Triangle Orthopedic Associates, P.A., Carolina Orthopedic Specialists, Blue Ridge Bone & Joint, and OrthoWilmington merge to form one of the state’s largest physician-owned orthopedic organizations
July 28, 2016— In a common mission to provide streamlined, patient-centered care, four independent orthopedic physician groups across North Carolina have joined together to form a new practice called EmergeOrtho. With 49 office locations in 21 counties statewide, EmergeOrtho is one of the largest physician-owned orthopedic practices in the country. Additional practices are poised to join during a second phase of expansion projected for early 2017. The combined practices include 126 physicians and 237 physician assistants, nurse practitioners and therapists. With the projected 2017 expansion, there will be approximately 170 physicians in the practice.
The practices that combined to create EmergeOrtho are: Blue Ridge Bone and Joint of Asheville, Hendersonville and Arden; Carolina Orthopedic Specialists with offices in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties; OrthoWilmington with offices in New Hanover, Brunswick and Onslow counties; and Triangle Orthopedic Associates of the greater Raleigh-Durham area. The four practices will begin operating under the EmergeOrtho name on August 1, 2016. Patients of each individual group practice should see no interruption in their care and services.
“We are very fortunate to be creating an alliance of four well-established physician practices with excellent reputations,” said Thomas Dimmig, MD, President of Triangle Orthopedic Associates, who is also serving as president of the new group. “We united in order to preserve the private practice model, a standard of care that puts the patient first. The integrated group will allow these physicians to remain independent and provide their own higher quality, lower cost care.”
Integrating their network across North Carolina, all EmergeOrtho offices will use the same Electronic Health Records system. Patients treated for injury while on vacation, for example, can follow up with an EmergeOrtho provider in their hometown who has seamless access to their medical chart.
Dimmig emphasized that the new organization will continue to build on proven strategies and implement programs that improve outcomes and lower costs for patients. Ancillary services such as diagnostic imaging and physical therapy are available in most EmergeOrtho locations, and 12 offices provide MRI. Orthopedic urgent care centers in 14 locations address emergent orthopedic needs as a prompt, less expensive alternative to the ER. Additionally, each group is committed to the present and future alternative payment concepts, such as risk-sharing bundled payments, and all accept a broad range of insurance options.
“We chose the name EmergeOrtho because it describes the group’s mission,” says Dimmig, who helped coordinate the creation and naming process for the group. “The goal of orthopedics is for patients to emerge from treatment, their illness or injury healed. Through excellent care, patients can emerge stronger and healthier, better able to lead an active life.”
“EmergeOrtho is the result of nearly two years of collaborative, collegial effort among the groups and their physician leadership,” said Charles Wilson, CEO of Triangle Orthopedic Associates and acting CEO of EmergeOrtho. “While we have created a new statewide group practice, we remain committed to serving our patients and local communities by providing the highest quality care and services our patients have come to know and trust.”
ABOUT TRIANGLE Orthopedic ASSOCIATES, P.A.
Since 1952, Triangle Orthopedic Associates, P.A. has been at the forefront of orthopedic care in the City of Medicine and takes pride in offering the best in musculoskeletal and specialty care. Now in over 12 counties, 23 locations, and 9 Orthopedic Urgent Care Centers in the Greater Triangle region, Triangle Orthopedics has expanded their services lines by offering complimentary specialty care such as Rehabilitation Medicine, Physical and Hand Therapy, traditional in-house, mobile, and open MRI scanners, CT, Rheumatology, General Surgery, Breast Care, Neurology, Bone Health, Wound Care, and Vein therapy, which offers patients greater access to healthcare under one umbrella. Triangle Orthopedics is made up of 64 physicians and 119 mid-level providers in the Greater Triangle region.
ABOUT BLUE RIDGE BONE & JOINT
Founded in 1987, Blue Ridge Bone & Joint’s subspecialty clinics offer complete evaluation of the joint and musculoskeletal systems, with expertise in preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic orthopedic focusing on full-motion living. Subspecialty clinics include Foot & Ankle, Hand Elbow & Shoulder, Hip & Knee, Interventional Physiatry, Sports Medicine and Spine. BRBJ also offers physician-covered orthopedic urgent care, walk-in clinic services.
With more than 150 years of combined experience in the treatment of orthopedic diseases, Blue Ridge’s board-certified physicians offer a full range of quality medical services at two locations in Asheville, one in Arden and one in Hendersonville.
ABOUT CAROLINA Orthopedic SPECIALISTS
Carolina Orthopedic Specialists was founded in 1998 when Catawba Orthopedic Specialists, Burke Orthopedic Associates and Caldwell Orthopedics merged to create the Unifour’s largest orthopedic practice. The physicians of Carolina Orthopedic Specialists have provided comprehensive orthopedic care in the Unifour area for over 37 years. The practice offers 20 physicians with a variety of subspecialties within orthopedics, including sports medicine, spine, hip and knee joint reconstruction and revision, hand and upper extremity, foot and ankle, trauma and PM&R (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation). The team also includes 15 mid-level providers that assist the surgeons and care for patients.
Carolina Orthopedic Specialists offers six convenient locations in Hickory, Newton, Lenoir, Morganton, Valdese and Taylorsville. For patients’ convenience, the practice also offers a walk-in orthopedic clinic, Ortho Quick Care, at the Hickory location (2165 Medical Park Drive). Carolina Orthopedic Specialists offers a complete range of services including diagnostic testing, treatment, rehabilitation and pain management.
ABOUT ORTHOWILMINGTON
OrthoWilmington is the regional referral center for comprehensive orthopedic care. The practice offers 23 fellowship-trained and board-certified experts in a variety of subspecialties within orthopedics, including spine, sports medicine, hip and knee joint reconstruction and revision, hand and upper extremity, foot and ankle, trauma and PM&R (physical medicine and rehabilitation). The medical team also includes 19 physician assistants, and three nurse practitioners.
OrthoWilmington’s offices are headquartered at 2716 Ashton Drive and 3787 Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington, with multiple locations in New Hanover, Brunswick and Onslow counties. In addition to the full range of specialty orthopedic care and the walk-in convenience of AccessOrtho, OrthoWilmington offers physical therapy services through all office locations, and a high-field MRI Imaging Center at the Shipyard Boulevard office.
