After more than a decade in value-based care, OrthoCarolina is scaling programs that improve access, lower costs and enhancing patient outcomes.

In the latest episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina’s Bob Raspa, chief administrative and value officer, and Stephen Freshly, RN, director of value-based care services, discuss how the health system is expanding its value-based care approach to orthopedic care.

They describe how OrthoCarolina is improving access, reducing costs and delivering better patient experiences. Raspa and Freshly address the rapid growth of direct-to-employer partnerships, as well as the operational strategies needed to scale these programs.

Subscribe to The Pursuit of Exceptional Care on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina’s Bob Raspa, chief administrative and value officer, and Susan Deal Smithey, ambulatory surgery center administrator, explore ambulatory surgery centers and the role they play in value‑based care.

The episode breaks down how innovative surgery centers, physician‑led models and strategic partnerships are reshaping orthopedic care in Charlotte. Raspa and Deal Smithey also delve into how surgery centers have allowed OrthoCarolina to scale efficiently and deliver higher-quality outcomes for patients at lower costs.

Learn more about value-based care at OrthoCarolina.

In this episode, Blair Primis, CGO, and Catherine Anderson, director of experience, discuss how OrthoCarolina treats experience as a growth strategy. They define experience as the feeling created for three stakeholder groups — patients, practitioners and employees — and explain how trust, differentiation and consistent “walk the walk” execution drive retention, referrals and employee engagement.

“It’s up to us to make sure we’re giving the patients that delight and finding those memorable moments to surprise them so that human touch and human-centered approach connects them and they build trust,” Anderson said.

In this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina’s Dr. Leo Spector, CEO, and Blair Primis, chief growth officer, discuss the organization’s plans for deliberate growth in 2026. They explore efforts to expand access for patients, leverage technology and maintain community impact while lowering healthcare costs. Their discussion also highlights the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as OrthoCarolina aims to meet the needs of the patients and community in 2026 and beyond. 

In this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina Director of Surgical Services Susan Deal Smithey discusses how their in-house research and resulting data are shaping care models at the surgery center level. 

OrthoCarolina Research Institute, an organization within OrthoCarolina, gathers data and conducts research to evaluate new surgical devices and procedures, Smithey says. 

The research is then used to obtain FDA approval and advance orthopedic care globally.

“Our focus is on that patient experience,” Smithey says. “We really want the patient to come in and feel like they’re really not a number, they’re there for an individual procedure.” 

Listen to learn more about:

-              How patient expectations are changing (2:22)

-              Why in-house research is advancing care models (6:27)

-              Collaboration between surgical and clinical teams at OrthoCarolina (9:43)

-              The future of value-based care (11:54)

On this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina Chief Administration Officer Bob Raspa and Director for Value-Based Programs Stephen Freshly discuss value-based care, how it differs from the traditional fee-for-service model, and the benefits it brings to patients and the health care system. 

“At its core, value-based care seeks to decrease the cost of care, increase the quality of care that we're delivering to the patient, and increase the patient's experience in going through that care,” Raspa says. 

Listen to hear more about:

·      How OrthoCarolina implements value-based care in their practice (9:30)

·      Patient response to this innovative care model (16:59)

·      What future goals OrthoCarolina has for value-based care (24:08)

Sponsored Content by OrthoCarolina.

In this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, host T.J. McCullough, market president and publisher of the Charlotte Business Journal, talks with OrthoCarolina orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Glenn Gaston and Dr. Brian Loeffler about groundbreaking advancements in amputee care. 

Gaston and Loeffler touch on the innovative research on phantom limb pain, virtual reality therapy, and how their charity, Arms for All, fits in with their amputee clinic. The surgeons also share insights on how their cutting-edge techniques, including targeted brain rehabilitation (TBR), are transforming lives. 

Listen to the full episode to learn more about: 

·      Gaston and Loeffler’s bucket list items and favorite restaurants in Charlotte (1:14)

·      The impact of VR therapy on phantom limb pain (5:09)

·      How TBR changes the approach to amputations and patient care (9:52)

·      The impact of OrthoCarolina’s amputee clinic in Charlotte and beyond (15:35)

·      One patient’s experience with OrthoCarolina’s pioneering care. (19:14)

In this episode, Dr. Brian Curtin, Hip & Knee Center surgeon and chair of the OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI), is joined by Christi Cadd, executive director of OCRI to discuss how integrated research, patient stories and cutting-edge studies are reshaping patient care and advancing orthopedic practices.

“We’re a tertiary care referral center, so all the toughest problems get shipped to us,” Curtin said. “Trying to solve those problems leads us to ask questions like, ‘Is there research or a study that we can design to get an answer for this?’ The next time that patient comes in or the next patient down the line, we want to have a better answer.” 

Listen to learn more about: 

·      The mission of the OrthoCarolina Research Institute (3:24)

·      The CORE study on reducing opioid use (5:27)

·      How CORE studies reshaped Curtin’s thinking (10:36)

·      How in-house research can change patient care (16:56)

·      Patient success story (19:54)

On this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, OrthoCarolina CEO Dr. Leo Spector and Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Blair Primis discuss innovative health care models and their benefits to patients, such as OC’s orthopedic urgent care facilities.

“The cost is much less than going into the emergency department and (the patient is) actually seeing an orthopedic practitioner. Oftentimes patients will go to the ER only to be sent back over to us. It was an unnecessary step. So we’re saving our patients’ time, money, and giving them the care they need immediately,” says Spector. 

Primis also shares why OrthoCarolina is “meeting the patient where they are” to simplify the health care process. 

Listen to the full episode to learn more about: 

·      Spector’s and Primis’s favorite Charlotte restaurants (0:51)

·      OrthoCarolina’s orthopedic urgent care centers (4:14)

·      How the provider has developed community partnerships and outreach (9:07)

·      The shift to ambulatory surgery centers amid the COVID-19 pandemic (15:31)

On this episode of The Pursuit of Exceptional Care, host T.J. McCullough, market president and publisher of the Charlotte Business Journal, talks with Dr. Leo Spector, CEO of OrthoCarolina, and Bob Raspa, PA and chief administration officer, about the importance of OrthoCarolina being physician owned and led.

“The patient’s experience is very, very important to the people making decisions at OrthoCarolina because they’re actually the shareholders of the practice,” Raspa said. “Every interaction we have with patients is really important to our business’s success.” 

Spector agrees and [MJ1] shares the experiences that led him to recognize the benefits of a different structure of care for patients. 

“At the end of the day, we are in the business of caring for patients,” Spector said. “And the decisions that are being made are by those who are directly caring for patients every single day and are thinking about how those decisions impact our ability to deliver the care that we think our patients need.”

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

·      The leaders’ favorite Charlotte destinations (0:57)

·      What being physician-owned means for patient experience (5:19)

·      The origins of OrthoCarolina’s patient care model (9:52)

·      OrthoCarolina’s goals for the future (22:00)

 [MJ1]Can we include a quote from Spector as well?