July 12th 2021 will see the opening of AONE’s third orthopedic urgent care center. The new Urgent Care, located in Vernon, is staffed with experienced orthopedic surgeons and physician assistants, capable of treating all types of orthopedic injuries. The office provides specialized, quality, and quick care, with a full range of services and treatment capabilities. Richard Ahrens, PA-C, is the Clinical Director.

The Specialists can take and access digital x-rays immediately for review, diagnosis and treatment plan development. Treatment may include casting, application of braces, slings and crutches, which will be provided at the time of the visit. If necessary, surgeries with one of our specialty surgeons will be scheduled separately. Priority follow-up care will be overseen by our doctors to monitor healing progress.

Hospital emergency rooms can be a long and costly experience, but not here!

The location and hours are:
224 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT 06066
Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Doctors

Dr. Allen Berkowitz, Dr. Scott Bissell, Dr. Amanda Fantry, Dr. Matthew Grosso, Dr. David Kruger, Dr. Brett Wasserlauf

Our spine surgeon, Dr. David Kruger, was recently chosen to feature in a new TV advertisement for Trinity Health of New England; they wanted the very best! You can see the ad here.

See how Dr. Kruger helped his patient who had been suffering from significant back pain for decades on Better CT. It’s a great piece talking about insurance issues and treatment. Click here to see the interview.

We are currently running a TV ad to let people know the extent of our joint replacement capabilities – shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle – using the most advanced techniques including robotic technology; helping get our patients up and about in no time. Check it out here.    

We are delighted to share the news that Dr. Matt Grosso will be joining our practice in September. Currently a Clinical Fellow in Adult Reconstruction at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, Dr. Grosso specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery.

Dr. Grosso is a specialist in treating patients with arthritis of the hip and knee, understanding that these conditions can prevent patients from doing their favorite activities and even cause difficulty in performing everyday tasks. 

Hip and knee replacement surgeries are some of the most successful surgeries in medicine, with the goal to allow patients to return to the activities that they love, and significantly improve quality of life.  

Dr. Grosso has specialty training utilizing the most modern techniques and implants to ensure the best possible outcome for his patients, including:  

• Total hip replacements, utilizing the anterior approach
• Total knee replacement surgery
• Robotic surgery of the knee
• Partial knee replacements

• Revision surgery of the hip and knee, including complex revision surgery

In addition to surgical training at two of the top medical and orthopedic programs in the nation, Dr. Grosso is passionate about advancing the field of hip and knee replacement through state-of-the-art research.  He has led multiple nationally recognized award-winning research studies that have helped guide practice strategies for surgeons throughout the country.  

Dr. Grosso will be a great addition to our team. We are excited to welcome him to our practice and look forward to his arrival.

As we all begin to think about re-emerging more fully into our lives, we want to express our gratitude to all our patients. Thank you for your patience and loyalty during the COVID-19 crisis. Throughout this life-altering experience, we have seen so many examples of humanity, grace and community. At AONE, we have worked hard to create a “new normal” orthopedic care experience that meets high quality care and safety office standards.  

During this crisis, we limited care to telemedicine visits, restricting office visits for urgent problems. Beginning June 1st, we have added additional hours in our office locations for in-person visits, keeping in mind we must always adhere to social distancing guidelines. We will continue to offer telemedicine visits; however, we recognize that providing the best orthopedic care may require an in-office visit.  

There is nothing more important to us than the health of our patients and staff. Over the past few months, we developed practice policies that mirror the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), State Department of Public Health (DPH) and our local hospital and ambulatory surgical center affiliates.  Below are some key examples of the practice policy enhancements we have made to provide an environment that supports the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.  We are confident our ongoing efforts provide a responsible COVID-19 environment for all those that come to our office. We have been certified by the state for COVID-19 prevention.   

• Daily symptom screening for all employees
• A commitment to ensure any staff member that exhibits any symptoms of COVID-19, or has experienced a high-risk exposure, is asked to remain at home until testing and return to work protocols are met
• All patients and visitors must complete a COVID-19 symptom and risk exposure questionnaire
• A commitment to an environment that supports social distancing and limited prolonged contact
  • Reduced number of patient visits daily
  • Limited visitor policy 
  • Curbside Check-In for our patients at many of our locations—text from your car to reduce the number of patients in our waiting room  
• Enhanced access to PPE (personal protective equipment) and a commitment to enforcing our policies
  • Face masks must be worn throughout the building by all physicians, physician assistants, staff, patients and visitors when social distancing requirements cannot always be met
• Reinforced proper handwashing techniques and access to hand sanitizer 
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces and equipment with COVID-19 EPA approved products
• Management safety rounds to ensure proper oversight, ongoing education and insights into our daily practice. These rounds will allow our practice to further develop policy enhancements.  AONE is committed to continually improve on our efforts to provide an environment that supports the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

We continue to provide quality care for your urgent injuries or chronic orthopedic conditions. We are actively scheduling urgent and elective surgeries for our patients. We are following strict COVID-19 testing protocols for all our patients prior to having surgery.

Please know we are committed to our patients and all those who enter our practice. If you have any questions or concerns about our policies, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We are happy to offer additional information and answers to questions that may help you. 

Thank you for your trust.  

Best wishes for health and safety,

All Physicians, Physician Assistants and Staff

Advanced Orthopedics New England

In keeping with our fight against the coronavirus, all our offices are now certified by the state for COVID-19 prevention.

Click here to see the graphic.

Dr. Berkowitz recently had the pleasure of talking with Kara Sundlun on WFSB Channel 3’s Facebook Live about our introduction of telemedicine appointments. It’s an excellent interview that you can see in full when you click on the video.  Kara went through the process of becoming a telemedicine patient through our new AxS Health app and subsequently having a telemedicine appointment with Dr Berkowitz. They discussed how the diagnosis and treatment works very efficiently in these COVID-19 affected times.

Click here to see the video.

Coronavirus Statement. 

Please know that there is nothing more important to us than the health of our patients and staff. The recent global outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has now spread to New England, and we would like to advise everyone to observe all fundamental precautions to limit the contagion as much as possible.

The key first step is to remember the basics in your everyday activities: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds 
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue away
• Stay home from work if you’re sick 
• Avoid touching surfaces in public 
• Try not to touch your face 
• Avoid people who seem visibly sick

If you have any of the following symptoms, please call and reschedule your appointment; we thank you for your compliance in keeping everyone healthy and safe: 

• Fever
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Flu-like symptoms

Our office locations (Bloomfield, Enfield, Springfield Ma) remain open so we can continue to care for you. We proactively increased our sanitization protocol beyond our already high standards of safety. 

If you, or anyone who accompanies you, arrive for your scheduled appointment and are visibly symptomatic, Advanced Orthopedics New England reserves the right to refuse treatment and reschedule you for a later date in order to protect other patients and our staff. 

While some visits, such as post-op appointments, need to be done in person, we are now offering telemedicine appointments – a scheduled video chat with your physician. Contact us for more information – to schedule an appointment call 860.728.6740 or via email info@ctortho.com

Thank you in advance for your compliance. Please stay safe and be healthy through the upcoming weeks.

Dr. Scott Bissell was on Better CT recently talking about rotator cuff tear treatments, as well as other services we provide, including orthopedic urgent care. He and his PA Taylor Kelley did a wonderful job explaining everything, and many thanks to his super patient Lynda.

Click here to see the video.