Region’s only neurosurgery/spine specialty group joins Erlanger Health System

Two of the region’s oldest healthcare organizations, Chattanooga Neurosurgery & Spine Clinic (CNS) and the Erlanger Health System, have joined forces.

CNS, which has provided neurosurgical services to area residents for more than half a century, has joined the Erlanger Health System and is now affiliated with the UT Erlanger Physician Network. In making the announcement, Erlanger President and CEO Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, said, “Our affiliation with this highly respected team of brain and spine specialists brings added depth to Erlanger’s nationally recognized and growing neurosciences services program. Our professional partnership with CNS benefits the entire community, and allows Erlanger to build a stronger, more sustainable and high value health care system.”

“All of us at Chattanooga Neurosurgery & Spine are excited about this new partnership,” said Dr. Daniel Kueter of CNS. ”Great healthcare requires a broad network of doctors, and we feel this affiliation with the region’s leading healthcare provider is the ideal way to meet the challenging and multifaceted needs of our patients.”

The Chattanooga Neurosurgery group, home to the region’s leading brain and spine specialists, was founded 54 years ago by Drs. Augustus McCravey, Walter E. Boehm, Robert Waters and Edwin Chobot. Today the group, which focuses on minimally invasive surgical procedures, has eight specialists and a staff of 40 employees.

Dr. Peter Boehm, Sr., graduated from the UT College of Medicine, where he also completed his residency and advanced neurosurgical training. After joining his father in practice at the Neurosurgical Group of Chattanooga, he developed an immediate interest in pediatric neurosurgery and was appointed the medical director of the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

Dr. Peter Boehm, Jr., earned a medical degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, and devoted one year to neurological research at the UT College of Medicine, where he also completed neurosurgical training. He joined his father in practice at the Chattanooga Neurosurgery & Spine Clinic in 2011.

Dr. Michael Gallagher graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completed residency training and neurosurgical training at Emory University in Atlanta. He has also completed a research fellowship and a spinal surgery fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He holds a teaching appointment with the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

Dr. Paul Hoffman received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee. He completed a transitional internship at the Methodist Hospital in Memphis and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation in Indianapolis. His professional interests include intervention of the lumbar spine, acute and chronic back pain, rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury.

Dr. Daniel Kueter received a medical degree from the University of Arkansas and completed his neurosurgery residency at the UT College of Medicine in Memphis. His training emphasized minimally invasive treatment of spinal disorders and complete adult skull-based neurosurgery. He holds a teaching appointment with the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

Dr. Lee Kern received his medical degree from the East Carolina University School of Medicine. He then attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas for residency training, a surgical internship, and neurosurgical residency training emphasizing spinal disorders and vascular disorders of the brain. He holds a teaching appointment with the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

Dr. Phil Megison received a medical degree from Louisiana State University and performed a surgical internship at LSU Medical Center. He completed neurosurgical residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a vascular and oncology fellowship at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. He holds a teaching appointment with the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

Dr. Timothy Strait received a medical degree from the UT College of Medicine in Memphis, where he also completed residency training and neurosurgical training. He received additional postgraduate training at the Cornell Medical Center. He holds a teaching appointment with the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

CNS will continue operating under the same name and remain at its current location at 1010 E. Third Street, Suite 202, Chattanooga, TN, 37403. For more information about the practice, go to www.chattneuro.com or call (423) 265-2233.

About Chattanooga Neurosurgery & Spine

Chattanooga Neurosurgery & Spine (CNS) uses minimally invasive techniques, the newest technologies, non-surgical treatments, medical management, and physical therapy to improve the health of patients with disorders of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves. The practice consists of eight physicians and a staff of 40, serving a coverage area of four states and an expansive referral area.