The Steadman Clinic and AVH Partnership One Year Later

Treating more patients with expanded services.

It was December 2020 when The Steadman Clinic, in coordination with Orthopedic Care Partners, formally aligned with Aspen Valley Hospital to deliver a full complement of orthopaedic services to the community. In just over one year, the collaboration has already achieved significant results.

“I’ve been very impressed by what has been accomplished in a relatively short time,” said Jared T. Lee, MD, Medical Director of Steadman’s Aspen Clinic. “The Steadman Clinic and Aspen Valley Hospital share a vision of creating a worldwide center of excellence and a desire to continue raising the bar.”

Area residents and visitors alike have noticed the difference, too. Since the partnership began, orthopaedic patient visits have increased by about 34 percent over the previous year.

ANALYZING PROCEDURES FOR SEAMLESS SURGERIES

One of the first goals of the partnership was to examine surgical processes to improve efficiencies. This not only allows the clinic to see more patients, but also makes surgeries safer.

“There is a high demand for our services, but patient safety is always our top priority,” Dr. Lee said. “We strive to have our team fully prepared and ready to go so patients experience shorter times in the operating room. The chance for complications increases the longer a surgery takes. We’ve worked closely with the OR and anesthesia staff, perfecting our methods to minimize the likelihood of delays or interruptions.”

Providing the best possible care is a longstanding philosophy of both AVH and The Steadman Clinic. “Dr. Steadman, the clinic’s founder, believed that patients come first,” Dr. Lee said. “Each patient is the most important patient. Because Aspen Valley Hospital also has that mantra, the collaboration has been quite seamless.”

PRACTICING CARE AND COMPASSION

Receiving high quality treatment at the clinic doesn’t depend on your demographic. From X Games athletes with torn ACLs to fixed-income retirees who need hip surgery, the clinic warmly welcomes all patients and accepts Medicaid and Medicare.

“The Hospital has programs to help offset medical expenses,“ Dr. Lee said. “I treated a worker with a severe ligament knee injury. The Hospital staff was wonderful. They worked with him to ensure he could get the care he needed.”

EXPERT SERVICES WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

The goal of The Steadman Clinic at AVH is to deliver the highest standard of orthopaedic care and individual attention to every patient seeking help for:

• Knee injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Hip injuries
• Hand & wrist injuries
• Elbow injuries
• Foot & ankle injuries
• Spine & neck injuries
• Joint replacement
• Regenerative medicine
• Interventional pain management
• Sports medicine
• Internal medicine
• Trauma

EXAMINING THE FUTURE

With such a strong foundation, the future of the partnership is bright. “Our services will continue to develop and flourish,” Dr. Lee said. “I expect to see many exciting advancements in the world of sports medicine over the next several years, including using biologics, like blood and tissue, to maintain our joints and ligaments. We’re already doing something similar with MACI (a procedure that repairs damaged cartilage by using a patient’s own cells), but the techniques and applications will continue to evolve and be more preventative in nature.”

Another exciting initiative is the opening of the Steadman Philippon Surgery Center in Basalt. This new 65,000 square-foot state-of-the-art medical office building and ambulatory surgery center is a collaboration among The Steadman Clinic, Orthopedic Care Partners, Aspen Valley Hospital and Vail Health.

Recently opened this spring in the Willits Town Center development, the facility features patient care space for The Steadman Clinic and a Steadman Philippon Research Institute laboratory, along with the ambulatory surgery center and rehabilitation services provided by Howard Head Sports Medicine so area residents can stay close to home for the latest orthopaedic treatment and care.

To learn more about the full range of orthopaedic services available from The Steadman Clinic at AVH, visit aspenhospital.org/services/orthopaedics.

“The Steadman Clinic and Aspen Valley Hospital share a vision of creating a worldwide center of excellence and a desire to continue raising the bar.”
– Jared T. Lee, MD, Medical Director of Steadman’s Aspen Clinic

USING YOUR OWN CELLS TO REPAIR KNEE CARTILAGE DAMAGE

Knee problems are extremely common and occur in people of all ages. At The Steadman Clinic, an innovative service known as the MACI® procedure can help alleviate pain.

