Rondi Rabuse will lead payer strategy efforts as group grows regional footprint

ONS announced today that Rondi Rabuse has been named its first Chief Value Officer (CVO). Rabuse, who brings more than two decades of experience in payer and provider relationships, joins ONS during an exciting time of growth and expansion.

“Amidst an evolving healthcare landscape, ONS’ legacy of superior clinical outcomes, physician collaboration, and highly personalized patient experience has never been stronger,” said Tim Corvino, M.D., CEO of ONS. “In fact, it is what’s driving our growth. Rondi’s arrival at our company reflects the extraordinary opportunity we have before us to further advance patient care and create value for our physician partners through deeper relationships between payers and providers.”

Rabuse comes to ONS from Brighton Health Plan Solutions, where she served as President of Brighton Health Network and oversaw the development, design and operation of sustainable network models to enhance delivery, outcomes and cost of care. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President at Marwood Group – a healthcare advisory and consulting firm located in New York City – to implement new payment models, contracting processes and assessment tools across multiple lines of business. Rabuse has also served as Senior Vice President of Consulting and Senior Vice President of Program Management for Aetna.

With more than two decades of experience in the healthcare and payer strategy worlds, Rabuse is passionate about bridging connections between payers and providers to advance care and lower costs for patients.

“My career has straddled the payer and provider worlds, and I’ve been drawn to helping both types of organizations work together in better, more innovative ways. The ONS care model is highly successful and produces great benefits to patients, physicians and payers. I’m excited to join such a prestigious organization and help advance the legacy of ONS in new ways,” Rabuse stated.

Rabuse comes to ONS with patient experience as well. Prior to exploring a career move with ONS, she found herself in the practice seeking relief from a knee injury. Between multiple MRIs, attempts at physical therapy and consults with four different orthopedic surgeons, a clear resolution was not in sight, so she scheduled an appointment at ONS – where she was finally able to find relief.

“After multiple failed diagnoses from other providers, the ONS team was the only one who took into consideration my age and interests and who wanted to build a care plan around what I needed. ONS takes the time to understand the patient,” stated Rabuse. “My experience as an ONS patient lined up with my professional goals to seek the best outcome through collaboration, and when I ended up exploring a professional opportunity with ONS, it gave me a substantive understanding of what kind of organization I’d be joining.”

By hiring its first CVO, ONS is poised for continued growth under Rabuse’s leadership as she plays a key role in the company’s expansion through her work to formulate successful payer relationships and managed care partnerships. Rabuse’s hiring is the next in a series of strategic growth efforts following an investment from Kohlberg & Company, LLC.

A Runner’s Serious Injury is Set Straight by Dr. Kevin Choo

Like many young people, 24-year old Katie Tyler left New York City to wait out the Covid-19 pandemic at her parent’s home in Westchester County.

Pre-Covid, Katie would run in the city every morning before heading to her job as a management consultant. She continued this routine after her move, accompanied by her father, Paul, an avid runner who has competed in marathon and Ironman events.  The pair started with a daily 5-mile loop to a local college campus and back.  Over time, they would run longer distances, as far as 14 miles and they incorporated excursions through local hiking trails.  By mid-August, the father and daughter team had covered more than 600 miles. Then came the accident.

A Small Misstep Becomes a Very Big Deal

On a Saturday morning, three quarters of the way through a rocky 5-mile trail, Katie tripped. She tried to steady herself by planting her right foot forward but unfortunately, that foot landed on the edge of large rock.  She fell to the ground in an unnatural twist and broke her thighbone (femur), one of the strongest bones in the body.

“I instantly felt my leg snap and heard a crack. I knew immediately that it was broken because my leg felt like rubber,” Katie recalled.  Her dad called 911 and ran the rest of the trail to meet the emergency medical team in the parking lot. A family friend who had joined the morning’s run, held Katie’s leg in alignment as they waited 30 agonizing minutes for her father to lead the EMTs on foot the quarter mile to Katie’s location.  They administered pain medication and carried Katie on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance at the end of the trail.

They took her to the Greenwich Hospital Emergency Department, where X-rays confirmed a spiral fracture of Katie’s right femur. A spiral fracture occurs when severe rotational force breaks the bone diagonally in a corkscrew type of pattern.

Gait-Saving Surgery

ONS Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kevin Choo knew at soon as he saw the X-ray that Intramedullary nailing was the only way to repair that kind of an injury. During the procedure, Dr. Choo implanted a titanium rod through the center of Katie’s femur, starting at the hip and ending above the knee. He inserted screws along the bone to help keep the rod in place. “Intramedullary nailing was the only way stabilize the entire length of the femur and give Katie the best chance to walk properly again,” he said.

