At Scottish Rite Hospital, providing premier patient-centered care is at the forefront of our mission. Through the hospital’s six centers for excellence, our doctors and researchers collaborate to study the common to the complex of orthopedic conditions to find new and innovative ways to care for our patients. For 15 years, the Center for Excellence in Spine has evolved to be an essential component to the effectiveness of treating the hospital’s spine patients. 

Scoliosis presents in many shapes and forms. Our experts in the spine center collaborate to determine the best and most effective techniques to treating spinal disorders. Recently, the hospital created a clinic specifically for neuromuscular-syndromic scoliosis patients (NSP). This patient population consists of children diagnosed with neuromuscular (affects the muscles and nerves and can lead to scoliosis) and syndromic scoliosis (spine curve develops as part of a syndrome). Because of the complexity of this disorder, these children need to be cared for by multiple specialists. The patients and families come to the hospital for one, comprehensive appointment that includes specialists from multiple disciplines. Depending on the child’s needs, assessments available from various experts include:

Anesthesiology Child Life Dental Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician Dietary Labs/Hematology

Medical Consult Coordinators (for external appointments) Neurology Nursing staff Occupational Therapy Physical Therapy

Psychology Pulmonology Research Social Services Surgical planning Urology

Staff orthopedic surgeon Amy L. McIntosh, M.D., has been the leader of this initiative and believes in the positive impact it can have on the patient and their families. “The clinic is patient and family centered,” says McIntosh. “It coordinates multiple services into one appointment with the hope of decreasing the burden on families. The clinic also emphasizes open communication between providers and the families with a goal of reducing post-operative complications and costs.” 

As a component of the clinic, research is heavily involved to collect certain information on this patient population to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach to care. The study titled, “Rate in Infection in Non-Congenital and Non-Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study Following Implementation of Multimodal Prevention Protocol,” analyzes all patients diagnosed with neuromuscular and syndromic scoliosis who are undergoing surgery. The hospital’s team of clinical research coordinators collect clinical and radiographic data on patients who are willing to enroll with a goal of creating a standardized model to decrease infection rates.

Scottish Rite Hospital’s Center for Excellence in Spine continues to grow and be innovative to provide world-renowned care to scoliosis patients. It is initiatives like the NSP clinic that showcase the hospital’s commitment to collaboration and approach to multidisciplinary care to advance how the hospital treats this patient population.    

Learn more about our Center for Excellence in Spine.