Category: News

Leawood, Kan. – With his recent completion of the certification examinations for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS), Kirk A. McCullough, M.D., is now a Diplomate of the Board – more commonly known as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Dr. McCullough is a physician at Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic of Kansas City (OSMCKC), one of three onsite orthopedic physician practices located inside Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute.

As stated on its website, the mission of the ABOS is “to ensure safe, ethical, and effective practice of orthopaedic surgery [by maintaining] the highest standards for education, practice and conduct through examination, certification, and maintenance of certification for the benefit of the public.” As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. McCullough is dedicated to providing high quality care and pursuing ongoing medical education.

About Dr. Kirk McCullough

Dr. McCullough joined OSMCKC in July 2014 and specializes in treating knee, shoulder, foot and ankle conditions, as well as sports medicine. He earned his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After residency, he completed a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder/elbow surgery at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, followed by a fellowship in foot/ankle surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Since returning to Kansas City and joining OSMCKC, Dr. McCullough has continued his work as a member of the NFL Foot/Ankle Committee and currently serves as an assistant team physician for the Kansas City Chiefs along with his partner and current Head Team Physician, Dr. Cris Barnthouse. Dr. McCullough also serves as an assistant team physician for SportingKC and is the Head Team Physician for the Swope Park Rangers (USL) soccer team.

Leawood, Kan. – Theodore D. Koreckij, M.D., has successfully completed the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Stage II oral certifying examination. Dr. Koreckij is a spine surgeon at Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics, one of three onsite orthopedic physician practices located inside Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute.

With this recent certification, Dr. Koreckij is now a Diplomate of the Board, also more commonly known as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., establishes educational standards for orthopedic residents and evaluates the initial and continuing qualifications and competence of orthopedic surgeons. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Koreckij has demonstrated his commitment to the highest quality care and continuing medical education.

Board certification is a voluntary process on the part of any physician. It is different and distinct from licensure to practice medicine, a function regulated by state government. A valid medical license is required to be board certified, but certification is not necessary for licensure. A board-certified physician has met certain standards and passed tests that are developed to assure the public that he or she has been adequately trained in a given specialty.

About Dr. Theodore Koreckij

Dr. Koreckij joined Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics in 2014, and specializes in treating patients who have spine and back conditions. He earned his undergraduate and doctor of medicine degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He completed an internship in general surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, followed by his orthopedic surgery residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. He also completed a fellowship in orthopaedic spine surgery at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich.

Dr. Mark Winston is now performing hand, wrist, shoulder and elbow surgery at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute

Patients and referring physicians in the Kansas City area will be pleased to learn there is a new orthopedic surgeon in town: Mark J. Winston, M.D. Dr. Winston specializes in treating orthopedic conditions of the hand and wrist, as well as shoulder and elbow injuries. He is now seeing patients at Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics, one of three onsite orthopedic physician practices located inside Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute.

Dr. Winston joins the ranks of more than 20 fellowship-trained surgeons who perform orthopedic surgery at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, the region’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to orthopedics. As the newest member of the patient care team, Dr. Winston shares our hospital-wide commitment to personalized care and treatment for each patient.

In addition to treating hand, wrist and upper extremity injuries, Dr. Winston specializes in sports medicine. Some of the most common conditions he treats include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture (a.k.a. Dupuytren’s disease)
• Fractured hands or wrists
• Hand nerve compression
• Trigger finger
• Arthritis, including thumb arthritis, shoulder arthritis and elbow arthritis
• Soft tissue masses
• Tendonitis
• Nerve and tendon lacerations
• Joint dislocations
• Elbow trauma, including elbow fractures
• Stiff Elbows
• Tennis Elbow
• Golfer’s Elbow
• Constricted arm nerves
• Olecranon (elbow) Bursitis
• Rotator cuff tear or injury
• Shoulder Bursitis
• Frozen shoulder
• Sports injuries

A native of Green Bay, Wis., Dr. Winston earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He graduated summa cum laude and was selected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. He went on to complete his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, where he served as Administrative Chief Resident. In addition, he was recognized by the American Orthopedic Association as an Emerging Leader in Orthopedics.

