Clinic celebrates 35 years of patient care

Thirty-five-years ago, Dr. Lowell Stonecipher opened the West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic with the goal of providing the best orthopedic surgery care possible in his own practice. The clinic has grown dramatically since 1973; today eight other board-certified orthopedic surgeons work alongside Dr. Stonecipher.

And though the clinic’s physicians continue to mend broken bones and repair damaged joints and tendons, the way they treat many of the orthopedic problems has changed dramatically.

“Ninety percent of what we do in surgery is different than what I was taught in residency,” says Dr. David Johnson, who joined the clinic in 1990. Perhaps the biggest change in orthopedic medicine has been the shift from open surgeries to arthroscopic surgeries, he says, “and when open surgery is necessary, doing it with a minimally invasive approach.”

For example, instead of making a long incision to repair a torn rotator cuff in the shoulder, the physician makes smaller incisions, views his surgery through a tiny telescope he placed within the joint and repairs the problem. “Today it is rare to do an open procedure for shoulder problems,” Dr. Johnson says.

Newer techniques and equipment also are changing the extent of the surgery, he added. For example, instead of removing all of the cartilage in a torn meniscus of the knee, the physician oftentimes removes only the damaged cartilage.

All of this is good news for patients. Instead of spending days in the hospital and facing lengthy recoveries, patients are having shorter stays and faster recoveries. Many arthroscopic procedures can be done on an outpatient basis, meaning the patient goes home the same day as the surgery.

With the difference in surgeries and techniques has come a shift in the expected outcome, Dr. Johnson says. “Instead of having a goal of restoring function in the damaged joint or torn ligament, we try to restore normal usage.”

Physical therapy then has become more important in its role of helping the patient restore normal use.

Orthopedic surgeons have traditionally taken care of athletes, and today’s new surgery techniques and increased physical therapy are helping the physicians do an improved job of getting athletes back to their sports, Dr. Johnson says. “Dealing with athletes is an enjoyable part of our practice. For the most part, they are healthy individuals who are anxious to get better. They work hard to help you help them.”

Sports medicine has been an important part of the West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic’s practice since Dr. Stonecipher started covering the University of Tennessee at Martin football team and their sportsevents shortly after he opened the practice.

Besides the change in surgery and increased emphasis on sports medicine, the clinic has seen many other changes through the years, Dr. Johnson said.

For example, the increase in managed care plans and insurance documentation has led to an increase in office staff. Marketing and advertising, a concept once unfamiliar to many practices, is now important.

“In the past,” said Dr. Johnson, “if you provided quality care to patients and had good surgery outcomes, and if you made sure that you took care of your referring physicians, you would have a successful practice. Now, we also feel the need for marketing consultants and employees and the need to review a marketing plan and budget.”

As he looks ahead, Dr. Johnson sees continued improvements in joint replacement surgeries and a bigger emphasis on treating arthritic conditions. “We have a more active population that is living longer, and we will be dealing more with deteriorating joints.” He also sees progress being made in cartilage restoration and regeneration.

To provide the best care possible for its patients, the West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic recently finished a 7,000-square-foot expansion to increase its physical therapy department and make room for better diagnostic technology, such as an MRI. The physicians also are doing more of their outpatient surgeries at the nearby Physicians Surgery Center.

As a convenience for patients, West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic is providing onsite as many services as possible, says Practice Administrator Donna Klutts. “We know that patients have a choice in their orthopedic health care. That’s why we have a strong focus on customer service and patient satisfaction.”

Though much has changed in the practice of orthopedic medicine over the last three decades, says Dr. Johnson, the clinic still adheres to its primary mission of quality orthopedic care. “Dr. Stonecipher’s original goal to provide the best patient care possible is still the most important aspect of our practice.”