Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based American Orthopedics Partners (AOP) has announced its addition of three new orthopedic practices: New York Sports & Joints Orthopaedic Specialists of New York, New York, Hand to Shoulder Associates (HSA) of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Beach Cities Orthopedics & Sports Medicine of Manhattan Beach, California.
AOP provides ortho practices the opportunity to access innovative resources and to collaborate on orthopedic initiatives on a national level, while maintaining local practice autonomy. This physician-owned partnership model promotes innovation, creativity, and independence as well as allowing practices to excel with research-based, cutting edge clinical tools.
“Partnering with AOP means you are joining forces with orthopedic surgeons from across the country who are dedicated to delivering the best in clinical practice and growing together” said AOP CEO Jay Bronner, M.D. “We are thrilled to have these practices join us as we build a new model in orthopedics that will deliver better outcomes while reducing costs.”
The new practices vary in specialty and setting but all aim for the highest quality of care.
New York Sports & Joints Orthopaedic Specialists, led by Kenneth McCulloch, M.D., has five locations in the New York City area and is composed of a multi-disciplinary team of providers specializing in both sports medicine and trauma as well as foot and ankle, hand and wrist, and joint replacements. The team is pioneering the newest advances and most advanced techniques in orthopedic medicine.
“AOP has all the components we need to be successful. I can run my practice while contributing to and being supported by a national presence that is owned and led by physicians,” added Dr. McCulloch. “I really like the fact that practices joining AOP participate in shared governance. We work together as a team to benefit all of the partners in the group.”
Hand to Shoulder Associates (HSA) was founded in the 1970s as one provider’s hand surgery practice. Over the past 40 years, they’ve grown into a renowned ortho center, specializing in shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist issues and injuries. HSA is now the largest specialty hand group with nine Chicago locations, each with orthopedic providers additionally trained in upper extremity and micro vascular surgery.
“It’s important to us that we maintain control over our own practice and patients. I also know that the combination of culture, physician engagement, and scale will help us create the right environment to drive both clinical and economic value,” said Michael Vender, M.D., of HSA. “We are excited to be a part of the future of orthopedics!”
Beach Cities Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, with locations in Torrance and Manhattan Beach, California, was founded by renowned orthopedic surgeons William Mealer, M.D., and Brad Thomas, M.D., with a goal to provide affordable yet state-of-the-art care including a comprehensive approach with approaches like in-office physical therapy.
“Knowing that the AOP team has experience and a proven track record in developing a successful national partnership practice model made this decision to join AOP an easy one,” said Dr. Thomas. “It’s time for the orthopedic profession to join forces to build a national presence that delivers scale and passion and I’m confident in AOP to deliver on this promise,” added Dr. Mealer.
OTW spoke with Ryan Pahler, AOP Chief of Development, about the company’s rapid expansion. Pahler told us, “AOP is excited about the significant interest in our practice and expects to complete a number of partnerships in the coming months. We are extremely humbled by the reception to our physician-led model and look forward to announcing additional partnerships in the near future.”
