Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies (OCR) and Front Range Orthopedics & Spine (FROC) have entered into a merger agreement, effective October 1, 2020.
Merger Creates Largest Colorado Orthopedic and Spine Group
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The groups have agreed to merge under the OCR name. Based in Colorado, this new relationship forms the largest privately owned orthopedic and spine group in the state. Under the OCR umbrella, the group will have 600 employees across eight clinic locations. The full integration will take several years.
Currently, OCR serves patients from its Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley locations. With the merger, OCR will add FROC’s four locations including Longmont, Lafayette, Westminster, and Frederick.
On the merger date, some of FROC’s Longmont and Lafayette employees will join the OCR team. Also scheduled for the fall, FROC’s Lafayette office will move from its second-floor location to a bigger facility on the first floor.
A year after the merger date, FROC will change its name to OCR. During the transition period, FROC will be referred to as a division of OCR. This allows FROC time to implement changes, including new signage.
Founded in 1969, OCR serves patients from northern Colorado, western Nebraska, and Wyoming. OCR’s specialists include orthopedic surgeons, spine specialists, sports medicine physicians, a sports concussion specialist, and podiatrists.
FROC has served patients for over 40 years. FROC has facilities to provide orthopedic services, outpatient surgery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), physical therapy, and trauma services.
The merger significantly expands OCR and will include FROC’s 10 orthopedic surgeons, 9 physician assistants, 8 medical assistants, 12 athletic trainers, and 12 physical therapists. Once the merger is complete, OCR will have 45 physicians across 3 ambulatory surgery centers, 3 MRI facilities, and 2 recovery centers.
Medical groups are continuing to merge as the industry changes and partnering allows facilities to share people and technology. OTW will continue to provide coverage of orthopedic mergers and related issues as they evolve.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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