Becker's Spine Review

29 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Hospital could scrap orthopedic, spine focus for $91M tower, pivot to heart care instead By Angie Stewart W ilmington, N.C.-based New Hanover Regional Medical Center wants to dedicate its new $91 million patient tower to heart and vascular procedures instead of orthopedic and spine care, WilmingtonBiz reports. NHRMC originally proposed using the three-story building, which is under construction on the hospital's main campus, as an orthopedic and spine hospital. Hospital officials began reevaluating that plan in October because of industry trends. When plans for the new facility were in their infancy, orthopedic procedures such as total joints were primarily performed in the inpatient setting, NHRMC President and CEO John Gizdic said at a Nov. 13 advisory group meeting. "By the time we could build that facility, now 20 percent of joints are outpatient. It's projected in the next five years that 60 percent of joint surgeries will be done on an outpatient basis," he said. Demand for cardiovascular and neuroscience care has also increased since initial plans were made, according to NHRMC marketing director Carolyn Fisher. Now, hospital officials are examining finances and whether regulatory approval will be need- ed to change the building's purpose. Before construction on the new patient tower began in mid-2018, NHRMC gained state permission to move 68 beds from its Wilmington-based Orthopedic Hospital to the new facility. Under the new proposal, orthopedic services would remain based at NHRMC's existing Orthope- dic Hospital. e aging facility would be upgraded to accommodate services until NHRMC can build a new hospital for orthopedics. A time frame for that development hasn't been determined. e patient tower is expected to open next summer, but it could take longer to develop spe- cialized rooms that weren't part of the original plan. n PE firm invests in The Steadman Clinic after new affiliation: 5 key points By Laura Dyrda T he Steadman Clinic partnered with a private equity-backed orthopedic practice company. The Vail, Colo.-based practice is re- nowned for treating professional athletes and Olympians. Founded by Richard Steadman, MD, the practice operates out of three locations and includes the Steadman Philippon Re- search Institute. Five key notes: 1. The Steadman Clinic formed a stra- tegic affiliation with Orthopedic Care Partners, which is the holding compa- ny for The Orthopaedic Institute and four other practices. 2. The Steadman Clinic will retain its name post-affiliation and will operate under its own brand. Marc Philippon, MD, will continue to lead the practice. 3. Dr. Philippon believes that the af- filiation will allow the practice to exe- cute on its growth plans swiftly. "After considering a number of different alternatives, it was clear to us that OCP not only shares our values, but also has the expertise and network to help us grow while maintaining our commitment to providing state-of- the-art patient-centric care," he said. 4. Private equity firm Varsity Health- care Partners backs OCP. VHP focuses on lower middle-market healthcare services. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton were legal advisors to OCP and VHP. 5. VHP invested additional equity in the practices as a result of the part- nership and Dr. Philippon and his partners have become significant shareholders in OCP. n Rothman, Carrum Health partner to expand healthcare benefits into tri-state area By Alan Condon Carrum Health in San Francisco recently partnered with Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute as its newest center of excellence. Founded in 2014, Carrum Health is a cloud-based platform that connects em- ployers and employees with centers of excellence for surgical procedures in- cluding spine and orthopedics. The partnership aims to facilitate self-insured employers in New York, New Jer- sey and Pennsylvania to provide quality and affordable healthcare benefits to employees and their dependents. Approximately 100,000 members in the tri-state area will have access to Roth- man providers within a drive of under two hours. Rothman features almost 40 office locations in the tri-state area. n

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