The official name for this advanced technique is a mouthful… autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane. Simply put, MACI repairs damaged cartilage by using a patient’s own cells.

When knee cartilage is compromised, it often cannot heal on its own. The damage then gets worse over time, causing pain and limiting physical activity. MACI can dramatically reduce discomfort and improve function by employing the patient’s own cartilage to create durable repair tissue for knee cartilage.

PUTTING THE CELLS TO WORK

The first step toward healing is to have arthroscopy, a procedure to look inside the knee. This is when the surgeon takes a few small pieces of cartilage, before sending them off to a state-of-the-art, FDA-licensed facility.

At the facility, the cartilage cells are treated to help them multiply. The cells are then embedded on a special collagen membrane and sent back to The Steadman Clinic so the surgeon can complete the final procedure.

The surgeon customizes the membrane to match the size and shape of the cartilage defect before implanting it in the eroded area. That’s when the cells get down to business. They detach from the membrane, combine with proteins in the knee cartilage and form sturdy repair tissue. The tissue continues to repair over time, filling the defect to regenerate the damaged cartilage.

GETTING YOU BACK ON TRACK (OR SLOPE … OR COURT … OR FIELD)

MACI is for patients with cartilage defects in the knee caused by an injury, strain, muscle weakness or general wear and tear. After surgery and rehabilitation, patients can expect higher quality of life, greater ability to perform recreational activities and improved knee function. This procedure is just one of the many pioneering orthopaedic services currently available to Aspen residents and visitors at The Steadman Clinic.

The MACI® procedure is just one of the many pioneering orthopaedic services currently available to Aspen residents and visitors at The Steadman Clinic.

ADVANCED MUSCULOSKELETAL SURGERY AND CARE IN BASALT

Area patients and visitors alike are now able to receive some of the latest orthopaedic surgery techniques and procedures without having to travel outside of the midvalley.

The new 65,000-square-foot Steadman Philippon Medical Building and Steadman Philippon Surgery Center has opened its doors and is now welcoming patients.

The three-story structure, located in the Willits Town Center development, includes offices and patient care space for The Steadman Clinic, along with the ambulatory surgery center and Howard Head Sports Medicine rehabilitation services. Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) also maintains a regenerative medicine laboratory, and offices focused on orthopaedics and healthy aging research.

“Our vision for this facility is to provide greater access to our renowned physicians practicing the latest, evidence-based treatments, which will prove to be a significant benefit to Aspen and the surrounding communities,” said Dan Drawbaugh, CEO of The Steadman Clinic and SPRI. “The center will complement and enhance our clinic at Aspen Valley Hospital. Area residents looking to stay active longer now have a more convenient way to get the best orthopaedic care, supported by SPRI’s groundbreaking research.”

The Steadman Clinic is located on the third floor. Steadman’s space includes physician offices, viewing stations, team offices, 16 exam rooms, a biologics lab, Durable Medical Equipment services and casting room. Imaging services, including X-ray and a 3-Tesla MRI, are located on the first floor.

“I toured the building before we opened, and I’m amazed at its sophistication,” said Jared T. Lee, MD, Medical Director of Steadman’s Aspen Clinic. “Operating rooms, imaging services, research facilities, physical therapy and much more all on one campus. I can’t think of a similar center for musculoskeletal health. Even major universities don’t have anything like it.”

The ambulatory surgery center occupies nearly 37,000 square feet and is located on the second floor of the structure. It features four operating rooms with two shelled for future growth. It also has a procedure room, a biologics lab, nine pre-op and post-op rooms, and 14 total recovery rooms.

“We are very much looking forward to seeing patients at this new facility in Basalt,” said Dr. Marc J. Philippon, Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic and Chair of SPRI. “As our surgeons treat patients in the Aspen area, we know the center in Basalt will enable us to expand upon our mission of providing the highest standard of orthopaedic care and personal attention to every patient seeking our help.”

THE STEADMAN CLINIC AT-A-GLANCE

ASPEN

Address: 0401 Castle Creek Road, Aspen, CO 81611

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Phone: 970.476.1100

BASALT

Address: 200 Robinson Street, Basalt, CO 81621

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Phone: 970.476.1100