Robert Hemsath, physician assistant, has joined Dr. Brian Rosenberg at Rosenberg Bone and Joint. Hemsath has 34 years of emergency medicine, orthopaedic and occupational health experience. As Dr. Rosenberg’s physician assistant, Hemsath provides back-up support in the office and assists in surgery to keep orthopaedic care for patients seamless. Hemsath replaces Chris Rejowski, P.A., who resigned to move closer to family.
A physician assistant is a mid-level care provider who is trained along the medical school model. As part of the medical treatment team, P.A.s align with a physician and possess skills and education which allow them to work with considerable autonomy in patient care and treatment if needed.
Hemsath’s career began in the U.S. Navy. He served as a hospital corpsman from 1969 – 1973. He attended the Navy Hospital Corps School at Balboa Hospital in San Diego, Calif., before transferring to the Naval Hospital in  Pensacola, Fla., where he worked in the surgical orthopaedic ward caring for Vietnam war casualties.
His final Navy service was completed at the Naval Aviation Hospital Patuxent River, where he was assigned to a helicopter search and rescue crew. He participated in more than two dozen crash emergency incidents and received “Winged S” for the successful rescue of a downed pilot.
Hemsath completed the primary care physician program at Cincinnati Technical College in Ohio. He graduated summa cum laude with an associate degree in applied science in 1977.
Previous employment includes the emergency departments of Rutherford, Mary Black and Pardee hospitals. He worked for eight years in the emergency department of Mission Hospital. He has also worked at Park Ridge Orthopaedics and Asheville Hand Center. Most recently, Hemsath was part owner and a provider at Rutherford Emergency Medicine.
Hemsath lives in Rutherfordton with his wife, Brenda, a nursing supervisor at St. Luke’s Hospital.
“I am so impressed with Dr. Rosenberg’s skill and rapport with his patients, and I look forward to assisting him and serving the people of the community,” said Hemsath.
Since 2004, Dr. Rosenberg has steadily increased the number of procedures he performs at St. Luke’s Hospital with orthopaedics now accounting for 50 percent of the surgeries performed in an area of active retirees and the era of Baby Boomers. His progressive techniques and individualized patient care have helped to attract patients from across the region and neighboring states.
In addition to treating general fractures, Dr. Rosenberg performs joint replacement or reconstruction of the knee and hip, as well as sports medicine procedures and arthroscopy to treat knee, hip and shoulder injuries. His latest treatment includes indwelling pumps that reduce the need for and the ill-affects of pain medications.
Dr. Rosenberg is a leading surgeon in the Southeast to perform the latest techniques for hip replacements known as Direct Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery, a relatively new procedure in the United States. Having performed more than 250 advanced hip procedures in a few short years, Dr. Rosenberg has been teaching this technique to other orthopaedists interested in advancing their patient outcomes.
With a goal to improve and reduce recovery time and post-op pain for his active-minded patients, Dr. Rosenberg has worked closely with St. Luke’s Hospital to create an excellent patient care team including a Physician Assistant, Nurse Navigator, Perioperative, Nursing and Rehab Services to ensure his patients experience consistent outcomes, reduced hospital stays and quick recovery.
Loretta Pack, RN, MSN, serves as Patient Nurse Navigator for Rosenberg Bone and Joint. In this role, Pack serves as a resource for the staff of St. Luke’s Hospital and as a liaison for the patient and family. The Patient Navigator streamlines communication and patient care to Dr. Rosenberg and nursing staff. As nurse navigator, Pack obtains physician orders and ensures protocols and care paths are followed appropriately for consistently successful orthopaedic outcomes.
Pack also uses her training in education to lead a Pre-Surgery class to help patients prepare for and understand everything they need to know about hip or knee surgery. She knows firsthand–her husband Alvin was one of Dr. Rosenberg’s first patients for direct anterior hip surgery using the advanced operating table.
For more information, call 828-894-8419.