The idea of spinal surgery can be a daunting prospect for patients who face multiple tests, doctor visits, and an overload of unfamiliar medical jargon.
But Pelham Medical Center’s nationally recognized Spine Program offers the care that patients need and all in one place, making the experience more comprehensive, convenient, and reassuring.
“It’s a growing Center of Excellence where we’re aiming to deliver high-quality care that is specialized,” said Dr. David Briski, an orthopaedic spine surgeon with Pelham Medical Center, a division of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
“You’re coming to one location for everything from start to finish,” he said. “That improves outcomes and patient care.”
Centrally located between Greenville and Spartanburg, Pelham Medical Center is a 48-bed hospital with four operating rooms, Dr. Briski said.
At its spine center, about 1,500 spinal surgeries are performed annually by five specialized surgeons, and the patient clinic is on the same campus.
The center offers the full level of neck and back surgeries stemming from traumas, sports injuries, and disease processes like arthritis. These include spinal fusions, minimally invasive procedures for herniated discs and other painful conditions, and corrections of scoliosis and other deformities.
“The microsurgery techniques we use provide equivalent or better outcomes through smaller incisions in less time and with better recovery,” Dr. Briski said. “And patients are going home the same day, not in two to five days.”
The program features a spine camp to educate patients so they have a full understanding of the procedures they’re about to undergo as well as a pre-operative team that meets with patients to go over medical charts, medications, and other details as they guide them through the process, he said.
The ORs are staffed by skilled teams of nurses and technologists, and equipped with a Medtronic device called an O-ARM that uses a CT scanner to guide surgeons during procedures, improving accuracy.“It makes a big difference for patients,” he said.
After surgery, patients receive physical and occupational therapy in their homes for two to six weeks and then come back to campus for outpatient rehabilitation as they recover, Dr. Briski said.
Other services offered at the center include acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, dry needling, massage therapy, and pain management.
The center was named a high performing hospital for spinal fusion by US News & World Report and got a Five-Star rating for back surgery (spinal fusion) from Healthgrades. It’s also designated as a Blues Distinction Center for spine surgery from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and its spine surgery program is certified by DNV, which works to promote quality and safety.
Dr. Briski, who performs up to 30 procedures a week, said he brought this comprehensive model of care to the Upstate from Boston, where he trained at New England Baptist Hospital.
“It’s streamlined care from the clinic to the OR (that is) tailored to patients’ lives,” he said. “It offers a package meant to give patients a better outcome.”
For more information, call 855-SPINE-CARE.
SpartanburgRegional.com/SpinalFusion | 855.SPINE.CARE