From the first time she met Dr. Choo in the ER, Katie knew she was in good hands. She was struck by his kindness and confidence and the care he took to explain the procedure in detail.

“Dr. Choo was great.  He was empathetic and took the time to explain what to expect from the surgery, the risks, and the recovery process,” Katie said.

The surgery went according to plan. Katie was able to walk with crutches and minimal pain the next day and returned home less than 24 hours after first arriving in the ER. “I couldn’t believe I had so little pain from the surgery. I really wanted to avoid opioid pain medication, but I didn’t need it. I just used Tylenol.”

The Path to Recovery

According to Dr. Choo, Katie should be back to her daily activities, including some light jogging, between 2 – 3 months after surgery. However, activities such as strenuous trail running may take as long as 6 – 8 months for her to build strength and endurance.

Dr. Choo regularly assesses Katie’s progress and is in close contact with the ONS physical therapists working with her to regain strength and mobility.  She has made tremendous progress by closely following her physical therapy program, doing specific exercises at home, and celebrating each achievement, such as graduating to one crutch from two.

“My physical therapists helped me understand the small steps it takes to get through the recovery process,” she said, “You never realize what a big deal it is to walk until you can’t.”

Katie is highly motivated to get her life back to normal and has every confidence she will with the team at ONS behind her.  Most of all, she credits Dr. Choo for making a full recovery possible.

“I owe my quick recovery to Dr. Choo’s skills as a surgeon.  I’m telling everyone to go to ONS,” she said.

Joining with Orthopedic Associates of Middletown Keeps Patients, Physicians at Center of Care

ONS today announced a strategic partnership with Orthopedic Associates of Middletown (OAM), a market leading integrated orthopedic practice based in Middletown, Connecticut. The partnership will facilitate the continued growth of OAM through capital resources provided by ONS, including additional locations and patient-centric care offerings, and marks a milestone on the path of regional growth plans for ONS.

“Our combined organization prides itself on the ability to provide the region with a patient-centered, integrated suite of musculoskeletal services including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, podiatry and ancillary support,” said Tim Corvino, M.D., who was appointed CEO of ONS in March of this year. “Financial pressure is increasing for patients and physicians, and we, along with our new colleagues at Orthopedic Associates of Middletown, understand that physician-led organizations like ours represent the best way to deliver outstanding patient care and leading clinical outcomes.”

With this partnership, the ONS network now includes 34 physicians, 350 employees, and seven locations throughout central and southern Connecticut, including ONS operations in Greenwich, Stamford and Harrison (New York), and OAM facilities in Marlborough, Middletown, North Haven and Westbrook.

“The communities we serve have always been supportive of us, and this partnership will allow us to continue providing them with the highest-quality of care,” said Terry Reardon, M.D., one of OAM’s founding physicians. “Orthopedic Associates of Middletown has a history of investing in and pursuing innovations that benefit our patients, physicians and team. Twelve years ago, we built a state-of-the-art clinic to provide our community with a home for care, and by securing this partnership, we are taking another proactive step to make sure we’re able to provide the physician-guided care our community needs for decades to come.”

As a leading provider of multi-specialty orthopedic and neurosurgery care in the Tri-state area, ONS is poised to continue expanding its model – built on best practices in clinical outcomes and patient experience – through partnerships with like-minded, physician-led practices such as OAM.

“This partnership will provide more opportunities for ONS and OAM to expand our services and geographic footprint,” said Seth Miller, M.D., co-founder of ONS. “Both practices share the same core values of providing the highest quality of care to our patients, ensuring their safety and supporting an organizational culture that puts patients first.”

As the healthcare environment adapts to the rapid change, challenges and innovations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, partnerships such as these help to preserve high-quality, cost-effective care for patients in the physician practice setting. With the backing of its capital partner Kohlberg & Company LLC (“Kohlberg”), ONS continues to pursue partnerships with leading organizations to ensure this type of care remains an option for patients.

“Kohlberg is honored to support the partnership of ONS and OAM. These organizations share a reputation for delivering the highest level of patient care provided by world-class physicians,” said Ahmed I. Wahla, Partner of Kohlberg and a member of the ONS Board of Directors. “This partnership will set the foundation for what we want to build together, and we look forward to the company’s continued growth and development.”

