Orthopaedic Specialty Clinic of Spokane PLLC plans to develop a building in the Northpointe Medical Park and move there from a nearby leased space by early next year, says Dr. David Scott, one of the clinics owners.


Scott, an orthopedic surgeon, says the clinic is buying land at the northwest corner of Holland Avenue and Nevada Street and plans to develop an 8,500-square-foot, single-story building there. Construction probably will begin in August and is expected to take five to six months to complete, he says. He declines to divulge the estimated cost of the project.


At its new location, in addition to exam rooms and offices, the clinic expects to operate a physical-therapy department, a pharmacy, and a service that will supply to patients needed medical equipment such as splints and braces, Scott says. It also expects to have a research office that will administer clinical studies in which the clinic participates, and a dedicated room for a bone density scanner it owns and uses to diagnose and treat osteoporosis, he says. At present, that machine occupies space in the clinics cast room.


Orthopaedic Specialty Clinic currently leases about 2,500 square feet of space on the third floor of the Northpointe Medical Building, at 9631 N. Nevada. Scott and two other orthopedic surgeonshis wife, Dr. Amaryllis Scott, and Dr. Antoine Tohmehfounded the clinic about three years ago.


Scott specializes in knee-, hip-, and arthritis-related areas, his wife focuses primarily on sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction, and Tohmeh is a neck and back specialist. Scott says the group is looking to recruit a foot-and-ankle surgeon and a hand surgeon to round out its capabilities.


Along with the three principals, the group employs a physicians assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a 13-person support staff, all but two of whom are full-time employees, he says.


Opening a physical-therapy department will require adding probably two therapists and some additional support people, Scott says. The prospect of offering such services in house for the first time is very attractive to us because we will have greater input into the physical-therapy process, he says. Likewise, having a pharmacy in the building will allow the dispensing of anti-inflammatory drugs that the surgeons commonly prescribe and should be an added convenience for the clinics patients.


Along with the other prospective staff additions, the orthopedic group is looking for a full-time research assistant to coordinate its clinical studies.


We are partnering with pharmaceutical companies to bring new drugs to the market, and currently are involved, for example, with big New Jersey-based Pharmacia Corp. in a study of a new drug thats said to reduce the rate of blood clots after total knee replacements, Scott says.


Orthopaedic Specialty Clinic is having its new building designed to allow for a possible 3,000-square-foot expansion, which it might use to house a day surgery center or a magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) machine, he says.


3E Design Group PS, of Spokane, is designing the building, and Leone & Keeble Inc., of Spokane, will be the general contractor.


Orthopaedic Specialty Clinic does all of its surgeries at Holy Family Hospital.