Dr. Winston is board eligible in orthopedic surgery, having recently completed a hand and upper extremity fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery/Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, N.Y. During his time in New York, Dr. Winston provided upper extremity care for the New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Rangers and New York Knicks professional sports teams. He also trained with some of the top leaders in hand and elbow surgery.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Winston, please call 913-319-7600 or submit an appointment request online.

Kansas City’s Only Orthopedic Hospital Named Center of Excellence, Achieves Full AAHHS Accreditation

Leawood, Kan. – June 7, 2016 – Optum®, a leading information and technology-enabled health services company and the Health Services platform of UnitedHealth Group, has designated Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute as a Center of Excellence (COE) for its patients seeking joint replacement surgery.

Each year, Optum conducts a rigorous evaluation of medical centers across the country, selecting the most experienced and statistically successful healthcare providers to be part of its COE networks. Through Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute’s COE designation, Optum’s COE members now have the option of selecting the region’s only dedicated orthopedic hospital for total joint replacement, including total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgery. These services are fully covered or offered at a reduced rate, depending on the patient’s plan.

“We’re honored to be a part of the Center of Excellence program,” said Paul Kerens, Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute Senior Executive Officer. “This recognition is a testament to our hospital’s commitment to excellence and orthopedic care.”

According to Optum, members and employees who choose an Optum COE network medical center are more likely to receive:

• More accurate diagnoses
• Planned, coordinated care provided by a team of experts
• Appropriate therapy
• Fewer complications
• Shorter length of stay

“We commend Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute for providing an extraordinary level of quality care for the patients it serves,” said Dr. Jon R. Friedman, who oversees Optum’s COE program.

In addition, Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute recently achieved full accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Hospitals/Health Systems (AAHHS). This prestigious recognition reflects the hospital’s steadfast dedication to high quality standards and continuous improvement.

Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a physician-owned specialty hospital focused on orthopedics. The hospital has a well-established record of excellent outcomes in joint replacement, as well as all other types of orthopedic surgery. Since 2000, the hospital has provided comprehensive orthopedic care, including inpatient and outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and MRI, pain management, and inpatient and outpatient physical therapy. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a joint venture with Saint Luke’s Health System and the only hospital in Kansas City dedicated exclusively to orthopedics, drawing patients from the Kansas City metro area and throughout the United States.

About Optum’s Center of Excellence Program

The COE program providers and medical centers are independent contractors who render care and treatment to health plan members. The COE program does not provide direct healthcare services or practice medicine, and the COE providers and medical centers are solely responsible for medical judgments and related treatments. The COE program is not liable for any act or omission, including negligence, committed by any independent contracted healthcare professional or medical center. © 2016 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved.

Media Contacts:

For Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, contact:
Sam Carlson
Dobies Healthcare Group
scarlson@dobies.com
(816) 595-6731

For Optum, contact:
Lauren Mihajlov
Optum
(952) 205-6312
Lauren.mihjalov@optum.com

LEAWOOD, Ks. — Not all patients with acute or chronic neck or back pain need surgery – and some have had surgery but need interventional procedures as part of their post-operative care plans. That’s why the comprehensive care model at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute includes interventional spine and pain management with two board-certified, fellowship-trained physiatrists at the helm.

This month, Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute will celebrate the first anniversary of its new Interventional Spine and Pain Management Suite. The hospital has offered interventional spine procedures for years, but the services received an upgrade last spring when the ribbon was cut on a dedicated interventional spine suite, complete with six patient examination rooms and two procedure rooms.