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 About Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists (ONS)

ONS is an advanced multi-specialty orthopaedic and neurosurgery practice that has served patients throughout the New York Metropolitan area for more than 20 years. The 25 ONS fellowship-trained physicians provide expertise in the full spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, sports medicine, minimally invasive orthopedic, spine and brain surgery, joint replacement and trauma. ONS provides onsite digital imaging and state-of-the art physical therapy and MRI. ONS also operates an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Stamford, CT. For more information, please visit onsmd.com

 About Orthopedic Associates of Middletown (OAM)

Orthopedic Associates of Middletown was founded 30 years ago and provides integrated general and multispecialty orthopedic and podiatry care with five board-certified orthopedic surgeons, a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and a fellowship trained foot and ankle podiatrist. OAM offers a broad spectrum of care including total joint replacement, sports medicine care and injuries, hand surgery, specialized foot and ankle care and non-surgical approaches to neck and back pain. OAM patients have the convenient choice of outpatient procedures in an ortho-specialized surgery center and four different hospitals, in Hartford, Middletown and Meriden. OAM’s Urgent Ortho™ walk in care provides a patient-friendly alternative to the emergency room for orthopedic injures including rapid worker compensation care. 

 About Kohlberg & Company

Kohlberg & Company, LLC (“Kohlberg”) is a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized nine private equity funds, through which it has raised over $10 billion of committed equity capital. Over its 33-year history, Kohlberg has completed 80 platform investments and nearly 200 add-on investments, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $22 billion.  For more information, please visit kohlberg.com.

Dr. Paul Sethi is the senior author of an important study that has been published in the the prestigious publication,  Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.  The article, “Perioperative pain management for shoulder surgery: evolving techniques,” details the evaluation of strategies to enhance patient satisfaction and outcomes, and provides guidelines for opiate utlization/minimization after surgery.

Dr. Sethi has been at the forefront of research into non-opioid options for post-operative pain and the development of the multi-modality strategies for surgical pain management.

“Although opioid medications have historically been mainstay of acute post surgical pain management, relying solely on them is not advisable given their many short- and long-term effects,” noted Dr. Sethi. “It is incumbent upon surgeons to understand the evidence behind the various modalities for controlling pain after shoulder surgery.”

Read the article 

Easy, Convenient and a Sign of the Times

Providing patients with a seamless, positive experience is a hallmark of the philosophy at ONS.  The launch of our new self-scheduling service provides patients with the convenience to schedule an appointment with an ONS specialist from wherever they are, whenever they have the time.  ONS self-scheduling is easy to use from any computer, tablet or mobile device.  After selecting the Schedule an Appointment option from our website,

Don’t just take our word for it. 

For the second time this month, ONS specialists have been ranked among the best in their areas of expertise, this time they have been named “Best Doctors in the New York Metropolitan Area” by New York Magazine.  Published in the June issue, the magazine’s annual list of best doctors is compiled by Castle Connolly, a nationally recognized medical rating agency that uses peer reviews as part of its identification process.

Earlier this month, Connecticut Magazine published its list of the state’s best doctors based on results provided by researchers at Best Doctors®, a global benefits provider and medical information services company that uses a peer-to-peer polling method and proprietary balloting software for the selection process.

ONS Doctors Recognized as Best in the New York metropolitan area by New York  Magazine

Michael Clain, MD

Amory Fiore, MD

Jeffrey Heftler, MD

Paul Sethi, MD

Katherine Vadasdi, MD

Mark Vitale, MD

ONS Doctors Recognized as Best in Connecticut by Connecticut Magazine

Paul Apostolides, MD

Mark Camel, MD

Michael Clain, MD

James Cunningham, MD

Frank Ennis, MD

Amory Fiore, MD

Seth Miller MD

Paul Sethi, MD

Scott Simon, MD

Katherine Vadasdi, MD

Mark Vitale, MD

Faster recovery and fewer risks of infection when recovery begins at home.

As elective surgeries resume in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast, patients are thinking about their risk for infection as never before. This is one of the reasons surgical candidates are trending toward outpatient procedures at independent ambulatory surgery centers and recovery in the comfort of home. Demand for outpatient joint replacement surgery, in particular, is on the rise. By some estimates, the number of hip and knee replacements surgeries done as a same-day procedure will increase by 50 percent in the next five years.

Total joint replacement surgeons Jonathan Berliner, M.D., and Kevin Choo, M.D. at Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists (ONS), a leading provider of orthopedic and spine care, have noticed a significant uptick in patients opting for the hip and knee replacement procedures that don’t require a hospital stay.

“Innovations over the past several years in anesthesia, surgical techniques and therapeutic approaches have allowed joint replacement procedures to safely transition to the outpatient setting,” said Jonathan Berliner, director of the ONS Outpatient Joint Replacement Center. “Factor in the benefits of conducting joint replacements in facilities dedicated to the care of orthopedics and spine patients separate from those being relied on to treat COVID-19 and it may become a better decision for the patient’s overall health and the system as a whole.”

