Catholic Health has launched a Spine Center of Excellence to provide spine and pain care at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown.
The plans include converting 11 beds to create a dedicated unit for spine patients, upgrading its IT system and renovating the operating room.
The Catholic Health Center, along with other centers within the health system, will be part of the upcoming Integrated Spine Services Program, with a referral network providing comprehensive spine care at facilities across Long Island.
The center is being developed by five fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeons and multiple board-certified physical therapists specializing in interventional pain management from Long Island Spine Specialists (LISS). There are 3 people. The team is now part of Catholic Health Physician Partners, Catholic Health’s employed physician network.
“This is a system-wide initiative to expand our exceptional spine care across Long Island,” Catholic Health President and CEO Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy said in a news release about the new program. “This is an essential step in this effort.”
“Soon, patients will have access to spine and pain care at Centers of Excellence across Catholic Health, which brings together an incredible team of orthopedic and neurosurgical spine experts. , and now includes specialist physicians from Long Island Spine Specialists, he added.
The LISS team provides services throughout the Catholic Health System, primarily located at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital for spine surgery and Good Samaritan University Hospital for interventional pain management. In this way, the health system aims to create more access points and clinics across the island.
“We are honored to join Catholic Health and spearhead our efforts to expand spine care services for Long Island residents,” said Dr. Thomas Dowling, Jr., founding partner of Long Island Spine Specialists. News stated in a release. “Whether a patient comes in with mild back pain or a traumatic spinal injury, our team provides excellent spine care tailored to their needs.”
The transformation also includes an IT upgrade to implement post-operative monitoring designed to ensure optimal patient recovery. The existing operating room will also be modified to accommodate spine surgery and will include an O-arm for intraoperative imaging, allowing for real-time imaging during surgery, increasing surgical precision and improving patient outcomes.
Catholic Health also plans to develop an orthopedics and spine center of excellence at Good Samaritan University Hospital as part of its integrated spine services.