When most people hear the phrase, The Greatest Comebacks Begin Here, they generally think of their sports team trailing in a ballgame, or a grand rebuttal from the receiving end of a joke. In Manhattan, Kansas, however, this saying has become synonymous with Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Center.
Dr. Richard B. Baker first came to Northeast Kansas in the mid-1970s by way of active duty in the United States Army. Upon completion of his service in the military, he was asked to open a practice in Manhattan, where he first began in Building A of the Medical Center at College & Claflin Avenues. While also serving in the United States Army himself, Dr. William T. Jones began moonlighting with Dr. Baker, as he was still serving as a staff orthopaedic surgeon at Fort Riley. Upon completion of his military service, Dr. Jones, alongside Dr. Baker, formed Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in the summer of 1983.
With humble beginnings, the original office had space enough for only one doctor. While there were two providers, it generally worked out well because one of them would be in the office, while the other would be in surgery. A few years later, Dr. Allan D. Holiday joined the practice, and again they were able to work around the minimal space, this time by hosting satellite clinics outside of Manhattan. In 1991, plans for building a new office at 2600 Anderson Avenue were finalized, and for obtaining a secondary office space to accommodate patients and physical therapy in the Colony Square building on Poyntz Avenue. A third office near campus was opened in the mid-1990s.
More providers — Dr. Hinkin, Dr. James R. McAtee & J. Chad Joyce in Physical Therapy — joined OSMC, and it became apparent a new, centralized facility was needed. With clinics occurring in three separate locations, and doctors and staff traveling in between them, the new building would be able to serve all patients’ needs from just one location. Plans for a new building were drawn up, ground was broken, and the new & current building at 1600 Charles Place opened in October of 2002. Dr. Peter T. Hodges joined that same year.
After many years of service, Dr. Baker retired from OSMC in 2003. As Kansas State University’s first designated team physician, he provided four decades of service to KSU student-athletes, serving all teams, and donating 20,000 hours of service during his tenure. Thanks to Dr. Baker’s early efforts, OSMC still serves as the official team physicians of K-State Athletics to this day.
Dr. Bryce A. Palmgren joined the practice in 2006, followed by Dr. Adam J. Chase four years later. Also in 2010, further expansion began by both remodeling and the finishing of previously unfinished areas of the building. This renovation created additional space for added providers and more capacity for physical therapy.
Dr. Trevor R. Gaskill joined the clinic in 2015, followed by Dr. Heidi J. Smith in 2020. Dr. Jones retired in June of 2020 after 37 years of service, with Dr. Hodges following suit the next year. 2020 would also see the completion of a brand new, standalone physical therapy building on the east side of town at off Highway 24, at 8231 Positano Drive. Dr. Nicholas Duethman is the most recent doctor to join, and everyone else remains to this day.
40 years after Drs. Baker and Jones began in that small clinic, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Center has grown from just two providers to twelve. Physical therapy has grown from a small space in downtown Manhattan to an entire floor, and a subsequent dedicated building. The future is bright at OSMC thanks to their high standards of continuing education, practice of current surgery techniques, and nonsurgical treatment options. Another key to the practice's success is its consistency.
“I would have to say the thing I'm most proud of here is the longevity,” says Dr. McAtee. “We've been here for 40 years and we've been able to maintain a culture and attitude of caring, and all of our missions and values have been maintained for a long time. So that longevity lets us be able to maintain the quality of care and the positive work culture for our staff and positive clinic care for our patients. With all of that, the patient experience gets maintained, and I think that's difficult to find.”
OSMC offers:
- Physical Therapy
- Streamline to Sport
- Joint Replacement
- Fracture Care
- Hip Injuries & Procedures
- Knee Injuries & Procedures
- Foot/ankle Injuries & Procedures
- Shoulder/Elbow/Hand Injuries & Procedures
- Wide Bore MRI
"We're all about the patient experience, and part of that experience is providers. Physical therapists, nursing physicians, and our advanced practitioners that are skilled and current in their area of expertise. So you'll get the most cutting-edge technology and the most cutting-edge treatment options. And because of that, I think that's why people come to us and, and why they continue to come to us." Dr. Jamie McAtee