Athens Orthopedic Clinic Opens New Surgery Center Aimed at Redefining the New Standard in Medicine

Athens Orthopedic Clinic (AOC) will open its new Joint and Spine Surgery Center on August 18, the latest capital project from the region's largest provider of orthopedics and sports medicine. Located on its Athens Health Campus at 1765 Old West Broad Street, the 10,000 square-foot facility, designed for expansion, is modeled after a hospital environment with two operating rooms and personalized care, including private recovery rooms for patients requiring an extended stay.

With a reputation for excellence in orthopedic care, AOC is now expanding its footprint to better serve surgical spine patients in need of advanced treatment options, from minimally invasive spine surgery and robotic-assisted techniques to regenerative stem cell injections and complex spinal interventions.

“We're continuing to grow, but more importantly, we're constantly improving access to care,” said Michael Boblitz, CEO of Athens Orthopedic Clinic since February 2025. “Hospitals are under tremendous pressure, and their focus must remain on the most acute, complex and critically ill patients. By expanding outpatient services, we’re helping relieve that burden and ensuring our community can access specialized care faster and closer to home.”

Boblitz said the new Joint and Spine Surgery Center is meant to be a ‘relief valve’ for hospitals, who often treat spine and joint patients in their emergency rooms. “We are trying to make the experience better. Patients won’t have to navigate crowded parking garages at the new center, but rather park out front, check in and be released in a matter of hours, not days.”

AOC offers robotic surgery options using the Mako SmartRobotics System for partial and total joint replacement procedures. In addition, the Surgery Center offers treatment plans customized for each patient. The offerings include the muscle sparing anterior hip replacement, a surgical technique that aims to minimize damage to muscles and tendons during hip replacement surgery, allowing for a quicker recovery and potentially reducing pain. For More Information, Contact: Suzanne Rutledge, 770-289-8366 Suzanne@seesparkgo.com

The AOC Spine Team specializes in minimally invasive and reconstructive surgery of the neck and spine including fracture, degenerative disc and bone disease, neural compression, scoliosis and deformity correction.

“Overall, AOC provided care for 232,000 patients this past year, the most of any orthopedic practice in Northeast Georgia,” Boblitz continued. “Our team of experts are trained from elite programs such as Mayo Clinic, Penn Medicine, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Andrews Institute and Stanford. Because we believe to be the best, you need to train with the best.”

The AOC Joint and Spine Surgery Center is built upon AOC’s 59-year tradition of serving North Georgia’s orthopedic needs. The Athens Health Campus includes the full range of services of MRI and CT Imaging, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Subspecialty Physician Clinics, the Occupational Medicine Center and the legacy three-room Athens Surgery Center which will continue to operate. Providers interested in referring patients can visit athensorthopedicclinic.com or call 706.549.1663 to learn more.

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About Athens Orthopedic Clinic Founded in 1966, Athens Orthopedic Clinic has been dedicated to providing exceptional orthopedic care to Athens and the surrounding communities. Through an industry leading team of 73 total physicians, advanced practice providers and outpatient therapists the Athens Orthopedic Clinic serves over 230,000 patients annually. The comprehensive services includes all orthopedic specialties, ambulatory surgery centers, workers compensation, urgent care centers, physical therapy centers and more. For more information, visit athensorthpedicclinic.com.