Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1220364
8 ORTHOPEDICS Northside Hospital to appeal CON denial for outpatient facility featuring neurosurgery, orthopedics By Alan Condon A tlanta-based Northside Hospital is request- ing a certificate of need permit to open an ASC in Braselton, Ga., reports the Gwinnett Daily Post. The Department of Community Health denied the hospital's initial proposal for the outpatient surgery center last year. The planned Braselton Surgical Specialist Center will feature three ORs, one endoscopy room and provide orthopedic and neurosurgery procedures. It will span 22,500 square feet and cater to 13 north- east Georgia counties. Hearings for the request will begin Dec. 21. n Dr. Eric Gordon joins Georgia sports medicine practice after Emory fellowship By Alan Condon E ric Gordon, MD, returned to Georgia to join the orthopedic sports medicine practice at Piedmont Athens (Ga.) Regional's Oconee Health Campus in Watkinsville, reports The Oconee Enterprise. Dr. Gordon is a sports medicine surgeon specializing in advanced arthroscopic treatment of complex sports injuries and disorders of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in 2013. Dr. Gordon completed an orthopedic surgery residen- cy at Medical University of South Carolina in Charles- ton in 2018 and a sports medicine fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta this year. n 3D printing in orthopedics: 5 observations on the present and future By Laura Dyrda T he Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently published an article outlin- ing key observations about 3D printing technology. e authors examined how 3D printing is used today in orthopedics and poten- tial benefits for the future. Here are five takeaways: 1. New 3D printing technology affects surgical plans and workflow. e technol- ogy is becoming more accessible as print- ers become smaller and less expensive. 2. Open-source 3D imaging soware has made it feasible for widespread clinical implementation. 3. Within the next 10 years, 3D print- ing will be able to improve outcomes for both simple and complex orthopedic cases. e technology will enhance the preoperative planning and allow sur- geons to create patient-specific devices in a cost-effective way. 4. More recent applications for 3D print- ing have made their way to orthopedic biologic therapies. 5. e materials and printers used for 3D printing in orthopedics is expanding. "A clear understanding of this technology is important to the clinical implementa- tion of 3D printing for current and future practice of orthopedic care," the authors conclude in the abstract. But the authors are also cautious about implementing the technology. "Whenever new technology is de- veloped, we need to approach it in a thoughtful, researched, and careful manner," said Nathan Skelley, MD, medical director for orthopedic re- search at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., and lead author of the article. "By doing so, we will develop a greater understanding of the potential for 3D printing technology and be better equipped to incorporate it appropri- ately into our practice and the clinical care of patients. In the future, I believe we'll start to see 3D printing focusing on regenerative medicine, joint pres- ervation, and the ability to 3D print in biologic materials that have the poten- tial to replace musculoskeletal tissues such as bone, cartilage, ligament, and tendon." n