MDNews - Central New York

Case Study: Foot and Ankle Care FREDERICK LEMLE Y, MD, orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS), originally planned to become a general orthopedist and at the last minute decided to complete a fellowship in foot and ankle surgery, exemplifying orthopedic medicine's trend from general to specialized. Even within his specialty, Dr. Lemley finds diversity. His cases range from bunions to full ankle replacement, he says, and he enjoys days filled with varied and unique cases. SOS supports his work with a wide range of foot and ankle diagnostic and therapeutic services, he says, which integrate seam- lessly into SOS's robust physical therapy program. "We have top-quality digital X-ray imaging, which we rely on heavily in the foot and ankle field," Dr. Lemley says. "We also have MRI available. When it comes to treatment, we often use braces, shoes and orthot- ics to help patients. SOS employs a dedicated pedorthist who specializes in making braces, custom footwear and orthotics." Rather than wait for an order or search for a product, many patients find appropriate over-the-counter items, such as socks and orthopedic shoe gear, at SOS's retail store, The SOS Shop, which is located within the Foot and Ankle Center. PT is also offered in SOS's foot and ankle center. "We take our patients right upstairs to PT," Dr. Lemley says. "They can learn to transfer and use a scooter right here in the building. Foot and ankle recovery is always tough; it impacts patients' lives and their jobs. We do our best to make things easy for patients." SOS Shop, a retail store with physician- recommended products to aid in patient recovery and enhancing overall health. " We tr y to achieve as much direct continuity from one aspect of the group to the next as we can," Dr. Battaglia says. "It simplifies life for our patients." RESEARCH AND QUALITY CONTROL In addition to its community model, SOS is devoted to improving quality and e…ciency across every discipline and every practice. Many SOS physicians also contribute to scientific understanding of bone and joint issues through advanced research. The SOS Joint Replacement Council, Spine Council and Research Council were devel- oped to further these aims and maintain high standards of research and patient care across their respective programs. In each council, physicians meet for case reviews to discuss ways to improve outcomes for patients. Data is collected into registries so outcomes can be tracked and scrutinized. "The Joint Replacement Council meets monthly," Dr. Greenky says. "We review literature, update our protocols based on the most current scientific data and review individual cases to discuss the most appropriate treatments. Patients are ultimately managed by the treating physician, but as a team, we discuss cases that wa rra nt a closer look or present specific challenges." The new Specialist One Day Surgery Center in Cicero, New York. The interior of the new SOS Specialist One Day Surgery Center. The Research Council collects data for the national Joint Registry, where it is pooled and analyzed to identify factors such as superior surgical approaches or problematic implant performances. SOS also maintains its own Joint Registry, and perusing it reveals the practice's outstand- ing performance metrics, including blood transfusion rates of less than 1 percent and intraoperative complications of 2.35 per- cent, well below the national average. "We have about 7,000 joint replacement operations in our registry," Dr. Greenky says. "That's crucial to our research and to upgrading the national database. We track patient data from before surgery and at intervals during recovery, culminating in follow-ups every decade, to examine survivorship of implants." Other research projects include uni- versity-sponsored studies. SOS surgeons presented one study examining the use of UV light during joint replacement to reduce the risk of perioperative infection at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' conference in March 2018. Data from 4,000 cases were used in the research, Dr. Greenky says. A REPUTATION FOR SUCCESS The SOS team works diligently to make sure the practice earns its reputation for excellence, reliability and openness. "We're the largest orthopedic service provider in Central New York," Dr. Greenky says. "I'd like our referrers to know we put time and e-ort into making sure we do a great job for every patient. We stay on the cutting edge of treatments, we are aiming to have experts in every subspecialty and currently have specialists in the majority of subspecialties. Most importantly, we make sure we have their patients' backs, figuratively and literally." "We remain committed to providing the latest in orthopedic care here in Central New York," Dr. Battaglia adds. "We hire orthopedists with the latest training who expand access to new techniques and technologies for both their own patients and patients of their colleagues, providing a level of service and expertise that rivals anywhere in the country." F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t sosbones.com . ■ 0 8 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y

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