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Atlantic Orthopedics Spine Care Center one of the first centers in North Carolina to publish clinical outcomes report card
WILMINGTON, N.C.,- (July 6, 2011) - The Spine Care Center of Atlantic Orthopedics, PA recently demonstrated its commitment to quality by being one of the first spine centers in the State of North Carolina to publish and distribute a Clinical Quality Outcome Report Card to physicians, managed care, and workers compensation carriers. The annual report documents the spine center’s clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, functional status and return to activity for complex back and neck pain patients. The group recognizes the importance of collecting data to document and measure quality. Quality is a journey, however, rather than a destination, and the group is committed to continually improving its services to patients.
New patients coming into Atlantic Orthopedics completed an intake form that measured their pain level, severity of symptoms and functional status. Three months after their first visit, an outside nurse, not employed by Atlantic Orthopedics, called a random sample of patients and interviewed them for functional status, symptoms and patient satisfaction. This is the most unbiased method for outcomes analysis. The clinical outcomes presented were analyzed and validated by an outside firm, Prizm Development, Inc., that specializes in tracking spine outcomes nationally, and is the most experienced entity in the nation related to spine specialty centers. Unlike most providers of back and neck pain, a spine center typically receives the most complex patients.
One in five new patients coming to Atlantic Orthopedics had previous back surgery elsewhere. Nearly half of all new patients had serious discogenic symptoms like pain radiating beyond a knee or elbow, or numbness in a leg or arm — which typically implies a disc-related problem. But even with the most complex patient base, 87% of patients were treated without surgery. As to patient satisfaction, 96% were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the time the doctor spent with them.
Having a more complex patient mix makes return to work more difficult than an occupational medicine clinic or primary care clinic that treats onsets of simple back pain that can go away on its own. In this year’s sample, 93% of the simple acute patients were back to work/activity after 3 to 6 months; 90% of chronic patients returned to work/activity; and 68% of those with previous back surgery at intake were back to work/activity.
Click here to view the Spine Care Center Clinical Outcomes Report Card.
ABOUT THE SPINE CARE CENTER OF ATLANTIC ORTHOPEDICS, PA
The Spine Care Center of Atlantic Orthopedics, PA is the only comprehensive spine care program in southeastern NC that includes all of the specialists and services to diagnose and treat complex back and neck pain all housed in one center. The center was developed by three fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeons and a fellowship-trained interventional pain medicine specialist. The spine team is dedicated to developing a spine center of excellence for the treatment of most spine conditions including degenerative disk disease, adult spondylosis and spondylolisthesis, cervical spondylosis, cervical radiculopathy, low back pain, neck pain, and sciatica. All of the services necessary to diagnose and treat most spine conditions are available through the spine care center including a fixed site diagnostic MRI imaging center, interventional pain medicine, a procedure suite for spinal injections, EMG and nerve conduction studies and spine specialized therapy all housed within the center. The spine team offers surgical treatment including minimally invasive microdisectomy, cervical artificial disc replacement, anterior lumbar interbody fusion, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, surgical options for cervical radiculapathy and lumbar artificial disc replacement.
ABOUT ATLANTIC ORTHOPEDICS, PA
Atlantic Orthopedics, PA serves as a regional referral center for orthopedics and spine care. The group is headquartered at 3787 Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington, NC and has satellite offices in Porters Neck, Brunswick Forest in Leland and Jacksonville. The group is comprised of eleven fellowship-trained orthopedic and spine 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 and upper extremity, foot and ankle, elbow and shoulder surgery, orthopedic trauma services and interventional pain medicine. The center offers an ACR Accredited high field MRI Imaging Program supported by fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists. For more information about Atlantic Orthopedics, please visit www.AtlanticOrthopedics.com or please call the office at 910-763-2361 or 800-833-4260.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Loper
Director of Business Development
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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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Where pictures of patients are displayed, the patients of Atlantic Orthopedics in Wilmington, North Carolina have consented to have their picture in this website for the purpose of patient education.
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