Lancaster Orthopedic Group joins Penn State Health

Affiliation expands Penn State Health orthopedic services across Lancaster and Berks counties

Penn State Health and Lancaster Orthopedic Group (LOG) have executed an affiliation agreement that will enable the two entities to extend orthopedic services across Lancaster and Berks counties. The agreement took effect on Jan. 31.

A physician-owned and operated orthopedic specialty group founded in 1985, LOG includes 18 orthopedic physicians, 15 advanced practice providers and three locations in Lancaster County. The affiliation is in response to growing patient demand for orthopedic services in Penn State Health’s East Region.

LOG physicians and providers will continue to see patients at their three existing practice sites and provide care at Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center where several LOG providers are already members of the hospital medical staff. LOG physicians also will extend services to Berks County, with some physicians joining the medical staff at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center.

“Our top priority is to ensure that patients have convenient access to the high-quality orthopedic care they need close to home,” said Dr. April Armstrong, physician vice president of Penn State Health Musculoskeletal Services and C. McCollister Evarts professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation for Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “Through our affiliation with LOG, Penn State Health can expand patient access to convenient, high-quality orthopedic care and enhance patient access to the academic specialty and sub-specialty resources of Penn State Health, the region’s only locally based academic health system.”

LOG physicians and advanced practice providers will continue to operate as LOG until they are fully integrated into the health system, including Penn State Health’s electronic medical record and billing platforms. That process is expected to take 12 to 18 months. While several LOG physicians trained at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health, there currently are no plans to have them join the academic faculty of the College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.

LOG’s current staff, approximately 230 full-time equivalent personnel, will remain employed by LOG. The group also will continue to handle billing for its existing practice sites and coordination of patient scheduling.

“We are extremely pleased to affiliate with Penn State Health,” said Dr. Corey Troxell, currently the LOG Board president. “We believe it will benefit our patients, workforce and community to be aligned with a high-caliber health system that shares our focus on improving access to high-quality orthopedic care in our region.”

Under the agreement, LOG’s Board of Directors will be reconstituted to include several Penn State Health representatives, including Armstrong and Joe Frank, president of Penn State Health’s Lancaster and St. Joseph medical centers. The Board will continue to oversee operations, performance and strategic decisions for LOG.

“The demand for orthopedic services in our East Region continues to grow, and it’s essential that Penn State Health pursues creative opportunities to expand access to meet this increasing need,” Frank said. “It’s also vitally important that we have a breadth of orthopedic specialists offering high-quality medical care and surgeries to our patients at Lancaster and St. Joseph medical centers. This affiliation helps us achieve that goal.”

If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.