Our Story

The History of Bone and Joint Institute

While the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee was formally established in 2018, our history is one of the richest legacies in Williamson County’s healthcare community.

Dr. Craig FerrellIn 1979, orthopaedic surgeon Craig Ferrell, M.D., founded Franklin Bone & Joint Clinic. By the 1980s, the practice had grown to include a handful of orthopaedic surgeons providing state-of-the-art care to area residents and local sports teams. In fact, for over 30 years Dr. Ferrell served as a physician for the US Olympics supporting the Equestrian Team and later the Swim Team – a testament to his extraordinary medical skills. There was no question that the Franklin Bone & Joint Clinic was Williamson County’s go-to destination for exceptional orthopaedic care. In 2009, the successful practice was acquired by a larger healthcare organization and continued to thrive under the leadership of long-time Bone and Joint surgeons, now recognized as the best in the nation. Still, the physicians fondly remembered a time when healthcare felt more intimate and more local: Big city services provided close to home. “When my husband founded the Franklin Bone & Joint Clinic in 1979, patients were not a number and employees were not just someone who worked for you—they were, and are, family,” said Lorraine Ferrell, widow of the late founder. “That mindset and the culture my husband instilled in the practice is why they have been so successful in the past, and I support the partnership with Williamson Medical Center. I believe this is a step in the right direction because they, too, share those core values.”

 

In 2017, Williamson Medical Center – now Williamson Health – announced plans for the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, a partnership between the Franklin hospital and 13 orthopaedic specialists. Following their April 2018 groundbreaking, the Institute physicians worked from temporary offices at Williamson Medical Center as well as a second Tollgate Village location in Thompson’s Station. The $40 million, 121,252-square-foot freestanding medical office opened on Williamson Medical Center’s main campus April 2019 and was designed to accommodate orthopaedic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, sports medicine and spinal surgery. Spaces include six orthopaedic surgery operating rooms and shell space for additional ORs. Other accommodations include outpatient imaging services, physical therapy and occupational therapy, nine private rooms for extended PACU patient recovery, physician offices, clinic space and bistro dining with an outdoor terrace, along with an after-hours injury clinic.

 

A second location at Tollgate Medical Plaza in Thompson’s Station opened in November 2018, which now offers orthopaedic urgent care and physical therapy.  Two additional locations in Brentwood and Nolensville also offer orthopaedic urgent care and physical therapy while a standalone physical therapy clinic in West Franklin is Bone and Joint Institute’s most recent addition to the umbrella of services. While already operating five locations in Williamson County, Bone and Joint Institute still plans to continue growth within the county and the Middle Tennessee area to meet the needs of our community.

 

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (615) 791-2630.