Athens Orthopedic Clinic (AOC) has opened its new Joint and Spine Surgery Center, expanding its presence in the region as a provider of orthopedic and sports medicine services. The 10,000 square-foot facility is located at 1765 Old West Broad Street on the Athens Health Campus and features two operating rooms, private recovery rooms for patients who need to stay longer, and space designed for future expansion.
The center aims to serve surgical spine patients with advanced treatment options such as minimally invasive spine surgery, robotic-assisted techniques, regenerative stem cell injections, and complex spinal interventions. AOC’s leadership sees this expansion as a way to address growing healthcare needs in the community.
“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 also described the new center as a “relief valve” for hospitals that often treat joint and spine patients in 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.”
The facility offers robotic surgery using the Mako SmartRobotics System for joint replacement procedures. Treatment plans are customized for each patient. Among its offerings is muscle sparing anterior hip replacement—a technique intended to minimize damage during hip surgery so that recovery may be quicker with less pain.
The AOC Spine Team specializes in minimally invasive and reconstructive surgeries involving neck fractures, degenerative disc disease or bone disease, neural compression issues, scoliosis correction and other deformities.
“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 opening builds on AOC’s nearly six decades serving North Georgia’s orthopedic needs. The Athens Health Campus also includes MRI/CT imaging services; physical/occupational therapy; subspecialty physician clinics; an occupational medicine center; as well as an existing three-room Athens Surgery Center which will continue operations.
Providers interested in referring patients can visit athensorthopedicclinic.com or call 706-549-1663 for more information.