Years ago, patients would often remain in the hospital for 3-5 days after total hip or knee replacement surgery. Today, hip or knee replacement surgery for an otherwise healthy patient can be safely performed at an outpatient facility followed by at-home nursing and physical therapy.

“Advances in anesthetic techniques that allow for improved pain control and a more rapid functional recovery have been an important factor in reducing the amount of time a patient needs to stay in a healthcare facility following a joint replacement procedure,” said Dr. Berliner.

A successful and smooth outpatient joint replacement surgical experience relies on detailed preoperative planning of post-operative care.  At ONS all patients are provided a clinical team to support the process that along with the doctor includes a case manager and physical therapist who engage with patients at each step in the process. Good candidates for outpatient joint replacement are motivated to recover at home, have a reliable support network, and are otherwise in good health.

“Continually improving the recovery process for my patients has become one of my greatest interests,” said Dr. Berliner. “Joint replacements can be a life changing event. The ability to eliminate joint pain and restore a patient’s desired activity level and quality of life is what makes my job so enjoyable. These patients are our family, friends and neighbors who have been waiting for more than two months to address a serious health need.  I think it is important they understand that we will continue to address their needs as safely as we can.”

If you are a current ONS patient, or are in-need of an orthopaedic evaluation or consultation, please visit https://onsmd.com/joint-replacement/outpatient/for more information about your options.

Eleven ONS Physicians Recognized.

We already knew our doctors are among the best, but it’s nice to be formally recognized once in a while.  In the June issue, Connecticut Magazine published its annual list of Best Doctors in Connecticut. We were thrilled to see so many ONS specialists named.

Paul Apostolides, MD – Neurosurgery

Mark Camel, MD – Neurosurgery

Michael Clain, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

James Cunningham, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

Frank Ennis, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

Amory Fiore, MD – Neurosurgery

Seth Miller, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

Paul Sethi, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

Scott Simon, MD – Neurosurgery

Katherine Vadasdi, MD – Orthopedic Surgery

Mark Vitale, MD – Hand Surgery

New Live Speaker Events.

We are excited to kick off the ONS Live Webinar series, featuring ONS specialists’ discussions on interesting, health-related topics, followed by Q & A.. Click on the titles below at the appointed times to join any or all of our upcoming webinars, or copy to your calendar. Is there a topic of interest to you?  Send your suggestions to contact@onsmd.com and put Webinars in the subject line. Check the calendar on our website for future events. IOS users may need to download Microsoft Teams free app.

June 2    5:00 – 5:30 pm    

Treatments for Shoulder Pain
with Dr. Demetris Delos, sports medicine and shoulder specialist

June 3   5:00 – 5:30 pm    

The Healthy Student Athlete
with Dr. Marc Kowalsky, sports medicine specialist

June 4  9:30 – 10:00 am    

Is Outpatient Joint Replacement Right For You?
with Dr. Jonathan Berliner, total joint replacement specialist

June 9  5:00 – 5:30 pm    

Overcoming Neck Pain
with Dr. Heeren Makanji, orthopedic spine specialist

June 10  5:00 – 5:30 pm

Bunion Surgery: An Overview
with Dr. Michael Clain, foot and ankle specialist
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June 11  12:00 – 1:00 pm
Understanding Knee Pain
with Dr. Kevin Choo, hip and knee replacement specialist
​

Dr. Jonathan Berliner, director of the ONS Outpatient Joint Replacement Center, was named among the 2020 Rising Stars – 40 Under 40, by the Business Council of Westchester (BCW).

Dr. Berliner is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and fellowship-trained specialist in hip and knee replacement. His expertise includes muscle sparing anterior hip replacement, minimally invasive total knee and partial knee replacement, complex revision total hip and total knee replacement, computer-assisted surgery, and trauma of the lower extremity.  Dr. Berliner joined ONS in 2017.

According to a statement released by the BCW, the Rising Stars program is modeled after the national business recognition program “40 under 40.” Rising Stars honorees were chosen based on professional and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments, professional and/or business affiliations, and demonstrated leadership skills.

“This year’s winners represent the very best and brightest of Westchester County’s up and coming young professionals from a tremendous cross-section of organizations and industries. We’re delighted to honor such an elite group,” said Rising Stars Chairman Joseph McCoy, Region Manager, Commercial Lending, SVP People’s United Bank.

The winners will be honored on September 2 at a location to be announced.

A SIMPLE ROUTINE THAT MAY MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

If you are among the millions of Americans who experience persistent back pain, you may bet some relief by following the exercises demonstrated by ONS Stamford Physical Therapist, Liz Catalano, DPT.

Do you have pain in the back of your heel?

You may have Achilles Tendonitis.  In this video, Dr. Michael Clain discusses the causes and non-surgical treatments for Achilles Tendonitis.