A New Frontier for Sports Medicine at Ochsner

A New Frontier for Sports Medicine at Ochsner

The partnership between Dr. James Andrews and the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute promises to ring in a new era of orthopedic care

By George Menz | Photo: Beth Burris

Orthopedic care at Ochsner Health just got a leg up. James Andrews, MD, will now partner with Ochsner Health to create the Ochsner Andrews Orthopedics& Sports Medicine Institute. This exclusive five-year partnership will enable Ochsner to provide world-class orthopedic care to athletes and other patients.

With Dr. Andrews’s help, the Institute will expand Ochsner’s accredited orthopedic sports medicine fellowship program and enhance the physical therapy and sports performance protocols and offerings. The partnership started in March 2022.

At Ochsner Baton Rouge’s inaugural Sideline Summer School, Dr. Andrews spoke to the community, outlining his patient philosophy. “Always be openminded,” Dr. Andrews said. “And this is extremely important: listen to the patient.” This is one of the key values that Ochsner has always worked to embody: seeing the patient as a whole person, with insights that matter.

James Andrews, MD, and Mrs. Gayle Benson at Dr. Andrews’s New Orleans visit.

Photo: Beth Burris

A remarkable figure in sports medicine

Globally known as a leader in the field of sports medicine, Dr. Andrews is passionate about providing care to young athletes at the beginning of their careers, for whom preventing and recovering from injuries is especially important. He’s treated some of the world’s greatest athletes from Michael Jordan to Drew Brees.

Dr. Andrews is committed to training the next generation of sports medicine professionals, having worked with 700 fellows in orthopedic sports medicine and 80 fellows in primary care sports medicine over the years. A native of Homer, Louisiana, Dr. Andrews founded four different institutions bearing his name in Florida and Alabama, and with this new Ochsner partnership, he feels he has the chance to give back to his home state.

Dr. Andrews expressed admiration for Ochsner's ongoing commitment to patients in the community.

“Combining the Ochsner and Andrews commitment to excellence in clinical care is an exciting opportunity for all of us," Dr. Andrews said, citing the innovation and discovery would foster.

Notably, Dr. Andrews and Dr. Alton Ochsner are the only two physicians listed in a proclamation by the Louisiana state legislature celebrating the state’s 200 most influential citizens. Both men demonstrate the best values of medicine. Now, Dr. Andrews offers the Ochsner team his expertise to take the program to the next level.

“Our award-winning orthopedic and sports medicine team is excited to partner with Andrews Medicine and gain valuable insights that will allow us to continue growing and improving upon the care our patients and athletes have come to expect and rely on,” said Brian Etier, MD, a board-certified orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon at Ochsner Lafayette General. “Through this partnership, we will be able to enhance our already successful program with a nationally recognized, leading sports medicine service to train the next generation of athletes in Acadiana.”

Ochsner is already home to two physicians trained at institutes founded by Dr. Andrews: Benjamin Guevara, MD, orthopedic surgeon and Physician Vice-Lead, North Shore Region Orthopedics and Karim Meijer, MD, orthopedic surgeon and Head Team Physician for the New Orleans Saints.

Sports medicine and orthopedics at Ochsner

Ochsner’s Sports Medicine Institute has partnerships with 151 professional, collegiate, high school, middle school and club organizations and includes 186trainers across the Gulf South region. Ochsner provides the highest level of specialized care in the region, with more than 60 trained orthopedic surgeons at 40 locations and the latest surgical and rehabilitation equipment. Ochsner’s Hospital for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is the only hospital in Louisiana to have received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement.

Combining the Ochsner and Andrews commitment to excellence in clinical care is an exciting opportunity for all of us.

— Dr. James Andrews

Under the guidance of Deryk Jones, MD, the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) treats more than 30,000athletes each year. The team takes a multi disciplinary approach, with trained orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, physician assistants, sports medicine assistants, physical therapists and onsite nurses working together to provide patients with comprehensive specialized care. Throughout the process of recovery, the team guides athletes, treating them as a whole person with goals and ambitions that injuries can’t stop.

Now their experience is coming together with Dr. Andrews’s expertise to offer truly transformative care. The Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute promises to help professionals and weekend warriors alike recover from injuries and get back on the field and to what they love to do as quickly and safely as possible. The team combines unmatched skill and the latest technology to give those suffering from sports injuries the care they need to be able to play again.

The work that Dr. Andrews and Ochsner do isn’t just about preventing worst case scenarios. They aim for the best case: getting athletes back to the comfort and level of performance they had before their injury and focus on injury prevention. For many, it’s not an easy process, but it is rewarding—both for the athletes themselves as well as for the team of medical and sports professionals who help them along the way.

The Institute also hosts innovative research projects pushing the envelope of orthopedic rehabilitation and sports medicine treatment. Physicians at the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute have presented research nationally and globally, helping advance the field of sports medicine for the benefit of athletes everywhere.

The partnership is less than a year old, but one thing is for sure: throughout its lifetime, it will offer remarkable care for its patients and leave an enduring impact on the Ochsner community.