MDNews - Long Island

sometimes function-saving care, the organization has begun offering new urgent care services for residents of Long Island. "It's a tremendous advantage for patients to go to an Orthopedic Urgent Care setting if it's not an emergent situation," Dr. Levitz says. "In the ER, patients may spend a lot of time undergoing imaging tests and getting diagnosed, but if they went to an orthopedic surgeon in that situation, the process would be quicker and outcomes would be improved." Dr. Levitz provides a hypothetical example: A patient with a dislocated shoulder might spend hours in the ER for testing and imaging before a physician is able to reduce the shoulder. In that time, the patient may begin to experience muscle spasms and require sedation before treatment can be administered. Afterwards, the typical ER patient receives a recommendation to follow up with an orthopedist in two weeks. If the patient had gone to one of our Orthopedic Urgent Care Centers instead, the shoulder could have been reduced within 10 minutes of arrival with no need for lengthy imaging sessions, and a follow-up appointment would be scheduled for the following day. Other orthopedic injuries may also require immediate treatment that isn't offered in the ER. "A ruptured bicep tendon needs to be repaired as soon as possible," Dr. Levitz says. "Multiple times a year, I have patients come in who have waited two to four weeks to pursue treatment after visiting the ER, and at that point, the tendon is beyond repair." While certain orthopedic emergencies, such as open fractures, neurovascular issues, compound syndrome and severe trauma, should always be treated at an ER as quickly as possible, most orthopedic Specialized Imaging and Pain Management THE ORLIN & Cohen Orthopedic Group has at least one MRI machine in each of its locations. While this immediate access to MRI services is convenient to patients, the way that specialists at Orlin & Cohen use the MRIs is equally crucial. "Because we don't have to worry about brain or abdominal MRIs, we can calibrate our imaging machines to focus on orthopedic problems," says Craig Levitz, MD, Director of the Orthopedic Hospital at Northwell Health and Medical Director of the Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group. "Our fellowship trained and focused musculoskeletal radiologists can adjust the machines and give us a tremendous advantage when making diagnoses. We can take special cuts for cartilage tears that are only a millimeter in size." In addition, Orlin & Cohen has an internal pain management division to help patients with neck and back problems without sending them outside the practice. "They're able to deliver injections and help spine patients with pain without making them jump through hoops," Dr. Levitz says. "Where indicated, we can begin immediate pain man- agement care on-site within our accredited fluoroscopy suites instead of waiting three or four weeks to begin." A patient undergoing physical therapy 0 8 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E

• Cover