The Road to Recovery Begins at Orthopedic Health of Kansas City

Patients of all ages trust the experienced specialists at one of the metro area’s oldest and most respected orthopedic practices for the best in patient care, services and surgery.

Story by Ann Butenas | Photography by Matt Kocourek | Sponsored Content

Regarded as the second oldest orthopedic practice in Kansas City, Orthopedic Health of Kansas City, formerly known as Drisko, Fee & Parkins, PC, has strong roots in the Kansas City community. Originally founded in 1949, the original office was located on Baltimore and operated out of the now-closed Trinity Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital.

The group joined Dr. Littlejohn at North Kansas City Hospital in 1995. In September of 2001, the practice moved to the North Kansas City hospital pavilion location, and in April of this year, it opened the doors to its new off-campus office in Kansas City at 1950 Diamond Parkway. The practice has grown over the years, yet holds fast to its core philosophy: delivering quality patient care by dedicated, specialized experts.

Since the founding physicians have since passed away or retired, Craig Satterlee, M.D. now stands as the practice’s most experienced surgeon. Dr. Satterlee received his medical degree and general orthopedic training from the University of Missouri-Columbia. From there, he completed his fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the New York Orthopedic Hospital-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Satterlee is the only active member in the greater Kansas City region of the prestigious American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons society. He is also a Board of Directors member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Chair-elect of the Board of Specialty Societies. Dr. Satterlee has been with the practice since 1988 and appreciates the history behind its continued growth. He was also instrumental in deciding on the recent name change of the practice.

“We wanted our services to encompass the entire continuum of care, from prevention to treatment; not just treating injuries and fractures after they occur. We want to go into the realms of prevention and health,” explained Dr. Satterlee. “As a group, we decided instead of being a general orthopedist practice, we would sub-specialize. As a result, this allows us to deliver a higher quality of care.”

For patients, this results in less pain, improved outcomes, fewer infections and a better overall patient experience. With a focus on sub-specialties, the physicians are able to draw upon a larger set of skills, coupled with a thorough understanding of each patient’s needs.

An experienced, talented, dedicated and compassionate staff

Orthopedic Health of Kansas City brings together an elite team of board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians. The team’s number one priority? To be the very best at what they do. The combined expertise of this group is unparalleled in the region.

“All of our physicians are fellowship trained and either board-certified or board-eligible,” emphasized Dr. Satterlee. Translation? This team delivers the highest level of care, as each doctor having completed a full training program following medical school, as well as a year of fellowship training in their chosen sub-specialty of orthopedic surgery. Additionally, each doctor has taken certification examinations to determine their proficiency in orthopedic medicine.

Orthopedic Health of Kansas City employs a staff of 12 physicians, but will welcome Dr. Jon Hedgecock, an orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship-trained in Sports Medicine, to the practice in September 2019. The practice also has 18 mid-level providers, Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners.

Urgent care when you need it most: when orthopedic injuries occur, patients want a solution that is quick and easy.

In addition to the new name, Orthopedic Health of Kansas City also offers some advanced new services, such as MRI capabilities at the new site as well as at the Urgent Care walk-in Orthopedic Care facility. This practice was the first in the area to offer urgent care walk-in services on a first-come, first serve basis for orthopedic injuries at its Independence office location just off 39th Street. When the new site in North Kansas City opened its doors, the same urgent care service was made available at that location.

Open weekdays from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., the urgent care centers make it convenient for patients, as sometimes sports injuries, bumps and bruises happen after working hours. Also, for those who don’t want to miss work to see a doctor for an orthopedic problem, they can enjoy the convenience of popping into the walk-in clinic after work. Additionally, this service helps patients avoid the long waits and the high costs associated with emergency room visits, most of which would refer the patient to a specialist anyway.

“This is a lot more convenient for patients,” noted Dr. Satterlee, who indicated the urgent care centers are overseen by orthopedic physician assistants under the supervision of an orthopedic surgeon.

Where does it Hurt? We have a specialist for that!

From head to toe, this team of surgical specialists has you covered: arm and elbow; back and spine; foot and ankle; knee and leg; shoulder; hip and pelvis; hand and wrist; as well as total joint reconstruction; trauma and sports medicine. Consider this your one-stop shop for all of your orthopedic care needs.

“The important part of treating patients is listening to them, understanding their injury or illness and what their expectations and apprehensions are of the final end product of their injuries,” stated Dr. Satterlee. “This involves getting a complete history, physical and knowledge of social history and co-morbidities to come up with a treatment plan with them so we can help them manage their expectations and results.”

Our Physicians

Jeffrey M. Bradley, M.D. – hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder
Paul C. Cowan, M.D., MPH – sports medicine, knee, shoulder and elbow
John P Eggers, M.D., PhD – hip, knee and total joint reconstruction
Jon P. Hedgecock, M.D. – sports medicine
Andre M. Jakoi, M.D. – disorders of the spine
Nathan J. Kiewiet, M.D. – foot and ankle
Jeffrey A. Krempec, M.D. – hip and knee and total joint reconstruction
Erich J. Lingenfelter, M.D. – shoulder and elbow
Paul F. Nassab, M.D. – hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder
Zachary V. Roberts, M.D. – trauma, complex factures of pelvis, upper and lower extremities
C. Craig Satterlee, M.D., FAAOS – shoulder and elbow
Sascha D. Taghizadeh, M.D. – trauma, complex factures of pelvis, upper and lower extremities
Christopher L. Wise, M.D. – trauma, complex factures of pelvis, upper and lower extremities

A patient-centric practice

“I treat each patient with the care that I would give to friends or family,” expressed Dr. Jakoi, who completed his fellowship in spine surgery at the University of Southern California. “It can be demanding, evaluating complex patients, but fortunately most patients understand that myself and my team will give them our best effort and the amount of time necessary to evaluate them completely and so that they do not feel rushed. We may be slightly behind when seeing patients but I would rather trade a small amount of truancy for a heightened comfort level for my patients. Taking the time to explain to each patient their anatomy or pathology, in terms that they can understand, can only help in their recovery and expectations from treatment and potentially surgery. Education, spending time with and listening to patients are three pillars of our treatment algorithm.”

