Leo R. Spector, who holds both an M.D. (University of Massachusetts Medical School) and an M.B.A. (Duke University Fuqua School of Business) is OrthoCarolina’s new CEO.
Leo Spector, MD, MBA Is OrthoCarolina’s New CEO
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OrthoCarolina, one of the largest musculoskeletal practices in the United States and whose surgeons are key opinion leaders in spine and other specialties, treats more than one million patients annually in a service area that encompasses North Carolina, South Carolina, and the surrounding region. Dr. Spector will be leading an enterprise with more than 1,600 employees including 300+ surgeons and other caregivers.
Dr. Spector takes over from Bruce E. Cohen, M.D., who was CEO for eight years. He will be returning to OrthoCarolina’s Foot & Ankle Institute. During Dr. Cohen’s tenure, OrthoCarolina expanded considerably, folding in other practices, adding ambulatory surgery centers and orthopedic urgent care facilities while, simultaneously navigating the challenges posed by the historic and unprecedented COVID pandemic.
Most importantly, under Dr. Cohen’s leadership, OrthoCarolina implanted the EPIC platform which brought greater efficiency, transparency, and access to orthopedic and spine care in the Carolinas.
“It has been an incredible privilege to serve as OrthoCarolina’s CEO, and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished during my time in this role,” said Dr. Cohen. “I want to express my deep appreciation for the support, dedication, and hard work that each member of the OrthoCarolina team has contributed to our success. It has been an honor to lead such a talented and committed team, and I look forward to continuing to support our mission of providing quality care and creating a healthier community.”
“Dr. Cohen has done a tremendous job serving as CEO of OrthoCarolina over the last eight years. He successfully led the organization through many challenges, not the least of which being the pandemic. Under his guidance, OrthoCarolina has continued to set the highest standard in patient care, education, innovation, and research,” said Dr. Spector. “I look forward to working with him as I transition into this new role and build on the many successes he and the OrthoCarolina team helped to achieve.”
Dr. Spector, who is a board-certified spine surgeon, has been at OrthoCarolina for 17-years and held multiple leadership positions including Chief Quality Officer (“CQO”), member of the Executive Committee, chairman of the Quality/Value Committee and co-fellowship director at the OrthoCarolina Spine Center. As CQO, he oversaw OrthoCarolina’s value-based care team.
“Dr. Spector possesses a wealth of experience, dedication and a vision that aligns perfectly with OrthoCarolina’s patients’ best interests,” said Dr. Cohen. “Given his long-standing status as a provider in our Spine Center and his leadership of our value-based initiatives, I have immense confidence that Dr. Spector is well prepared to guide our company into its next phase of growth and innovation.”
Dr. Spector was previously selected to participate in the American Orthopedic Association Leadership Program, conducted in collaboration with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Dr. Spector currently serves as a Board Member of the Lumbar Spine Research Society and previously held the position of President of the North Carolina Spine Society.
“My goal is to retain and attract the highest quality individuals and help enable their continued growth and success, so that together we can build a great team,” said Dr. Spector. “As healthcare evolves, OrthoCarolina will continue to be a national leader in the transformation of musculoskeletal care delivery. OrthoCarolina’s commitment to providing the highest quality patient centric care to the community will remain steadfast, and we will always be the better choice for musculoskeletal care.”
In his new role, Dr. Spector will continue seeing patients and operating through the OrthoCarolina Spine Center. He is scheduled to assume the role of Chief Executive Officer at the beginning of 2024.
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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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