Lynn Crosby, M.D., and Michael Coffey, M.D.
Many years ago, when Michael Coffey, M.D. — now an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoNebraska — interviewed for his residency, he did something quite unusual.
“He sat down across from me and laid a femoral rod on the desk, which I thought was pretty odd,” said Lynn Crosby, M.D., then chairman of orthopedics at Wright State University.
Michael Coffey, M.D.
In case you’re not familiar with the term, a femoral rod is used to repair a broken femur, or thigh bone, which is the largest bone in the body.
“You probably don't remember me,” Coffey said, “but when I was a kid you put this rod in my femur.”
It happened in 1990 when Coffey was 13. He was on summer vacation at Beaver Lake riding his minibike when a pickup truck hit him. He broke both femurs and both bones in his right forearm, and was helicoptered to a hospital in Omaha, where Crosby, at that time, was a surgeon.
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“Dr. Crosby put me back together,” he said. “And the reason I went to medical school and chose orthopedics is because of that experience.”
His application for the residency program was accepted — not because of the coincidence but because all five doctors who interviewed him agreed that he was exceptional.
In the second year of his residency, Coffey spent three months of his rotation with Crosby, and even published a few research papers with him.
“It felt like coming full circle, that the person who fixed me so many years ago ended up being a mentor in the training that would eventually make me an orthopedic surgeon,” Coffey said.
Many years later — and they meet again
Crosby, who became the director of shoulder surgery at a major medical center in Georgia, had recently retired and moved back to Omaha, where his five grandchildren live. And Coffey, now a specialist in hand and upper extremity surgery, joined the staff at OrthoNebraska last year.
“One day, I was looking at my clinic schedule and I saw Dr. Crosby’s name on the list. It was quite a surprise,” Coffey said.
Crosby had developed “trigger finger,” a tendon condition that makes it difficult to bend and straighten a finger or thumb, so he went to the OrthoNebraska walk-in clinic. When a noninvasive treatment didn’t work, he knew he’d need surgery.
“In the hallway was a poster of their new physicians, and Mike Coffey's name was on it,” Crosby said. “So I called him.”
What was it like being operated on by a surgeon he’d known as a resident?
“I did this under a local anesthetic, it was extremely easy, and I had an excellent result,” Crosby said.
There was also something else he liked about his former mentee. “He’s a kind, open, genuine person who means what he says.”
In fact, Crosby will be returning to OrthoNebraska soon so that Coffey can fix two other trigger fingers.
Why patient and doctor both chose OrthoNebraska
“I love working here because we have a very dedicated, well qualified staff, and everybody works as part of a team,” Coffey said. “And that passes down to our patients and gives them a great care experience.”
That was something Crosby also noticed. “Mike and his team had excellent communication. They each knew what the other wanted to do, everybody got along very well, and things went very, very smoothly.”
In addition to his praise for Coffey, there’s much that Crosby appreciates about OrthoNebraska.
“It’s the largest group in the area, they’re well thought of, and they have their own orthopedic hospital,” said Crosby. “Also, it’s so easy to get in and out compared to a big university megacenter. You just drive in and park, walk through the door and you’re there.”
For more information, please visit orthonebraska.com.
