Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists moving surgeons to St. Joseph’s Hospital

SYRACUSE  —  Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, PC (SOS) plans to increase its presence at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse starting next month.

Eleven SOS physicians who currently operate at Upstate University Hospital at Community General will begin scheduling cases at St. Joseph’s in late February. They will stop scheduling cases at Community General at that time.

The 11 relocating physicians — eight of whom are typically active — join seven SOS physicians who are already active at St. Joseph’s. The remaining three physicians who are moving have active privileges but do not normally schedule surgeries.

The moves will give St. Joseph’s, a nonprofit hospital with 431 beds, a total of 24 orthopedic surgeons who operate within its walls. St. Joseph’s is affiliated with Franciscan Cos. and is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis.

The SOS physician shift comes as orthopedic care is delivered in different settings, according to SOS CEO Michael Humphrey. SOS does many of its procedures at an outpatient surgery center it operates in Syracuse, he says.

“The way that orthopedic care is changing and evolving, there is less that’s actually done in a hospital setting,” Humphrey says. “So what’s left for the most part are total joint replacements, spinal surgery, and fracture care. Concentrating them in one place where the physicians are working with each other, that can lead to efficiencies — hopefully lower costs and better outcomes.”

SOS is not severing ties with Community General. It expects to maintain a contract where it covers the hospital’s emergency room.

DeWitt–based SOS has a total of 27 orthopedic surgeons. It operates eight offices in the Syracuse area, as well as its surgery center.

About eight of the practice’s physicians perform operations at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse. They will not be affected by the scheduled moves from Community General to St. Joseph’s.