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Three Tennessee Orthopedic Practices Merge
Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance (TOA), Nashville, Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinics (TOC), Knoxville, and Mid-Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic (MTBJ), Columbia, have signed a letter of intent to merge the three practices, making it one of the largest networks of orthopedic care providers in the country.
The announcement comes after months of planning and negotiations and will be effective Jan. 1, 2021. Combined, the group will have 105 physicians and a staff of more than 800, with 27 locations in 17 counties serving patients from the Great Smoky Mountains in Sevierville to the Tennessee River in Waverly.
Patients can expect the same level of exceptional care, and over the next few months they will see benefits such as increased access to technology and sharing of best practices. The groups will be able to collaborate and come up with new and innovative ways to deliver the highest standards of care to their patients. Each group will continue to focus on its local community, such as providing coverage to area high school and university athletic events.
“The opportunity to partner with TOC and MTBJ allows us to continue our path forward in creating innovative orthopedic care delivery models for the thousands of patients who span across our respective markets,” said Will Kurtz, M.D., TOA president. “We are excited to learn from one another and create high-quality, cost-effective patient outcomes. Ultimately, we feel this merger will accomplish this and much more for the many years to come.”
“A great advantage to this statewide partnership is the ability to collect and share clinical data leading to the continued enhancement of surgical outcomes,” said Mike Casey, M.D., TOC president. “We look forward to partnering with TOA and MTBJ in identifying and developing best practices while still offering the same focus on individual patient needs in the Knoxville and surrounding markets.”
“This partnership with TOA and TOC will further our goals of providing specialized, compassionate and exceptional orthopedic care to our patients in southern Middle Tennessee,” said Jonathan Pettit, M.D., MTBJ president. “We want to be in this community doing what we do for a long time to come, and this partnership is an excellent way to help ensure the legacy of our clinic. It will facilitate innovation and present opportunities to practice medicine at a higher level. We cannot wait to see the advanced strategies and positive outcomes that will result from this merger.”
The practices will retain their individual names for now, and there are no plans for a reduction in the staff because of the merger.
TOA has 63 orthopedic physicians and 22 mid-level providers on staff, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and a support staff of 473. It has 17 Middle Tennessee locations in Davidson, Williamson, Sumner, Rutherford, Putnam, Wilson, Montgomery, Dickson, Cheatham and Humphreys counties.
TOC has 33 physicians and 22 mid-level providers on staff, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and a support staff of more than 230. It has eight East Tennessee locations in Knox, Cumberland, Sevier, Anderson and Loudon counties.
MTBJ has 9 physicians and 5 mid-level providers on staff, including physician assistants, and a support staff of 75. Its main office is in Maury County, and it operates a satellite office in Marshall County.