Experts at preparing patients to return to the activities they love

Among the universal theme and passion as to why this group of practitioners enjoys the work they do centers among one thing: helping patients continue to participate in the active lifestyles they enjoy.

“What drew me to orthopedic sports medicine is the ability to keep athletes of all shapes, sizes, and abilities participating in activities that make them happy and healthy,” expressed Dr. Cowan. “Any patient coming to an orthopedic clinic is either in pain or has a functional deficit they find interferes with their life. My approach is to truly understand the global picture on how their complaint interferes with their activity level, job, and family life.”

Any kind of pain, from shoulder to foot, can greatly minimize a person’s ability to move comfortably throughout the day, and these practitioners are frequently the benefactors of the rewards that come with improving the lives of their patients.

“Restoring the patient’s ability to live a normal life without hip and knee pain, to walk without limping, and to return to activities they enjoy are the most rewarding aspects of my job,” reflected Dr. Krempec. “Seeing someone walk into the office the first time after only ever seeing them in a wheelchair is an amazing feeling.”

And no matter the treatment approach, it is the outcome that takes precedence.

“I enjoy being able to talk with people to figure out what is the underlying cause of their symptoms and helping them to relieve those symptoms,” expressed Dr. Kiewiet. “I am pleased with a good outcome, whether it comes through conservative or surgical management.”

Complementary backgrounds and skills working towards common goals

At Orthopedic Health of Kansas City, it’s a solid group effort that makes for a highly-satisfactory patient experience.

“Everyone in this practice is truly spectacular, although I am biased,” said Dr. Eggers. “We sub-specialize to optimize the overall results. I have multiple partners who have operated and helped care for my dad. I brought my dad from where he lived specifically to have my partners provide surgical care for him. I would trust any family member with any one of my partners. Personally, I am fortunate to have been provided with amazing training to help me care for those with hip and knee problems. Many times a month I will receive referrals from other Kansas City orthopedic surgeons to help assist with more complex surgical cases. This is something we all provide and are able to do so secondary to our sub-specialized focus on obtaining the most thorough, comprehensive, and focused treatment to a patient’s specific problem.”

Medical technologies: a focus on precision, safety and the best in overall patient outcomes

Because the joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, tissues and bones must work in a certain and precise manner with one another, orthopedic treatments, whether surgical or non-invasive, must be accurate in order to deliver the desired results. The medical technology available to physicians today have allowed for the precision and safety of approaches to patient care. The physicians at Orthopedic Health of Kansas City have the resources to treat their patients in the most effective way so they can lead them on their road to recovery.

“Multiple disciplines are brought into patient evaluations dependent upon what their ailments are and their severity,” indicated Dr. Eggers. “Often, we will have X-rays completed of the involved joints. More advanced imaging, including CT scans, MRIs, and bone scans, may be completed. If necessary, blood work may be drawn to help aid in diagnosis. Treatment covers a spectrum from non-operative intervention and management with stretching, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications to surgical intervention.”

When considering surgical intervention, these practitioners complete their due diligence to ensure the least invasive route to recovery.

“Being a sports orthopedist, the majority of the procedures I perform is with the use of arthroscopy, which aims to decrease the perioperative morbidity,” explained Dr. Cowan. “In other words, I am able to perform procedures in a less-invasive way than what was perhaps performed in the past leading to faster and less painful recovery. We have the advantage in this practice to have a high fidelity, open MRI in our office that aides in accurate diagnosis and, therefore, plan of care.”

In keeping pace with continuing advances in medical technology, the practice is currently in the process of acquiring MAKO, a robotic assisted instrument to help with total knee arthroplasty and unicondylar knee replacement.

Continuing education and research: an integral part of the practice

The doctors are not only committed to but demand constant improvement and are therefore involve in ongoing orthopedic research in order to continue their education with respect to new advances and techniques within their specialty and sub-specialties.

“Total hip and knee replacement has always been and will always be an area of intense research,” stated Dr. Krempec. “Many areas of the specialty demand our attention to give our patients the best outcomes, such as types of hip and knee replacements, different types of therapy and pain control, and evolving strategies to avoid surgical complications. Spending the time reading research articles and journals, both attending and teaching at meetings and courses, and never assuming that I have all the answers or don’t need improvement are ways to keep my patients getting the best and most up-to-date care possible. We all must be willing to learn and adapt when new techniques are proven to be better for the patient.”

Orthopedic Health of Kansas City is the premier provider for patients suffering from orthopedic accidents, injuries and conditions, with the goal of getting them back to the normal, active lives they love and enjoy. If you sustain an orthopedic event, joint pain or back problems, the skilled team at Orthopedic Health of Kansas City will make sure to get you moving again.

For more information on Orthopedic Health of Kansas City, visit them online at orthohealthkc.com or call their North Kansas City Hospital location at 816.561.3003 and their Centerpoint Hospital location at 816.303.2400.

North Kansas City Hospital
(newest location)
1950 Diamond Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 561-3003

Centerpoint Hospital
(office on campus at the hospital)
19550 East 39th St S #410, Independence, MO 64057
(816) 303-2400