Cleveland Clinic. This academic medical center is located in Ohio and treats a variety of musculoskeletal impairments in its orthopedic department and has its very own center for spine health. Established in 2003, it covers the full scope of spinal services. The center has specialists in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and medical spine, as well as experts in manipulation and interventional pain management. These specialists work together to diagnose and treat spinal disorders, including scoliosis, spinal stenosis, chiari malformation and spinal tumors. For the past several years, U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Cleveland Clinic’s department of orthopedic surgery among the nation’s top five orthopedic programs and the number one program in Ohio. Each fall, physicians in the orthopedic department publish an orthopedic insights newsletter, which can be obtained online.
Duke University Medical Center. Located in Durham, N.C., Duke University Medical Center’s orthopedic department is not only home to expert orthopedic surgeons, but also two orthopedic traumatologists who specialize in the management of complex fractures. In addition to handling bone and soft tissue cancer, elbow, hand, foot and ankle problems, the department also performs joint replacement (including hip and knee). Like many orthopedic programs, Duke also covers sports medicine and spine issues, and orthopedic trauma. Previously known as the Duke University Hospital and Medical School, Duke University Medical Center was established in 1930 and now occupies 7.5 million square feet in 90 buildings on 210 acres.
El Paso Specialty Hospital. El Paso is an innovative orthopedic surgical facility that specializes in orthopedic and spine surgeries as well as pain management. Its physicians specialize in all aspects of orthopedic, neurosurgical and rehabilitative care, offering treatment in many areas including general orthopedics, sports medicine, knee arthroscopy and reconstruction. The 31-bed Texas facility, operated by National Surgical Hospitals, features advanced technology and sophisticated equipment. It offers both in-patient and outpatient services and is staffed by experienced, highly trained surgical RNs and technicians.
Hospital for Special Surgery. Located in New York City, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) was ranked #1 in the nation for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report. It offers comprehensive orthopedic services in 11 areas including foot and ankle; limb lengthening and deformity; osteoporosis/ metabolic bone disease; orthopedic trauma; and sports medicine. It was founded in 1863 by James Knight, MD, and is the oldest orthopedic hospital in the country. HSS is known for its treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and performed more than 20,000 surgical procedures in 2007. HSS has developed minimally invasive spine surgery techniques that do not require spinal fusion and AARP Modern Maturity named HSS the #1 knee-hip orthopedic hospital. It is an affiliate of the New York- Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College. In 2004, 400 applicants competed for eight spots at its residency program. Today, over 400 of its graduates hold positions in successful orthopedic departments.
Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital. “OrthoIndy,” located in Indianapolis, is the largest private, full-service orthopedic practice in the Midwest. With more than 65 orthopedic specialists and 10 different locations, OrthoIndy offers a range of treatments including bone tumor and soft tissue oncology, cartilage restoration, non-operative spine, pediatric orthopedics, physiatry and pain management, sports medicine, spine, total joint replacement and trauma. OrthoIndy services a variety of patients, including people with life-threatening injuries to bunions. It also has the OrthoIndy Research Foundation, which publishes 15 peer review scientific manuscripts annually. This foundation currently has 25 physicians participating in more than 30 studies. OrthoIndy has been nationally recognized for the quality of its orthopedic care by HealthGrades, ranked among the top 5 percent in the nation for joint replacement surgery and has received high accolades for spine surgery and several other procedures.
John Hopkins Hospital. This teaching hospital is located in Baltimore. It was founded in 1889 and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the best hospital in America in its annual rankings of American hospitals for 18 consecutive years. In the 2008 report, its orthopedics specialty was ranked sixth best in the United States. Within orthopedics, the hospital performs hand surgery, pediatric orthopedics, orthopedic oncology, shoulder surgery, spine surgery, sports medicine surgery and adult reconstruction. John Hopkins is devoted to education and offers a fellowship in arthroplasty each year and its orthopedic residency program has been training outstanding surgeons and leaders for nearly 100 years.
Massachusetts General Hospital. The department of orthopedic surgery at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) treats the largest volume of trauma, sports-medicine-related injury and musculoskeletal tumors of any hospital in the New England area with approximately 6,000 inpatient admissions and 30,000 ambulatory encounters every year. The department of orthopedic surgery at MGH is a major participant in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency program. A total of 50 resident physicians are involved in clinical care through the program, with approximately 18 residents at MGH at any one time. In addition, MGH has approximately 14 clinical fellows involved in providing patient care.
Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic is a non-profit medical practice with headquarters and research facilities in Rochester, Minn., and hospitals and clinics in Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz. These three locations treat more than half a million people annually. There are nine orthopedic surgeons practicing for Mayo Clinic in Florida, 50 in Minnesota and 11 in Arizona. Orthopedic surgeons at Mayo specialize in the following areas: adult joint reconstruction and revision, foot and ankle injuries, hand surgery, microvascular procedures, sports injuries, tumor surgery for bone cancers (osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and chondrosarcoma) and soft tissue sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma. Mayo’s orthopedic research division currently has 24 investigators conducting research in 10 basic research laboratories on every aspect of musculoskeletal pathology.
McBride Clinic Orthopedic Hospital. McBride was rated the top orthopedics program in Oklahoma by HealthGrades in 2008, with five-star ratings in joint replacement, total knee replacement, hip fracture repair, spine surgery and back and neck surgery. Founded in 2005, McBride has 64 acute care beds and 14 inpatient rehabilitation beds as well as a level four emergency room. The hospital provides a full range of orthopedic surgical services, physical and occupational therapy, diagnostic imaging and education and support programs. McBride has provided more than 80 years of service to the Oklahoma community, with clinic locations in downtown Oklahoma City, Edmond, Norman, an occupational health center and several rural outreach clinics. McBride also has a foundation that promotes education and research for orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions in Oklahoma.
Nebraska Spine Center. Nebraska Spine Center, founded in 1979 and located in Omaha, is a specialized practice of orthopedic spine surgeons dedicated to the comprehensive management of work-related injuries, diseases and degenerative disorders, deformities, trauma, tumors and infections of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Serving adults and children, the organization is committed to providing spinal care services, teaching and research. It has four clinics located in Omaha, Fremont, Grand Island and Lexington. Its research foundation is currently conducting several investigations, including research into degenerative disc disease, exploring non-surgical approaches for lower back pain and observing the use of Optimesh graft in patients requiring spine fusion. The center provides teaching to practicing orthopedic spinal surgeons and neurosurgeons from across the country and internationally, and helps train orthopedic surgery residents from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University.
Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago. NOHC provides a range of orthopedic procedures, treating everything from sports-related injuries to the pain caused by arthritis. Physicians at NOHC also perform newer therapies including cartilage repair and regeneration procedures, hip resurfacing and unicompartmental knee replacement. NOHC offers a multidisciplinary approach to spine care and was named as the best hospital in Illinois for spine surgery by HealthGrades in 2008. NOHC, founded in 1987 by Leonard J. Cerullo, MD, is the country’s only freestanding acute care facility dedicated exclusively to neuroscience and orthopedic services.
NorthShore University HealthSystem. Headquartered in Evanston, Ill., NorthShore University HealthSystem serves the greater North Shore and northern Illinois communities. The facility uses the latest technology and techniques to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. Affiliated with the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, the integrated health system offers strong services and treatment in areas related to orthopedics, cancer, heart, highrisk maternity and pediatrics. The system includes three hospitals: Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital – and a fourth, Skokie-based Rush North Shore Hospital, will be added in 2009. The NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute, with more than $100 million of grants, focuses on clinical and translational research.
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. A part of the UCLA Health System, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast, according to U.S. News & World Report. Its orthopedic surgery department evaluates and treats all patients with acute orthopedic problems in its orthopedic center within 24 hours and, if necessary, patients are referred for specialty care. In addition to its main Los Angeles location, orthopedic surgery has a satellite practice in Santa Monica, Calif. The department offers comprehensive services, including treating arthroscopy, spinal diseases and metabolic bone disease. It also specializes in orthopedic oncology.
Rush University Medical Center. Chicago’s Rush is an academic medical center with specialists devoted to diagnosing and treating virtually any problem of the bones, joints, cartilage and ligaments within their orthopedic trauma program. Orthopedic surgeons at Rush performed the world’s first minimally invasive hip surgery and pioneered many advances in hip and knee implants, including minimally invasive techniques that enable patients to return home within a day. The organization was among the first to implant a “growing prosthesis” for children with bone cancer, which can be lengthened as the child grows and lessens the need for repeated surgeries. It also has a spine and back center and women’s sports medicine program. Publisher Castle Connolly Medical has listed orthopedic surgeons at Rush among Chicago’s best.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. University of Pittsburgh has one of the oldest orthopedic practices in the United States. The department will celebrate its centennial in 2009. Over the past five years, Pittsburgh’s orthopedics department has captured the Kappa Delta Award for clinical research, the highest recognition given by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, four times. The program currently has more than 20 studies either completed or underway. For the 2008-2009 academic year, the department’s residency training program received 564 medical student applications, of which only eight students were accepted. Of the eight, a record five were women.