Dear Parents:

It is a pleasure for Fort Wayne Orthopaedics (FWO) and The Orthopaedic Hospital of Lutheran Health Network (TOH) to collaboratively provide medical care to the student athletes at the University of Saint Francis.  Our combined staff includes 22 physicians, 10 physical therapy specialists and 14 athletic trainers.  The depth of knowledge and extensive experience in sports medicine allows FWO/TOH to offer excellent medical care to the student-athletes at USF.

TOH will ensure that at least one Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer is on campus any day students are actively participating in University sponsored athletic activities.  During the most active periods, TOH will have additional athletic trainers on campus.  In addition, a licensed FWO physician specialist will be available at any time a student athlete requires medical care.

The FWO/TOH facilities are less than 15 minutes from the USF campus; we have full service clinical facilities providing inpatient and outpatient care, rehabilitation and ambulatory surgery services.  We also have established relationships at all local hospitals.  We certainly intend to assist the coaching staff in preventing student athletes from needing these capabilities.  Should skilled medical services be required, you can be assured that the best medical care will be available to all USF athletes.

The primary TOH Athletic Trainer, Tony Gambill, will be on campus full time and will become well known to USF students.  Tony is an excellent Athletic Trainer with professional sports experience and is supported by TOH Director of Athletic Training Services, Peter Paonessa, who has over 25 years in sports medicine management.  Of course, the full FWO medical staff described above will also be available when needed.

If our student athletes require medical care, the finance staff at both FWO/TOH will make the financial process as convenient as possible for the students and their families by efficiently processing insurance claims for the student’s medical insurance plan and then processing the follow-up claim with the University’s insurance carrier.  We intend to keep the administrative burden to a minimum for you, but we need your cooperation in this process.  Medical insurance is a very expensive part of the USF Athletics’ budget – so we all need to work together to ease this burden on all of us.

In order to process claims on a timely basis, it is critically important for you to send copies of your insurance card(s) for your student athlete to:

                Tony Gambill
                University of Saint Francis
                2701 Spring Street
                Fort Wayne, Indiana 46808

                Or:  FAX to 260-399-8164

Please send or fax your student’s insurance information to Tony at the University as soon as possible.  Having this information in advance of any potential need will assist in simplifying administrative processes if medical care is needed.

Unfortunately, given the significant costs associated with our secondary insurance this year, we will require all student-athletes to carry primary medical insurance.  If you do not have primary insurance, you will be required to purchase insurance for your son or daughter.  Right now the University is negotiating a policy at the lowest possible cost, and we will provide this information to you as soon as the University reaches an agreement with the appropriate insurance company. 

We at FWO/TOH are very pleased to be participants with the University of Saint Francis athletics.  We look forward to assisting the coaches and the students with an  enjoyable and successful year.  Please feel free to contact Tony any time on campus at (260) 399-7700 x6208 or at the office (877) 554-8219.

Sincerely,



B. Matthew Hicks, MD                                      Mark A. Pope
USF, B.S. 1987                                                     Athletic Director, USF




Peter Paonessa, PT
Director, Rehabilitation/Sports Medicine Services