By Michael Howell
The Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce hosted an open house and ribbon cutting for Bitterroot Orthopedics and Sports Medicine last week with guided tours of the new facility at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital. The bone and joint clinic first opened its doors in April 2011, but has quickly expanded. In a little over a year the clinic has increased the number of patient exam rooms from four to seven, doubled the number of staff from three to six, including Physician Assistant David VandeKieft, and is about to hire a second surgeon.
The clinic got up and running under the direction of Dr. Jeremiah Clinton who specializes in a unique form of shoulder replacement surgery called “ream and run.” Clinton was trained in the new procedure at the University of Washington in a Fellowship program under Dr. Matsen III, who developed the new technique. Despite being qualified to do this unique surgical procedure, Dr. Clinton is not simply a ‘ream and run’ specialist, he is a board certified general orthopedics practitioner and performs minimally invasive hip and knee replacements as well as arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery. In fact, the clinic is ready to deal with all your bone, joint, muscle and tendon problems from the tip of your toes to your fingertips.
Each new patient exam room is outfitted with computerized visual displays connected directly to the hospital’s x-ray and MRI units for quick and easy review. Braces are available there for almost any kind of joint and casts can be made for broken bones on the spot with a wide selection of colors.
Dr. Clinton said that his new PA, David VandeKieft, has been an enormous help in relieving a huge workload and he looks forward to welcoming a new surgeon to the staff as soon as possible. He said the new facility has also made the operation much more efficient, speeding up the workflow and allowing everyone to make better use of their time.
“My philosophy of care is a conservative patient centered approach,” said Dr. Clinton. “I believe surgery will make patients better when indicated and when all other more conservative measures have failed. Honesty and integrity are very important to me.”
The new clinic is easily accessed from the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital Emergency Department parking lot off 10th Street and may be reached by telephone at 375-4868.