Improved Outcomes Drive Patient Growth
With a passion for innovation and getting his patients struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome back to their busy work and lives, Dr. Robert Kirtley of SGMC Health in Valdosta, GA has built a practice focused on ultrasound technology and ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release (UGCTR). That specialty has earned Dr. Kirtley a reputation for consistently providing patients with excellent outcomes that profoundly impact their lives.
Since starting his practice in 2019, Dr. Kirtley has treated over 1,200 patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) with UGCTR. Patients consistently offer praise and rave reviews, highlighting his commitment to excellent care. “They’re thrilled that their hands won’t be cut open and left with a large scar,” he says. “They’re literally moving immediately afterward and getting back to work quickly.”
A True Believer
Dr. Kirtley remembers being impressed seeing UGCTR using UltraGuideCTR™ for the first time when it was introduced and knew it would be a game-changer. “Immediately, I understood how transformative the device really was and how it would revolutionize the patient experience,” Dr. Kirtley says. “Seeing just how well it worked left me in awe, and I fell in love with it.”
“Being able to see and transect the whole ligament makes it less likely there will be a return of symptoms,” Dr. Kirtley explains. “Providing a procedure that’s curative for the patient as well as streamlined, elegant, and simple for the physician is something we don’t have that often in medicine. That’s what’s revolutionary.”
Steady Growth By Word of Mouth
When Dr. Kirtley arrived in Valdosta, most carpal tunnel surgeries were being performed using the open approach. After a slow start, Dr. Kirtley’s excellent patient outcomes began to spread by word of mouth, driving more and more referrals. “I didn’t do a whole lot that first year, but the number rapidly increased after I moved to my own practice; then, each year it just cascaded,” he says. “Now I handle most of the business for carpal tunnel release, and that’s exciting.”
Dr. Kirtley’s patients are thrilled by the rapid relief and recovery they experience with UGCTR. He recalls one patient who had an unsuccessful open carpal tunnel release surgery that resulted in chronic pain in her hand. She visited Dr. Kirtley’s clinic and was surprised by how different the approach was. “She was happy that she could be diagnosed painlessly using ultrasound and didn’t have to be put to sleep during UGCTR,” he says. “She reported feeling pain relief immediately that night. The next day, it was just a world of difference for her.”
Congratulations Dr. Kirtley
For his innovative spirit and commitment to excellent patient outcomes, Dr. Kirtley was recently named a Center of Excellence physician by The Institute of Advanced Ultrasound Guided Procedures and Sonex Health.
“It means a lot to me to be recognized,” Dr. Kirtley says. “After years of building my practice, it is an honor to be named a center of excellence. I am committed to offering minimally invasive treatments that provide rapid return to function and doing the right thing for the patient.”
Learn more about The Institute of Advanced Ultrasound Guided Procedures and our training programs to begin your MSK ultrasound training today.