Patrick Boyett opens orthopedic center in Athens

Published 8:55 am Monday, September 12, 2011

Whether its treating a patient for arthritis, helping mend a broken bone or performing a hip replacement, OrthoSports Athens is hoping to provide resources to fill all orthopedic needs for the residents of Limestone County and beyond.

Dr. Patrick Boyett, a Lamar County native, recently moved to Athens to open his private practice OrthoSports Athens, located in Medical Village East. He also will serve as Athens-Limestone Hospital’s newest orthopedic surgeon.

Boyett specializes in joint replacement, arthroscopic shoulder, knee and hand surgeries as well as fracture care, sports medicine and general orthopedic bone, joint and nerve surgery of the extremity in both pediatric and adult care.

“We treat and take care of everything that involves the extremities,” Boyett said, adding his office will not provide spine-related services. “Our emphasis is sports medicine and total joints. We offer sports coverage as well as coverage for the weekend warrior.”

Lamar County native

Boyett grew up in Sulligent, approximately 20 miles west of Winfield, where there was no hospital. For four years, he practiced emergency and primary care in the city. He made the decision to move into orthopedics in Winfield, where he remained for three years before coming to Athens.

As an undergraduate, Boyett attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham — a place where he also had his first residency. He graduated from medical school at the Kansas City School of Medicine at the University of Missouri and was a resident physician in Kansas City, as well.

Family is important to Boyett. He and Penny, his wife of 16 years, grew up together in Sulligent. “We’ve been sweethearts since junior high,” Boyett said.

They were married during medical school and have four children, Regan, 10; Rush, 8; Reece, 4; and Riggs, 7 months. The Boyetts spend a lot of time on Smith Lake and on the ball fields where their children play soccer and baseball. They also enjoy horseback riding.

Boyett said the family loves being in Athens. “We have had a very pleasant welcome from the hospital and the community,” Boyett said. “With Penny and I both growing up in a small town, Athens is still small enough it gives you that sense of being in a community, not a city. The good thing about it is that it’s large enough to provide access to a lot of different things.”

He added the family is still exploring churches, but the children have settled into the school system.

Community-minded

Boyett has already begun to give back. OrthoSports Athens is a sponsor of the Crystal Cup Golf Tournament, which will benefit Athens-Limestone Hospital. The goal of this year’s Crystal Cup is for the Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation to provide orthopedic surgeons, like Boyett, with the Hana Hip and Knee Arthroplasty table. The table will allow the hospital to stay abreast of clinical and surgical advancements as they continue to care for the community. “The Hana table will allow for more precise treatment of fractures as well as allow for a new approach for hip replacement surgery, which ultimately results in faster recovery and stronger rehabilitation,” Boyett said.

He also plans to implement a Joint Camp program by the first of the year. “The hospital has already sent representatives to several locations to be educated in starting the program,” Boyett said. “It will allow better pre-surgical education for the patient as well as more structured physical therapy and post-operative care.”

Athens-Limestone Hospital has worked to prepare its orthopedic surgeons with new equipment, according to Boyett. “I think the hospital has done a fantastic job preparing for physical therapy as well,” he said.

Becoming a new addition

Boyett added hospital CEO Kelli Powers and CFO Randy Comer were instrumental in his decision to move to Athens. “Kelli’s vision and her insight into what she planned for the hospital is what sold us on the decision,” Boyett said. “Kelli and Randy both drove to my office in Winfield during the recruitment process. I felt that they went above and beyond what an average administration team would do to recruit a physician. That personal involvement by administration is one of the many things that assured me that this was the correct decision for my practice and my family. As a doctor, this is the kind of personalities that you want supporting you. A do what it takes and go the extra mile approach.”

OrthoSports Athens has a five-year plan, according to Boyett.

Dr. William Lawrence of Jackson, Miss., will join the practice as a partner in January. The physicians trained together in Kansas City.

“We hope within five years we can add two more,” Boyett said. “We believe that if we have a group of four physicians, we can provide good coverage through the community for all ER as well as electrosurgery needs.”

Boyett said the practice is in a temporary space now, but they are developing a clinic in a 5,000-square feet location next door. “We project to move in the new location by January,” Boyett said. The location will offer X-ray and ultrasound, as well as offer MRIs, CT scans and physical therapy. The MRI is a 1.5 Tesla Magnet with orthopedic software that gives quality images. Boyett added Radiology of Huntsville would read the studies. “It has the potential to truly be a one-stop shop,” Boyett said. “I think that it’s important for a patient to have confidence in their doctor. I tell patients that if you don’t have confidence in what I’m going to do then your outcome is not going to be as good. One thing we strive to do is a lot of patient education so that patients have confidence going into surgery.”

Patients need to understand what they are signing up for, according to Boyett. “I do think we spend an extra ordinary amount of time with patient education to try to achieve that level of comfort and confidence,” he said.

OrthoSports Athens is located at 15243 Greenfield Drive, next to Medical East and across from Publix, and can be contacted at 256-233-2332.