Marin Community Clinics & Mt.Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center Form Collaboration
Arrangement will substantially increase access for Marin’s underserved
Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center has contracted with Marin Community Clinics to provide services to the clinic’s primarily low-income patients.
Previously, when MCC patients required highly specialized medical care most had to wait for orthopedic care or go out of County for services.
“Obtaining outside providers to provide orthopedic medical care has been a real issue. We’re really appreciative that the Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center has made this commitment,” said Mitesh Popat, MD, MPH, the Clinics’ chief medical officer. “This is a great step forward for Marin Community Clinics and our patients.”
The primary focus at the Clinics is providing primary medical care, dental care, and behavioral health care.
“Although we do provide some specialty care, we have had a long-standing need for more orthopedic and spinal doctors to serve our patients,” Popat said.
Orthopedics in Marin
Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center is the largest provider of orthopedic and spine care in Marin County. Each of its 14 providers will be working on a rotating, weekly basis to provide specialty care, seeing patients at all four Marin Community Clinics locations including Larkspur, Novato, and two San Rafael sites. It is anticipated that they will see 40-60 patients per month. Those requiring surgery will be cared for at Marin General Hospital.
“We believe that every Marin resident is entitled to the highest quality of medical care our community has to offer. Our practice is honored to be part of this special relationship and looks forward to bringing state-of-the-art orthopedic and spine care to the Clinics’ patients,” said Brian W. Su MD Surgeon-in-Chief of Mt. Tam Orthopedics and director of spinal surgery at Marin General Hospital.
The majority of the Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center surgeons are fellowship trained in sub-specialties within orthopedics. One community orthopedic surgeon, Michael Star, MD, has previously volunteered his time at MCC. “But we needed more help,” Popat said. “Giving our patients access to high-quality orthopedic services such as those provided by the Mt. Tam group will make a big difference.”
The most common orthopedic problems seen at the clinics requiring external referrals have been for spine and joint problems.
“I’m very happy to see this new collaboration,” said Joel Sklar, MD, chief medical officer of Marin General Hospital. “Only when we as a medical community work together can we assure that all of our neighbors — from every walk of life — have access to excellent medical care. The Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center has really stepped up to fill a crucial need.”
North Bay Business Journal Article: Marin orthopedics center to service community clinics
