904 356-JOBS (5627)

904 356-JOBS (5627)

Jacksonville sees birth of new orthopedic group as doctors split from institute (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Daily Record) — Ten orthopedic physicians have splintered from the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute to form their own competitor practice in local musculoskeletal care.

Called the Orthopedic Specialists of Jacksonville, the company launched earlier this month. It happened on the heels of Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute’s April announcement that it would downsize its North Florida presence, laying off more than 150 employees and shutter seven rehabilitation offices.

Though the split wasn’t because of the layoffs, it was an opportunity to branch out and “build something better for our patients,” Dr. Kevin Kaplan (PICTURED ABOVE), one of the founding doctors, told the Business Journal.

The newly established orthopedic group now operates out of two locations — 14534 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 3210 and on the third floor of 5191 First Coast Technology Parkway. The group declined to reveal funding.

One of the biggest problems in any practice is how quickly patients can be brought in and taken care of, said Kaplan, who is also the head physician for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“And so we’re really focusing on being available and to our patients, to our primary care physicians that are referring to us,” he said. “Along with that availability comes the ability to take care of patients at the highest level.”

To Kaplan, that means bringing on young physicians and operating on the frontside of newer technologies, such as robotic joint replacement and employing new methods to heal tissues without surgery, for example.

Serving patients of all ages, the team offers both surgical and non-surgical solutions across a full spectrum of subspecialties, including sports medicine, spine, shoulder, elbow, joint replacement, hand, knee, foot and ankle, trauma care and non-operative pain management.

Still a freshly debuted company, the long-term plan includes expansion across the next several years, Kaplan said, though plans remained unspecific.

The founding teams includes: Dr. Bruce Steinberg, Dr. Hiram Carrasquillo, Kaplan, Dr. Garry Kitay, Dr. Greg Solis, Dr. Phillip Bell, Rob Savarese, Dr. Rick Picerno, Dr. Brett Frykberg and Dr. Brandon Kambach.