The 99th Medical Group based at Mike O'Callaghan Medical Center here successfully completed its first set of orthopedic spine surgeries after bringing two specialized surgeons to the unit.
As one of the more limited Air Force Medical Service specialties, orthopedic spine surgery has only three qualified surgeons in the entire Air Force, two of whom are now on the team at the medical center here.
Air Force Col. (Dr.) Edward Anderson and Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Bryan Lawson, 99th MDG orthopedic spine surgeons, bring a combined nearly three decades of surgical experience to the operating table. Their goal is to increase capabilities inside the hospital as well as increase individual deployment readiness.
“We understood that we had a significant amount of spine surgery cases that were being referred to physicians downtown,” said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Kim Pietszak, 99th MDG medical staff chief. “After doing the math, it became pretty apparent to us that we should be providing this care inside of our facility and could do it for less cost to the government.”
Increasing Medical Readiness
Pietszak said the benefits of performing complex surgeries in the orthopedic spine clinic go far beyond the operating room because each surgery requires a great deal of preparation.
Prepping those patients increases…
