Flathead Valley Orthopedic Center plans surgery center

Flathead Valley Orthopedic Center in Kalispell plans to build a 7,600-square-foot expansion that includes an outpatient surgery center with an MRI suite.

It will cost about $2 million to build two operating rooms, a procedure room and the MRI suite, according to Flathead Valley Orthopedic administrator Adele Rittmueller, plus an equal or greater investment for equipment and furnishings.

The surgery center would be added to the orthopedic clinic's building at 111 Sunnyview Lane, two blocks from Kalispell Regional Medical Center and HealthCenter Northwest's surgery center.

Dr. Larry Iwersen, president of the orthopedic surgery group, said the addition to the Kalispell clinic follows a nationwide trend of incorporating surgery and diagnostic suites into orthopedic clinics. It allows one-stop treatment for patients.

According to Iwersen, orthopedic groups around Montana have surgery centers and diagnostic suites up and running. He said the Flathead Valley group carefully weighed the expansion decision.

"We don't want to lose recruitment ground in our competition for the best and brightest physicians," Iwersen said.

He said orthopedic physicians today expect these options available in their immediate practice environment.

Although HealthCenter Northwest's $27 million outpatient surgery and imaging center - partly owned by doctors - opened down the street in June 2003, that facility apparently hasn't helped the orthopedic group's recruiting efforts.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Don Ericksen said it was "a real eye-opener" when two good candidates to join Flathead Valley Orthopedic Center recently chose to join other groups.

Although the physicians liked the area and the practice, they opted to go where there were on-site facilities for MRIs, outpatient surgeries and other procedures.

Ericksen said specialized outpatient surgery centers are the most efficient method of serving patients.

The project is now in the design phase and the starting date depends on the Kalispell winter. Construction of the addition is estimated to take 12 to 14 months.

The orthopedic center's surgeons will then perform outpatient procedures there, while surgeries requiring overnight or inpatient stays will continue to be performed at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, HealthCenter Northwest and North Valley Hospital.

Ericksen said outpatient surgeries include arthroscopy of the knee, shoulder and ankle; hand surgeries such as carpal tunnel procedures; rotator cuff repairs; anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions; and simple fractures.

Physicians also will use the new procedure room for nonsurgical treatments such as joint injections or nerve block injections.

Asked about the impact on existing surgery facilities, Ericksen said he and his partners don't pretend that their center will have a positive impact on HealthCenter Northwest and other local surgery centers.

"Things are busy enough that it's not going to have an overly negative impact on any single facility," he said.

Ericksen added that surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, are a growth area in orthopedics. These procedures will continue at the hospitals and HealthCenter Northwest.

By adding operating rooms, Erickson said he believes the center will help position the valley competitively with other medical centers in the region.

Flathead Valley Orthopedic's outpatient surgery facility follows the opening a little over a year ago of HealthCenter Northwest's 72,000-square-foot outpatient surgical and imaging center next to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

HealthCenter Northwest was built by a consortium of physicians and Northwest Healthcare, the parent company of Kalispell Regional. The new facility opened with three operating suites plus three operating rooms "shelled in" for future expansion.

Jim Oliverson, spokesman for the medical center, said the administration had no immediate comment about the impact of Flathead Valley Orthopedic's competing facility.

Ericksen said the expansion will create 15 to 20 more jobs at Flathead Valley Orthopedic Center, not including any new physicians.

The center now has eight physicians, including seven surgeons and one physiatrist (a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation). While the expansion doesn't require more surgeons, Ericksen said the group always looks to bring in the best talent available.

The orthopedic center is recruiting for an additional physiatrist. These specialists provide nonsurgical treatments for back and other problems referred to orthopedic specialists.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com