulance or air transport. According to Atlantic’s current president, Dr. Walter Frueh “transfers of orthopedic trauma patients occur because it is always in the best interest of the patient to match that patient with a specialty-trained surgeon because data proves that surgery outcomes are vastly improved when one is sub-specialized.” Traditionally, orthopedic trauma specialists are found on the medical staff of trauma centers such as Duke or Chapel Hill. Acknowledging the steady volume in traumatic orthopedic injuries, the group felt it was in the best interest of patients to recruit an orthopedic trauma specialist to the area whose role would be to manage and treat complex orthopedic trauma cases. However, supporting an orthopedic trauma surgeon to develop the region’s first orthopedic trauma program would require resources beyond Atlantic’s control such as dedicated operating rooms, available operating room techs, and additional trauma equipment.
A Joint Effort to Improve Patient Outcomes and Reduce Healthcare Costs
Atlantic’s team of specialists decided to approach Jack Barto, the CEO of NHRMC’s Level II Trauma Center, Dr. Tom Clancy, NHRMC’s Director of the Trauma Services Division, and Wilmington Orthopedic Group in a joint effort to support the recruitment of an orthopedic trauma specialist. The medical community agreed that giving patient’s access to critical orthopedic trauma care services at our local level II trauma center would have an enormous impact on improving patient care and help to eliminate the cost of ambulance and air transport to other centers. In fact, Dr. MacIntyre’s expertise has already proven to be a success story. In his first two weeks, Dr. MacIntyre repaired three complex orthopedic trauma cases that prior to his arrival would have been transferred to another trauma center. A transfer of just one of these patient’s means the patient would have had to: wait for a room to become available at Duke or UNC hospital, endure a long delay until surgery, and the hospital would have to cover increased expenses in order to keep patients in the hospital longer. “This is a vitally important step in improving upon the delivery of healthcare to the citizens of our region and at the same time reducing healthcare costs” stated Richard Truax Atlantic Orthopedics Executive Director. “The positive impact Dr. MacIntyre will have on patient care outcomes and the financial savings from reducing trauma patient transfers as well as reducing hospital length of stay is going to prove to be significant in the first year not only for the hospital and the insurance company but most importantly for the patient,” explains Mr. Truax.
About Dr. Neil MacIntyre
Dr. MacIntyre is a native of North Carolina and he earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and his medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He performed his orthopedic residency at the Temple School of Medicine and his fellowship in orthopedic trauma surgery from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY. Most recently, he completed an AO fellowship in complex hip and knee trauma at the Insel Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, a world renowned institution for hip and knee trauma surgery. Dr. MacIntyre sums up his specialty like this “I am the guy you never really want to meet, but if you do, you are going to be really glad I am here.” Dr. MacIntyre’s other role beyond the high energy trauma victim is to help collaborate with area specialists on patients who have what specialists refer to as “cold trauma” or posttraumatic mal-unions (incorrectly healed fractures) and non-unions (non-healed fractures). To learn more about Dr. Neil MacIntyre, please visit www.atlanticorthopedics.com or to learn more about a trauma specialist, please visit www.ota.org.
About Atlantic Orthopedics, PA
Atlantic Orthopedics, PA serves as a regional referral center for orthopedics and spine. The group is headquartered at 3787 Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington and has satellite offices in Porters Neck, Brunswick Forest and Jacksonville. The group is comprised of eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic sub-specialists. Fellowship-training represents the highest level of orthopedic medical training in the United States. The physicians and staff provide both non-surgical and surgical treatment, including sports medicine, spine and back, hip, knee and shoulder joint replacement and revision, hand surgery, foot and ankle surgery, elbow and shoulder surgery, and interventional pain medicine. The center also offers physical therapy and high field MRI Imaging services. For more information about Atlantic Orthopedics, please visit www.AtlanticOrthopedics.com or please call the office at 910-763-2361 or 800-833-4260.
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Atlantic Orthopedics includes eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic specialists. Fellowship-training represents the highest level of orthopedic medical training in the United States. Click here to learn more.
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