Vanderbilt Bone and Joint Franklin has expanded its staff with 20 new providers and added pediatric services. The clinic, located on Bedford Way, has also extended its after-hours clinic, giving patients access to a provider without an appointment from 8 am-8 pm Monday-Friday and on Saturdays from 8 am until noon.
"Vanderbilt Orthopaedics has now brought its brand of nationally recognized specialists in musculoskeletal care from downtown Nashville to Franklin directly," said Herb Schwartz, MD, the Dan Spengler, MD, Professor and Chair of Orthopaedics. "For the convenience of Williamson County and surrounding counties' residents, it is possible to see same-day experts who only care for specific orthopaedic subspecialties such as hand, sports medicine, spine, hip-knee joint preservation, arthritis and muscle-joint-bone problems unique to children and adolescents. The practice of evidence-based medicine and documented quality outcomes are now an everyday experience."
Dr. Gregory Mencio
Gregory Mencio, MD, leads the clinic's new pediatric orthopaedics division. Because their skeletons are growing and dynamically changing, children are not just small adults, Mencio noted. Their orthopaedic problems are different and often demand nuanced approaches to treatment. Pediatric orthopaedists treat both complex musculoskeletal problems in children, such as congenital bone deformities, clubfeet, hip disorders, scoliosis and other spinal deformities, as well as more common conditions like sprains, strains, fractures and sports injuries.
"Our pediatric orthopaedic providers have extensive training and years of experience in treating orthopaedic problems from newborn through teenage years," said Mencio, the Neil E. Green, MD, Professor and Chair of Pediatric Orthopaedics at Vanderbilt. "The pediatric orthopaedic clinic at Vanderbilt Bone and Joint Franklin has on-site x-rays, casting services and full access to all of the resources at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. From broken bones and sports injuries to the most complex orthopaedic conditions, our team can provide children with the region's most advanced musculoskeletal care in an easily accessible, family-friendly environment."
Another new clinic at Vanderbilt Bone and Joint Franklin is the Hip Preservation Clinic. It offers patients a unique care model in which pediatric and adult reconstructive surgeons collaborate to avoid or delay a total hip replacement.
Other services include the spine program at Vanderbilt Bone and Joint Franklin, led by Byron Stephens, MD, which brings a team approach to care. The team physician of the Nashville Predators, John "Jed" Kuhn, MD, who is director of Sports Medicine, treats patients with shoulder injuries. Others staffing the Franklin clinic include Andrew Gregory, MD, who served as team physician for both the men's and women's volleyball teams in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Paul Rummo, DO, another physician for the Nashville Predators, and Warne Fitch, MD, the head team physician for Vanderbilt Athletics. Douglas Weikert, MD, one of the nation's top hand surgeons, who has repaired the hand injuries of professional athletes, also staffs the Franklin clinic.