“Most of the patients we see in the interventional spine suite have acute or long-term neck pain, back pain, sciatic pain, or compression fractures,” said C. Lan Fotopoulos, M.D., interventional physiatrist. “We also treat people who experience prolonged neck or back pain after surgery, including post-laminectomy syndrome.” Procedures most commonly performed in the Interventional Spine Suite include vertebroplasty, balloon assisted kyphoplasty, spinal cord stimulation, radiofrequency ablation and epidural injections.

The new suite provides a more private setting for patients. “It’s been really nice, and we’ve gotten great feedback from patients as well,” said Fermin Santos, M.D., interventional physiatrist. “Before, we performed interventional procedures in the hospital, so patients saw other people get wheeled back to the O.R. and come back from surgery.” Now, he says, they are away from that surgical environment, and patients find it more relaxing.

The interventional spine and pain management suite is not just for patients with neck and back pain. The physiatrists also perform procedures for certain patients with knee pain, hip pain and even headaches that have not responded to other forms of conservative treatment.

Drs. Fotopoulos and Santos coordinate care as needed with physical therapists and other providers to ensure their patients get the appropriate care. The hospital’s onsite MRI and digital X-ray often enable same-day results and diagnosis, and the doctors routinely consult with orthopedic surgeons as needed to ensure high quality outcomes.

“All our orthopedic specialists are here in the same building, so if we ever have questions or concerns, we can consult the surgeons directly to determine the best course of treatment,” said Dr. Santos, adding that their physician team at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute includes a fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon. “When necessary, we will refer patients to surgery, but our goal as interventional physiatrists is to exhaust all conservative treatment options first.”

New patients can call 913-319-7633 for an appointment. Patients with workers compensation cases and sports-related injuries are also welcome.

About Interventional Physiatry at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute

Physiatry, also known as Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, focuses on relieving pain, restoring function and improving mobility through nonsurgical treatment methods. The physiatrists of Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute are board-certified nerve, muscle and bone experts who treat a variety of painful conditions, including many sports injuries.

Leawood, Kan. – August 25, 2015 – Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute recently received an Excellence through Insight® award for Overall Inpatient Experience. The award from HealthStream, a national healthcare research solutions company, comes in addition to Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute earning the highest possible ranking – a five-star rating – from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year. These two highly coveted honors set Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute apart from other area hospitals as a leader in quality orthopedic care.

“At Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, we are very committed to patient care excellence,” says Charles E. Rhoades, M.D., CEO of Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute. “It’s nice to be recognized nationwide for that, but it’s even more heartwarming to know our patients love their care and receive high quality outcomes here.”

Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute earned the Excellence through Insight award for exceptional performance in the small hospital category. All hospitals that used HealthStream to track patient satisfaction in 2014 were considered for the award, but only those scoring in the 75th percentile or higher for patient satisfaction after surveying at least 100 patients earned national recognition. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute exceeded industry standards and received some of HealthStream’s highest rankings for satisfaction among hospitals its size.

CMS’s Hospital Compare system is based on data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS). The rating system is designed to help patients make informed choices about healthcare.

CMS rates hospitals on measures such as nurse and doctor communication, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, communication regarding medicines and discharge, care transition, cleanliness and quietness of hospital environment, and willingness to recommend the hospital. For scoring purposes, CMS reviews a minimum of 100 completed surveys from hospital patients over a 12-month period. The rankings range from one star to five stars, with more stars indicating higher quality care.

About Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute

Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a physician-owned specialty hospital focused on orthopedics. Since 2000, the hospital has provided comprehensive orthopedic care, including inpatient and outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and MRI, pain management, and inpatient and outpatient physical therapy. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute is a joint venture with Saint Luke’s Health System and the only hospital in Kansas City dedicated exclusively to orthopedics, drawing patients from the Kansas City metro area and throughout the United States. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute serves the entire community and participates in most commercial insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.

Media Contact: Paul Kerens
Senior Executive Officer
pkerens@kcoi.com
(913) 319-7575