From initial consultation to attentive follow-up care, Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics is the top choice in board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians.
When it comes to relieving pain, there are few things doctors do that are more important, and the team at Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics are experts in that regard.
Story by Ann Butenas
“The practice of medicine is a team sport,” noted Dr. Constantine Fotopoulos, board-certified physician in multiple disciplines, specializing in interventional spine and sports medicine. And everyone in the Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics Clinics, from the janitorial staff to the lead physicians, understands that motto and to that end are willing to go to bat to anticipate a home run for each and every patient.
“Every person who works here has one goal, and that is to provide individual treatment towards each patient,” emphasized Dr. Fotopoulos. “We do not use the same approach for everyone, as pain is subjective and requires an individualized approach.”
To that end, the staff at Dickson-Diveley never says never and never says always.
“You can’t treat people’s pain in a cookie cutter way,” indicated Dr. Fotopoulos, noting the importance his team places upon listening first to understand and then to reply with the best individual plan for each patient, offering the least invasive approach that offers the most favorable outcome.
The physician team at Dickson-Diveley includes numerous board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons who work together to provide personalized care across the gamut of all subspecialties within orthopedic medicine. From a patient’s initial consultation through recovery, this long-standing practice, which began serving the Kansas City area in 1923, provides a comprehensive range of orthopedic services with two convenient locations, one in Leawood, Kansas and one in Kansas City, Missouri. For more than 90 years, the specialists at Dickson-Diveley have continued to offer the best in care with unwavering compassion. After they take the time to understand each patients needs and concerns, they work together as a cohesive unit to evaluate each condition and then outline treatment options while also educating the patient with clear, understandable and concise answers.
The team at Dickson-Diveley includes orthopedic surgeons and doctors who specialize in multiple arenas, including foot and ankle; arm and elbow; hand and wrist; hip, neck, back, and shoulder; leg and knee, sports medicine, interventional physiatry and workers’ compensation matters.
Among the outstanding physicians within this group include Dr. Fotopoulos, Dr. Fermin Santos, and Dr. Theodore Koreckij, all of whom work seamlessly together to fully support every patient with the best in care while simultaneously assisting with their return to assuming the best and most fully functional lifestyle as possible. Their motto is to work with patients so they can resume their normal daily activities as quickly, safely and as painlessly as possible.
Dr. Fotopoulos specializes in minimally invasive and international procedures for spinal disorders, which includes the use of epidural injections, radiofrequency ablation, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty and spinal cord stimulation. His background as a diver in the United States Navy lends to his expertise and certification in hyperbaric and diving medicine. His past work includes Team Physician for the Kansas City Royals Baseball Team, the Kansas City Explorers Tennis Team and a Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Physician for the State of Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, earning his degree in medicine, and then assumed an internship at the Department of Surgery at Creighton University Medical center, followed by his residency with the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a subsequent Fellowship in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Sports and Spine procedures at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Board-certified in four specialties – physical medicine and rehabilitation, board of pain medicine, undersea and hyperbaric medicine and family practice – sports medicine, Dr. Fotopoulos is also a member of numerous professional organizations, including the North American Spine Society, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Koreckij joined the practice in 2014, and as a spine surgeon, specializes in the treatment of adult degenerative disorders of the spine in addition to spine conditions related to metastatic disease.
A graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Dr. Koreckij also completed his internship in the Department of Surgery at Rush University in Chicago, followed by his residency in orthopedic surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where he eventually became Chief Resident. Additionally, he completed a fellowship in orthopedic spine surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he obtained his board certification. He is board eligible for the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and of the North America Spine Society.
Among the procedures Dr. Koreckij most commonly performs include spinal decompression (laminectomy), microdiscectomy, lumbar fusion, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, cervical disc replacement, and complex scoliosis correction surgery. However, despite his competence behind the scalpel, his overall goal is to keep patients off the operating table as much as possible.
“We strive to work towards less invasive treatment modalities for our patients,” he indicated, noting that he frequently refers patients to Dr. Fotopoulos or to Dr. Santos if he believes they can offer a superior solution with a more favorable outcome. His mantra, along with the rest of the team, is to recommend the least amount of surgery for the maximum benefit to the patient, and what continually motivates and inspires Dr. Koreckij the most are his patients.
“I enjoy seeing the dramatic impact (of what we do) and how it positively changes their lives and helps them get back to their previous lifestyle,” he said. “It is a privilege to improve patients’ lives.”
Dr. Fotopoulos, along with Dr. Santos, are also both fellowship-trained physiatrists, also known as physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, and treat a wide variety of medical conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Their primary goal is to provide care to patients who experience pain, numbness, weakness and loss of function, and as a result maximizing their return to their physical, psychological, social and vocational potential.
“Dr. Santos and I treat musculoskeletal issues from head to toe,” Dr. Fotopoulos said. “We conduct the initial work-up and then decide which of our multiple AND minimally invasive procedures is right for the patient, striving to preclude the need for surgery. However, if surgery is needed, then we refer the patient to Dr. Koreckij, and we will then treat the patient again after surgery, providing a strong continuum of care. Dr. Santos and I will only refer a patient to Dr. Koreckij for surgery, however, after we’ve made sure that no other conservative approaches can be done. The three of us together operate as an interventional spine team for Dickson and Diveley, working together to find the best treatment.” (When necessary, Dr. Fotopoulos may refer patients to Dr. Mark Bernhardt, a top spine surgeon in Kansas City who formerly worked at Dickson-Diveley.)
Dr. Santos came to Dickson-Diveley in 2010 and is fellowship-trained in the diagnosis, rehabilitation and utilization of interventional spine procedures for the treatment of painful spine disorders. He specializes in epidurals, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation and EMG testing along with his role as a physiatrist. He earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his internship in internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma; completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and ultimately completed an interventional spine fellowship at the Orthopedic Clinic Association in Phoenix, Arizona. Board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Santos is also a member of the American Pain Society, the North American Spine Society, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and its special interest group, Pain Rehabilitation.
“Dr. Fotopoulos and I are essentially gatekeepers for the surgeon,” expressed Dr. Santos. “Our job is to give a diagnosis and to educate the patients, sticking to as conservative of an approach as possible and then referring patients to Dr. Koreckij if needed. We consult together as a group in order to determine the best possible outcome for the patient using a multidisciplinary approach to restore function.”
Dr. Santos finds satisfaction when he sees a patient return for follow-up who feels significantly better than when the patient first came in struggling with pain.
“After doing an initial work-up and providing an appropriate treatment plan and also educating the patient on that plan and on necessary lifestyle changes and then seeing that patient’s life improve as a result is very satisfying,” commented Dr. Santos.
In essence, these physicians share patients and frequently consult one another to achieve the best possible outcome with the least invasive and least risky option. And because of this private practice’s team of in-house specialists, patients do not have to wait an unnecessary amount of time for treatment and can be seen by a doctor much quicker than if he or she was referred to a specialist outside of the practice.
“Nearly all of our patients needs can be met here,” expressed Dr. Santos.
For more information on Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics, go online at dd-clinic.com or call 913.319.7600.
