Orthopedics Comes To Stanley

A collaborative effort between Mountrail County Medical Center and McKenzie County Healthcare Systems will mean good things for Stanley area patients. As part of their efforts to bring more specialists into the T. H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic, Dr. Ravindra Joshi and Dr. Leah Brewster, FNP-C will begin seeing patients in Stanley on Thursday, Feb. 28.

Joshi is bringing his many years of experience and prior service in northwestern North Dakota and northeastern Montana to McKenzie County Healthcare in Watford City and now also in Stanley. Certified in orthopedic surgery by American, Canadian, British and Indian examining bodies, Joshi received his Master of Orthopedic Surgery degrees from the University of Liverpool and the University of Bombay. He completed his orthopedic residency at St. Thomas and Guy’s Hospital Orthopedic program in London. He received advanced medical education through fellowship training in total joint replacement surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and New York Orthopedic Hospital.

In 2000 he moved to practicing medicine in North Dakota, specializing in total joint replacements of hip, knee and shoulder, sports related surgery, trauma surgery, shoulder rotator cuff repairs and related surgery, hand and foot surgery as a general specialist in Orthopedic Surgery.

Brewster, a Stanley High School graduate, earned her Associates Degree in Nursing from NDSCS in Wahpeton in 2003 and then her Bachelors Degree in Nursing from UND in Grand Fords in 2005. Her Doctorate Degree in Nursing was earned at NDSU in Fargo in 2013. She is certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is trained in Family Practice, so she can see patients of all age ranges. She worked cardiac and vascular medicine for four years after graduating and then went on to do orthopedic medicine. She has also done some walk in clinic work over the past year.

Having relocated his practice to Watford City in December last year, Joshi says that he has a goal of creating a rural network to take care of patients in their own communities. That is what will bring he and Brewster to Stanley each Thursday of the month. They plan to start out seeing patients from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and increase the times from there if patient load demands.

Surgeries would be done in Watford City, but they say that the patient oriented and focused care they can offer in a rural community like Stanley helps provides those services locally and help local clinics and hospitals flourish.

He started seeing patients in December in Watford City. He is involved in creating the orthopedic related portion of the surgical suites and equipment needed. They have been putting together the team needed to operate the surgical suites and should be able to offer the surgical procedures starting in mid-March with same day surgeries and then expanding into the in-patient procedures.

The outpatient satellite services offered in Stanley’s clinic will include orthopedic care for injuries, arthritis, sports injuries, carpal tunnel, rotator cuff, bunions and more. While any needed surgeries would be done in Watford City, patients will be able to have office procedures such as joint injections with cortisone and lubricant done in Stanley. They will also be able to offer testing including x-rays, labs, MRI, CT scans and physical therapy. Post-surgical visits will also be able to be done in Stanley.

Joshi says this will allow patients to recuperate and heal at home with their families rather than being in distant facilities. With the exception of surgery itself, examinations,  treatments and joint injections can be done close to home.

Joshi also says that his goal  in life is to do something for the communities and give back. With rural networking he says as a specialist he can do the majority of the work and then designate the right  person he trusts for the rest of the project. Creating rural networks makes it easier for residents to connect with what they need. A prime example is the adding of a good source of providers so people do not have to go elsewhere for medical care. That in turn supports the local community.

Brewster says that she serves as the peri-operative medical and orthopedic specialist provider. She  will coordinate the surgery with a patient’s primary care provider as well as considering any other factors or specialists that may be involved in the patient’s care. She will take care of scheduling the lab studies, x-rays, etc. and then  be involved in the risk assessment of patients making sure the patient is cleared and safe to proceed with the surgery. While in Stanley she will also be involved in seeing the patients for their orthopedic and trauma related needs.

While Joshi and Brewster continue to live in Minot, Brewster is doing most of her work remotely as the liaison and coordinator from Minot. She will be making the trip to the clinic in Stanley. Joshi is in Watford City Monday through Wednesday and then Stanley on Thursdays. He is holding Fridays for rural networking appointments.

The pair has a goal of offering high value and patients satisfaction outcome. They say they are there for the patients, providing the best orthopedic care to achieve that outcome. By rural facilities working together, they believe that there are many ways to provide better care for everyone while also realizing some cost savings.

Stephanie Everett, Foundation Director/P.R. and Marketing Director/Administrator in Training at MCHC, says that when the T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic was built the goal was to host specialists and improve patient care in Stanley. This opportunity with Dr. Joshi and Brewster is one more step in offering patients the ability to receive the best quality care locally.

To schedule appointments, patients are asked to call  the Specialty Clinics of McKenzie County Health Systems at 701-444-8730. Patients contacting the Stanley clinic will be directed to that number for scheduling.